When Jason Hart leaves the game in the first half with elbow tendinitis, Fred Jones – a player who wasn’t in the league a week ago – becomes the Clippers’ first-string point guard. Jones doesn’t play poorly, finishing with a +9 on the night, as the Clippers hang around against a healthy, talented Phoenix team.
Where is Baron Davis? A report that Baron would sit out the game with a bruised tailbone trickles out of Phoenix about ten minutes before tip-off. The way Baron has been shooting the ball during his first ten weeks as a Clipper, I’m willing to accept that he’s hurt. The unanswerable question, of course, is how many of the other 29 starting point guards in the league would be playing in Baron’s condition?
In no basketball universe is Fred Jones a natural point guard. You can observe his limitations at [3rd, 3:38], and [4th, 10:12] when he telegraphs a couple of bad passes in halfcourt sets that Matt Barnes and Leandro Barbosa poke away in the lanes for Phoenix fast breaks. But Jones has a good dribble game and isn’t afraid to draw contact on a drive for a trip to the line [3rd, 3:05; 3rd, 1:56]. Jones isn’t the defender Hart is, but Jason Richardson doesn’t kill him and he doesn’t make any brutal mistakes.
The game isn’t shown over-the-air or on cable in Los Angeles, so I pick up the Phoenix broadcast with Tom Leander and Scott Williams. It’s always interesting to hear the opposing crew. Early on, Leander speaks glowingly of Eric Gordon’s skill set. He cites a pregame conversation with Mike Smith, during which the Clippers’ color commentator tells Leander there isn’t anything on the floor that Gordon doesn’t do well. Leander and Williams also spend time on the Clippers’ train wreck narrative — the unending injuries, the Davis-Dunleavy flap, Ricky Davis, etc. Leander does a good job breaking down a set at [1st, 6:15] when Marcus Camby calls for a lob after he gets baseline position in a mismatch against Grant Hill. Instead of finding Camby, Hart swings it weak side along the perimeter to Eric Gordon. A frustrated Marcus Camby, who was wide open having spun off Hill, throws his arms in the air in disgust — and Marcus has every right to be pissed. Leander notes it as a talisman for the Clippers’ season.
Whatever annoyance Marcus might convey at Hart, the Clippers’ center is an absolute professional tonight. Marcus racks up 23 rebounds — 11 of them on the offensive glass — to go along with 19 points. Four of his seven FGMs come on tips or offensive boards. He repeatedly finds himself on his ass diving and scraping for what little is offered to his impoverished team. When this one is over, there are only seven bodies left standing for the Clippers in addition to Marcus. Each of them — Thornton, EJ, Novak, Collins, Jones, Skinner, and Paul Davis — could’ve phoned it in. None of them do.
Eric Gordon looks more like a pro with each outing. Tonight he scores 21 points on 65% TS, has three shots blocked [two of which will be called as fouls once he logs 200 games], and turns the ball over three times. EJ gets a great deuce at [4th, 3:53...garbage time, I know] when he starts in the right corner, runs the baseline, then flashes up to the left elbow, rubbing Jason Richardson by a Brian Skinner back screen. As he turns the corner around Skinner, EJ collects the ball from Jones, stop, and pops a high-arching jumper over Shaquille O’Neal. It’s vintage Rip Hamilton. And Rip Hamilton in the body of Eric Gordon sounds pretty good in the morass of an 8-24 season. We’ll worry about his Crawfordian rebounding rate later.
11 Responses
More and more EJ needs to be focal point of this team’s offense. When Zach comes back, the primary scoring option can be Zach, then EJ, before Al, Kaman, or Baron. By far, our three best players this year have been: Camby, EJ, and Zach. Everyone else is expendable.
I’m beginning to think that Kaman and Baron are taking games off because they’re unhappy and moping, and less because they’re actually injured. It’s a sad state of affairs and a disgrace in terms of entertainment, especially in a bad recession when we’ve already committed more than $200 to see each game at the Staples Center.
The Clippers cannot afford to have a 20-25 win season this year. If they do, Mr. Sterling and the franchise should be prepared for a reckoning next season. If Hollywood studios are bracing for a weak box office and DVD sales this year, how well will a 20 win Clippers team fare?
ghost_ride Reply:
January 3rd, 2009 at 12:17 am
I’d like to see EJ develop into the teams unquestioned 2nd option by next year. At this point he defers a little too much and doesn’t seem to have a “gimme the rock” personality. Because he’s so much more efficient than Al, he’s usually ending up with more points while taking less shots.
Baron & Kaman on the way out Reply:
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:33 am
Baron Davis probably played his last game for Clippers against Philly.
I don’t think he will/(nor he should) wear a Clipper uniforn again. Good luck wherever he goes.
Looks like Clippers are preparing for an important trade deal involving Kaman, Baron and Al Thornton. All three can be productive for another team but not for the Clippers.
To get some value Clippers might have to agree to a multi-team trade deal. Hope they will. Sooner the better.
Posted on January 2nd, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Whatever the case is with Baron’s tail, if he needs a week off to try and get his head right enough to get his shot selection and execution at least back in the direction of where it needs to be, then fine.
Suns announcers referenced MDsr’s job security a couple times, even going as far as putting up a graphic with all the teams in the league with worse records and noting that all of those coaches are gone.
Camby is being such a stand up guy right now, they should invent a new award for him.
Posted on January 2nd, 2009 at 10:20 pm
We should trade novak and hart for D Wade and Bosh. Then we’d be set!
Posted on January 2nd, 2009 at 11:36 pm
i used to hate marcus camby
now i commend the guy for playing for a crappy a team as we are
AND STILL PLAYING HIS HEART OUT
it sucks for us and him that his effort doesnt amount to wins
but damn we gotta give the guy his props and our respect
Posted on January 3rd, 2009 at 1:41 am
Wow, we go into Phoenix with a couple of legit starters and a bunch of bench players yet we look as good or better than with Baron on the court.
What does that tell us?
As far as I’m concerned, Baron can take the rest of the season off to tend to his bruised ego and whatever else might be ailing our resident duperstar – he is hardly missed in the condition he is in.
Hopefully Zach will be back in another couple of weeks – he is definitely missed.
Good to see Gordon develop into a stud – may he not be struck by the Clipper curse. And what can you say about Marcus Camby: He is the total anti-Baron in every aspect. Absolute pro. Horrible that he is wasting one of his last seasons in the league on such a train wreck of a team. He should be on a contender and get his ring – something that will hopefully elude Baron Davis in his career.
Happy New Year, Clipper Blog and Bloggers!
Jax Reply:
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:49 am
Um, no. The Clippers didn’t look better. The team’s iso offense causes them to try too hard for points. The Suns just got bored. They were up by 18 after the first quarter and coasted. They shot 55% for the game and it could have been worse. Anyone who thinks that the team played better than with BD in the game doesn’t understand the game. The underlying problem here is that the iso offense just doesn’t fit the personnel of this team.
Posted on January 3rd, 2009 at 6:08 am
in calcutta. watching Times India Now (international news) on TV. like cnn. “NBA: Clippers continue Horror run” no joke. they dont ever show american sports. much less basketball. they have all the bowl games to cover, but they focus on the clippers for 30 seconds
Baron & Kaman on the way out Reply:
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:43 am
Clippers news in India? Hard to believe as Indians show no appetite for any sports except CRICKET.
MC Reply:
January 3rd, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Field Hockey
Posted on January 3rd, 2009 at 8:43 am
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