A few quick bullets before tonight’s game:

• Bethlehem Shoals over at The Classical considers Kenyon Martin’s past and where he is now: “Martin has been inching into utter legitimacy for some time now. Though he came into the league brash, muscular, and quick to unleash a conqueror’s roar after every power dunk or swatted shot, Martin had morphed into the proverbial gritty vet, albeit one who still boasted the league’s most literal case of swagger.”

• My take on what Martin brings to the table over at ESPNLA.com. Here’s a question: Who do you think converted more of his shots at the rim — Blake Griffin this season, or Kenyon Martin last season?

• Ramona Shelburne over at ESPNLA.com does some nice reporting on Mo Williams and his potential as trade bait. Lots of interesting tidbits in this article, including some strategic quotes from Williams saying he has “no motivation to play for a losing team at all.” Wonder if Chauncey taught him that one.

• John Raffo at ClipsNation.com brings up an interesting point: Why haven’t the Clippers cut bait on any of their “failed” experiments so far? Outside of Willie Warren, the Clippers have kept everyone they’ve signed or drafted, for better or worse. I know we’re a little too hard on him, but ask yourself this: Is there any other contender that would have Brian Cook and his negative PER rating occupying a roster spot at this point?  I think the blame goes a little higher than Neil Olshey on this one.

• Will J.R. Smith join the Clippers and help them become Nuggets 2.0? There are a few things to consider here from Broderick Turner’s report for the LA Times, but he clears a lot up in his most recent work. The Clippers no longer have a mini-mid-level exception, so the best they could offer Smith would be the veteran’s minimum. The New York Knicks have their mini-mid-level exception and seem to be a better fit style-wise, but you never know.

• One of the cooler aspects of the Clippers rise to prominence is the amount of voices now chiming in on the team and its players. Here’s an excellent piece on Los Angeles, Chauncey Billups and how it all fits together by Kate Perkins for The Classical: “Waived by the Knicks in order to acquire Tyson Chandler from Dallas, Billups openly displayed the kind of self-pity and resentment of a player well aware of his own waning light. There’s no great promise, in any case, in the dismissal “Go west, old man!” Dusk is lowering over Chauncey Billups’ career. But that, he surely knows, makes it all the more urgent for him to shine.”
• Henry Abbott of TrueHoop on the NBA Today Podcast talking Chris Paul vs Kobe Bryant in the clutch. This is required listening, mainly because it will help you deal with that Lakers fan in your life.
• Mike Downey revisits the Clippers hilariously depressing past for ESPNLA.com. Make sure to check out Shelley Smith’s video as well, if for no other reason than to hear Ralph Lawler’s best “oh me, oh my” moment of all-time.
• Kevin Arnovitz and Jordan Heimer are predictably awesome in their new podcast for ESPN.  Their guest this week was basketball genius David Thorpe . Can’t recommend this highly enough, especially since they kick it off with a little Pharcyde. Bravo, gents.
• Lastly, a little housekeeping. Right after the buzzer of every game, we trot out the Lob City Ledger at ESPNLA.com. We also do ClipperBlogLive, which you can participate and listen to live a few minutes after the game right here on ClipperBlog. You can also find us creeping around in ESPN.com’s Daily Dime Live during most games, so feel free to join us there. And if you really, really like us, follow our accounts on Twitter. Self-promotion, ahoy!

Plenty more coming on the way. We’ll have a 3-on-3: Clippers-Lakers edition coming to you shortly.

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The Clippers made some big moves yesterday by claiming Chauncey Billups and resigning DeAndre Jordan. We’ll be breaking down Chauncey’s game shortly, but for now check out what everyone else is saying about the moves:

• ESPN’s John Hollinger rating the Chauncey Billups pickup (Insider): “Billups is big enough to play off the ball with Williams at times, and with Eric Bledsoe injured for the opening weeks of the season it was crucial for L.A. to get a backup point guard. With this move, the Clips have set themselves up to make a playoff push, even if Chris Paul never comes their way.”

• Steve Perrin over at Clips Nation analyzes the Chauncey Billups deal: “The Clippers were very interested in adding Tayshaun Prince to their roster this summer for his playoff experience – now they’ve gotten the team leader from Prince’s Pistons. That’s a big win. Of course, it all depends on Billups attitude about the situation – especially since the Clippers are doing this in large part for Billups’ leadership. They’re counting on Billups’ professionalism, plus the promise of a very talented roster, to bring out the best in him.”
• The Chris Paul talks are back on. Not too much of a surprise here, even though the Clippers will say publicly that they’re moving on and ready to go with the roster they have. The fact of the matter is that Stern’s henchmen will have to backdown from demanding the Clippers five best trade assets. At this point, with Billups on board, it doesn’t seem likely the Clippers would forfeit the Minnesota pick and Eric Gordon in trade.
• Vinny Del Negro defends the DeAndre Jordan’s new four-year, $43-million dollar contract to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLA.com: ” ‘The expectations are so high at those type of numbers, but if you really know the game and understand that DeAndre brings a defensive presence for us. Shot-blocking, he runs the court well,’ Del Negro said. ‘He’s very young still, he’s only going to get better. Blake and him play off each other well. He brings you an athletic, big dynamic that we’re fortunate to have.’ “
• Maybe the best move the Clippers made yesterday was the one they didn’t. Here’s Sebastian Pruiti taking a look at how Eric Gordon can become a superstar in one of his patented visual breakdowns: “Last year, we saw Gordon take a step in the right direction. He became a very good ball handler and decision-maker when coming off screens, and he became a spot-up shooting threat. However, if he wants to continue to develop, he must learn to play effectively off the ball.”

As the lockout rapidly fades into a memory of the past, teams became able to contact their players on Wednesday morning. ESPN LA’s Ramona Shelburne reports that the Clippers contact EJ and DJ first, in hopes of retaining both of them as key members to the Blake Griffin-led squad. Here are a couple of key points Shelburne mentioned:

The Los Angeles Clippers reached out to the representatives of guard Eric Gordon and center DeAndre Jordan early Wednesday morning to discuss a contract extension for Gordon and a new contract for Jordan, who is a restricted free agent, general manager Neil Olshey told ESPNLosAngeles.com.  More...

Pending ratification, the NBA is back. The terms of the new CBA have been released and there is a lot of speculation as to the short-term and long-term implications. Earlier today, ESPN’s John Hollinger and Chad Ford did a team-by-team breakdown of the impact of the new CBA on each of the 30 teams in the NBA.

Here’s how the new CBA will affect the Clippers:

How it helps: The designated player rule and increased max contract for high achievers combine to make it very unlikely that Blake Griffin will leave when he becomes a free agent in two years.  More...