I’m emerging from my Grad School Thesis Cave to post some Clipper thoughts by none other than my brother, Reyn Murphy.

I miss Baron Davis and I shouldn’t.

Baron was special. He wasn’t great, and by the most important measurement he was rarely even good. But, nevertheless, he was one of the rare players that could wow you. Watching Baron Davis was like watching a movie that strove for greatness but neglected key plot points, never developed secondary characters and had major inconsistencies. Yet, there were moments when it was brilliant, and though they were brief, they made you forget all the foibles. It was flawed, but memorable and infinitely more entertaining.

There were passes that Baron would make, floating the ball perfectly to a soaring Blake or weaving a bounce pass to a cutting EJ that would have me so in awe I would forget that he just heaved a deep three early in the shot clock on the previous possession. And I would pardon him when he carelessly threw away the ball on the next play because I was hoping he would create something from an angle that I could never see.

But that’s not the measurement of a basketball player. As much as it’s good to dazzle, the key is to win. And that’s something that, despite his immense talent, Baron never got the Clippers to do.

Mo Williams will never be Baron Davis and he shouldn’t.

Mo is solid. He’s a past all-star, though the selection at the time seemed dubious. He’s a good shooter; compare his career numbers (44.3 FG%, 38.6 3P%) to Baron’s (41 FG%, 32.1 3FG%) and you won’t be screaming at the TV when he’s shooting a corner three. That’s what Mo does; he shoots.

But Mo is far from perfect. Mo can’t defend; maybe it’s because he’s a small guard, 6’1” and 185 lbs, or maybe it’s a lack of instincts, but averaging less than a steal a game is not what I’m looking for in a guard. He can facilitate decently (career 5.0 apg), but not to the same level as Baron (7.3), he doesn’t get to the rim (he attempted almost three threes for every shot at the rim last year for the Clippers), he doesn’t get to the line (2.4 FTA to 4.1), and he’s an inferior rebounder (3.1 rpg to 3.9).

Compared in statistical isolation, Baron is the better player, despite all his warts.

Fortunately for the the Clippers and me, it’s not about Baron over Mo; it’s about handing Baron’s team over to Blake and EJ, with Mo becoming a talented member of the Clippers ensemble cast, joining DeAndre, Chris Kaman, and Ryan Gomes (who hopefully relearns how to play). Baron had to go; this wouldn’t be the young guys’ team if he were still here.

Mo?

Mo has always seemed more comfortable in a supporting actor’s role; first with Michael Redd and then with LeBron James. In the half season where Mo was the default leader his percentages dropped to 38.5 FG% and 26.5 3P% and the Cavaliers went 19-39. But with EJ and Blake taking most of the responsibility for the Clippers, Mo returned to the role of competent supporting actor. He’ll steal scenes and make big shots, but he won’t be the focal point, the star.

I do think the Clippers will be better next year. They went 11-11 with Mo in the lineup compared to 21-39 before, they had their first winning road trip of five games or more in years, played well even with EJ re-injuring himself and they beat some stiff competition along the way, punctuated by a road win against the Celtics. And in that game, Mo shined. Against Rondo, arguably the league’s toughest defensive point guard, Mo scored 28 points with 5 threes and 4 assists.

Mo had clunkers as well. In the team’s last game Mo scored 1 point in 25 minutes of play against Memphis. He didn’t hit a field goal. It was a night when Mo clearly didn’t have it; it happens to everyone. However, it didn’t doom the Clippers’ evening, because instead of forcing the issue Mo took five shots. The shot wasn’t falling so don’t over shoot, dish out a few assists (4), limit the turnovers (2) and let Blake and EJ do the heavy lifting (31 and 24 points respectively).

I can’t imagine that happening with Baron. On a night when Baron doesn’t have it, he shoots. Or he forces passes that don’t work. Or worst of all, he sulks. His intensity wanes and it begins to infect those around him. He was always the leader, the charismatic star who all too often lead the team astray.

Still, I love to watch Baron play. On his nights, he was fierce and beautiful. Despite his time here, he’s still one of my favorite players of all time. I wish Baron the best of luck in Cleveland and anywhere he should play after. Now that the credits have rolled on Baron’s Clipper stint, I can get back to appreciating the beauty of Baron. I can see the highlights of his ridiculous passes or I can tune in when it’s apparent he’s having one of his nights without having to suffer the frustration of a transition three from 28 feet or an errant pass or lazy defensive possession.

I know I’ll never feel that way about Mo Williams. He’s not a special player like Baron. He’s just a decent player that should be a good fit on a young and improving team.

In his first season as coach of the Clippers, you could say Vinny Del Negro was exactly what we expected him to be. His perceived ability to develop players and to “get” his team to play hard through the last whistle were the reasons the Clippers hired him over Dwane Casey, who came with high praise for his tactical acumen and leadership. The Clipper Organization believed in the results they saw from Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson under Del Negro in Chicago, and Neil Olshey said as much on the day they introduced him as coach: “We wanted someone who had a history of developing and being willing to play young players, which when you look at [the Bulls'] starting lineup, they certainly did [in Chicago].” As was the case in his last situation, it’s unclear just how much impact he had on the progress of his young players.

The thinking went: if Vinny could preside over Blake Griffin’s imminent launch to superstardom and facilitate the transfer of playmaking duties from Baron Davis to Eric Gordon, the rest of the team would follow their lead, thus transforming the culture of the organization, both on and off the court. No longer would Clipper teams start out strong and show promise, only to degenerate over the courses of injury-riddled, losing seasons.

Never mind that Rose, like Griffin, was probably bound for greatness no matter which coach he played for, the key would be fostering an approach that emphasized player development and would aim to compete in and hopefully win games with the support of veterans like Baron, Chris Kaman, Ryan Gomes, Randy Foye and Craig Smith. It would not matter to the Clippers if the young players developed because of him or in spite of him, as long as they progressed.

While the possibility of a winning season vanquished early on, arguably his strongest moment of his first season as coach came at the start of training camp when he called out Baron Davis for his poor fitness level and handled Davis’ eventual return to the lineup with an unwavering sense of purpose. Even in the face of a 1-13 start, he stuck with his approach and allowed Eric Bledsoe to gain valuable experience as the starter. Indeed, the team played hard, but the season was ending before it had a chance to start.

Ups and Downs

With so much depending on how players perform, we can only judge one in the context of the situation Vinny was in. For instance, he had to deal with his share of injuries, as has become the trend with recent Clipper teams, but for the year, the Clippers finished consistently in the bottom half of the league in most significant statistical team categories. According to Basketball-Reference, they ranked 22nd out of 30 teams in Offensive Rating (105.5 Points Per 100 Possessions) and 18th in Defensive Rating (108.6 Points Allowed Per 100 Possessions). As you might expect given their youth and athleticism, they ranked in the top half of the league (12th) in Pace Factor with approximately 93 possessions per 48 minutes.

But all of these numbers mean little without understanding the some of the unique ups and downs of this Clipper season:

• The 1-13 start; Baron hurt/benched; Bledsoe and eventually an entire Under-23 lineup starting.
• 4-4 over their next eight, with wins over two teams with the league’s best record at the time (New Orleans and San Antonio) and the Kings twice. Four losses came against Western Conference playoff contenders.
• Four straight losses against playoff teams.
• Three wins in a row, including a one-point win at Chicago.
• The best stretch of the season with almost everyone healthy, winning 14 of 22 including upsets over the Nuggets, Heat, and Lakers.
• 2-14 in February; Eric Gordon sat out the whole month with wrist injury.
• 11-11 with Mo Williams.

They showed the ability to beat the best teams in the league, and they did so with frequency not indicative of a team with their record. With the pieces in place and a year of experience together, the standard will be set much higher next season. Throughout it all, consistent with his reputation, his team remained generally competitive. They developed an exciting brand of play, which D.J. Foster described after a late-season loss to Dallas:

“Blake Griffin and the Clippers are about more than just the dunk itself – they’re about the energy that comes behind it and from it. They play hard every night. They want to dunk on you, they want to embarrass you. They want to take your heart and destroy you, even if they’re still figuring out the best ways to do it and how to do it consistently.

But all of that is happening and has been all year long. Sure, the Clippers aren’t without their flaws. They turn the ball over too much (21 times tonight), they slump in third quarters and they miss too many free throws, among other things. But those are things you can teach and fix with time.”

X’s and O’s

Del Negro’s critics have always pointed to a rather primitive offensive philosophy as perhaps his most glaring weakness. Like most coaches, he made some questionable decisions — like this one at the end of the game in Memphis towards the end of the year, broken down by Sebastian Pruitti at NBAPlaybook.com. One common concern arose during stretches in some games where the team either settled for jump shots or failed to get Gordon and/or Griffin sufficiently involved. Keeping in perspective that the ball was in the hands of the free-wheeling Davis, the rookie Bledsoe or the newly-acquired Williams for most of the season, it’s reasonable to grant the team time to learn to play together. Going into next year, it is not unreasonable to ask for a more nuanced offensive approach that gives the Clippers a shot to execute better in the half court, and certainly an enhanced emphasis on his two stars. To Vinny’s credit, it’s not like the Clippers didn’t execute their share of inbounds plays out of timeouts, a typical – if not overly simplistic – measure of coaches game-planning abilities.

For a team with such gifted athletes and even some strong individual defenders, you would also have to mention team defense in a discussion of the Clippers’ – and by extension, Del Negro – weaknesses. The team struggled to defend the perimeter, especially when Eric Gordon missed time, and consistently battled poor rotations that led to easy baskets for opponents.

It’s also important to remember that Del Negro is far from the only voice for the players. With so many new faces throughout the year and an entirely new coaching staff, you have to assume that they could (and should) benefit from this season together. Bledsoe, for instance, is presumably working closely with assistant coach, Robert Pack. He told Lisa Dillman around the end of the team’s horrific start to the season: “Coach Pack was telling me he still wants me to play fast,” said Bledsoe, who has been struggling with turnovers. “That’s what I’m trying to do, play fast at the same time but be under control.”

Aminu also spoke about the extensive input he would get from injured vets early on in the season: “They’re like coaches, especially since they’re injured now, so not even playing. They’re just watching the game. They’ve been doing a real good job, like coaches off the court for the coaches.”

Vinny’s impact was mottled with the chaos of a young team and new coaches coming together. But with the foundation of the team now in place, he’ll be judged much more carefully next year.

Development

Without question, Vinny’s primary task was to develop the team’s young core, and in this regard the results were mixed. He spoke ad nauseum at his introductory press conference about having his team “play the right way,” and the Clippers felt comfortable buying into that hope. But what would that mean? Mostly what all coaches mean when they outline their plans for success: take care of the ball, play good defense, give it 110%. But he also stressed patience, a clear indication of his and the organization’s priorities.

When he spoke about “playing the right way,” he certainly couldn’t have been hoping for his team to take such poor care of the ball as they did. The Clippers were 2nd worst in the league in Turnover Rate, which may reflect a lack of discipline and structure, but also the unexpected need for Bledsoe and Aminu to play big minutes right out of the gate. It is disturbing just how easily they could turn the ball over at times, but some offseason work in that area from Gordon, Bledsoe and Aminu and a standard boost that should come from playing together could (and again, should) go a long way towards rectifying the issue.

While Griffin and Gordon are well on their way to stardom, perhaps Vinny’s biggest developmental challenges are with Jordan, Bledsoe and Aminu. Bledsoe was pressed into starting duty in the fourth game of the season, against the Spurs. His consistent energy was a welcome sight for fans looking to forget the image of an out-of-shape Davis dragging things down, but that often came at an expense. His role fluctuated throughout the season, but he continued to play with confidence to go with his exceptional athleticism and speed. He had what appeared to be a couple of “breakout” performances – the March 5 game against Denver jumps to mind – but failed to establish any real consistency. Vinny questioned his (and Aminu’s) preparation and professionalism – his season might best be summed up by the season’s last two games, in which he received a one-game suspension, followed by an electrifying performance in the finale – but if Del Negro and his staff can work to foster his growth as a point guard, they could have yet another young star on their hands.

Like Bledsoe, Aminu struggled to settle into a steady rhythm with the rotation in constant flux, but he did have one stretch early on that suggested his tremendous potential, and it reeked of Del Negro’s support to go out and play without fear of making mistakes. Starting when he scored 20 points on 7-10 shooting in the team’s eighth game, a loss at New Orleans, Aminu had a stretch in which played well enough to legitimately earn a starting spot, one that he would hang onto for 14 of 15 games. From November 9-28, he played 11 games, scored in double figures in eight. He shot 53% from three, 44% from the field and prompted Brian Chan to proclaim: “The Chief has arrived!”

As it turned out, Aminu would come back down to earth, ultimately finding himself behind Jamario Moon on the depth chart even after Gomes’ year ended prematurely. It was disappointing to see Del Negro turn to Moon over the rookie, considering their disparate places in the team’s long-term plans, but we have to consider the possibility that Aminu did, indeed, have work to do in terms or focus and/or preparation. On the other hand, you could see a scenario in which Del Negro chose to eschew development in favor of more immediate stability, arguably a departure from his stated mission and a decision from which Aminu might understandably bristle. Either way, the trajectory of his season left something to be desired, and that has to reflect, at least in part, on the coach.

Both precocious rookies showed glimpses of what they could be, but they generally came mixed with agonizingly typical first-year shortcomings. I’m not sure we can blame a coach, or even a coaching staff, for the kinds of mistakes that these two tended to commit. I do, however, believe that their ability to diagnose and adjust will be of the utmost importance going forward.

DeAndre pretty obviously took another step forward on the defensive end, and he played as big a role as anyone not named Griffin in establishing the Clippers identity in the paint — they led the league in dunks, were second in points in the paint and 8th in total rebound rate. In some ways he is like a much more athletic version of Noah, albeit less cerebral. He has a way to go before reaching Noah’s constant energy, but both have shown the ability to make a difference without any offensive game to speak of. Assuming he re-signs with the team, Del Negro’s ability to keep him engaged has to be a priority this offseason. Still just 22 and with plenty of potential for growth, Vinny knows that consistent effort and focus are the keys for DeAndre.

In his first year, Vinny Del Negro won exactly one more game (32) than former Clippers coaches Mike Dunleavy, Alvin Gentry and Mike Shuler did in their first seasons. Only Paul Silas had more in franchise history, 36, while the team was in San Diego. Considering the dismal start to the season, that’s something. What became clear over the course of the season is the unprecedented potential for the franchise. For Del Negro and his staff, their true value will show in what they do from here, amidst the elevated expectations that come with such promise.

When you take Baron Davis off a team, any team, and replace him with Mo Williams, you will inevitably get a different style of play from your point guard. One is an exceptional passer, the other – aside from a few months this year in Cleveland – a gifted shooter. But beyond these most basic characteristics, when you take Williams from those Cavs and put him on these Clippers, the dynamic changes completely, and so far, the results have been positive.

The transformation began on the day the trade went down, with Williams immediately waiving his Early Termination Option for next season. And while his decision to accept $8.5 million next year would make plenty of sense financially, it was also pretty obviously a display of willingness to buy into what the Clippers are
building. He may not have found a contract to pay him that much had he eventually opted out, but he might have, and he definitely would have gotten a multi-year deal somewhere. That’s not to say Baron did not “buy in,” but it’s worth noting that the very pretenses under which Mo became a Clipper were based on sacrifice,
a stark contrast to the max contract and hero’s expectations that welcomed his predecessor.

In the 13 games before the trade, the Clippers had had gone 2-11. They appeared to have no answer when opponents swarmed Blake Griffin and forced others to beat them. Since the move, the Clippers are 6-5. It’s a small sample, but of all the positive things we can say about this season, with promising rookies and development and chemistry building, the one thing that has been missing has been wins. More specifically, wins without Eric Gordon. That, at least for the time being, has changed.

Along with the return of Chris Kaman, it’s been Williams’ insertion into the lineup that has keyed the turnaround, a positive sign for what figures to be a similar roster going into next year. Back is the shooting stroke that eluded him the past few months in post-LeBron Cleveland, and it’s apparent just how much that ability adds to the Clipper offense. Neil Olshey has done his best to supplement his stars with able threats to spread the floor, and the addition of a career 38.9% 3-point shooter does exactly that. The frequency with which teams load up the paint to stop Griffin has increased, but that now has a legitimate downside with Williams out there to punish them.

He is a scorer, and while he will never be the passer that Davis was for the Clippers, it’s important to remember the idea of replacement level. The popular refrain when Baron left town was that we may not see as many expertly thrown lobs, but as we’ve seen, that just isn’t true. Most NBA guards have plenty of practice initiating
alley-oops. Baron did things that made our jaws drop, but neither Williams nor Eric Bledsoe should have much trouble putting it up there for Blake and DeAndre to throw down. What is lost with Baron gone is his penetration ability and the strength he possessed that allowed him to fend off defenders and deliver passes in position for his teammates to score.

Even that had a downside, though, because Baron often had to dominate the ball for large parts of possessions to break down the defense. While he had some success, he did so at the expense, generally, of Gordon’s involvement. With Gordon back now, the team is really set up to operate as it would like. In the limited time they have played together, Mo has shown a willingness to feed Gordon on the wing and play off the ball. It’s the structure that allowed the Clippers to have success earlier in the season with Gordon and Griffin thriving on pick-and-rolls, and now they just have another shooter in Williams if teams choose to trap the primary action.

Chemistry with Gordon and Griffin is, of course, the ultimate goal, and Williams appears to be doing fine in that regard. Upon Baron’s return to L.A. with the Cavs, Gordon had the opportunity to compare the two point guards, and his response was telling, explaining probably one reason, other than his contract, why he was traded:

“They’re different. Baron was more of guy who liked to bring it down, almost for the home run type of guy,” Gordon said. “He was a really good passer. He’s a guy who would go for the home run. They are two different players. He [Williams] is more of a catch-and-shoot [player]. Baron is more creative.”

He wouldn’t go so far to stay with the baseball theme when asked whether Williams was a singles hitter.

“Well, no he’s a guy …he just lets everybody do what they do,” Gordon said. “Baron, you had to have him accountable to make sure he plays well. Because he has to do a little bit of scoring, a little bit of passing and whatever he needed to do.

“With Baron, you just never know. That’s why I said home run. He might take the last shot. He likes making the last play.”

That tendency to go for the home run is part of who Baron Davis is, and while it has its benefits, it simply wasn’t the right fit on a team where Gordon and Griffin need to be the ones dictating the flow of the team. As Gordon said, Mo’s value is in letting everybody do what they do, fitting in himself as the guy who can knock down shots. So far that’s working because they are winning games, and if it makes things better for EJ, that’s even better.

For a meaningless Mid-March game between two lottery-bound squads, there was no shortage of interesting story lines surrounding today’s game against the Cavs: 1. Eric Gordon’s second attempt to return from his wrist injury. 2. Baron Davis’ return to the Staples Center. 3. The Clippers attempt not to be swept by the league’s worst team, a month after becoming the answer to future Jeopardy question Who did the moribund 2011 Cleveland Cavaliers beat, finally ending a league record 26 game losing streak? (Most people won’t know the answer but will guess the Clippers anyway). Then, far lower on the list: 4. Blake Griffin “Hitting the Rookie Wall” watch. 5. Trying to figure out whatever there is to figure out from watching the team finally play at full strength.

Oh, and also an hour before the game a man charged out of the stands wielding a steak knife, after which, according to the Clippers Post Game radio show, he was surrounded by a joint task force of police men and Staples Center Security elite and subdued with rubber bullets. So there was a lot going on.

Maybe the knife really shook people, because what followed was an uneven game, not unlike the one the Clips lost to the Cavaliers last month. The Cavaliers never led after the second quarter – but the Clippers never put together the 8 minute stretch of energetic error-free basketball that would have put the Cavs away.

For me, at this point in the season the answers to certain individual questions (How will Mo Williams work with Eric Gordon? Could Kaman be a Sixth Man for an entire season?) have become as important as wins and losses. It seems natural that players also sense it when that barrier has been crossed. These Clippers are definitely still playing hard (unlike, say, last March’s contract hunters, Travis Outlaw and Drew Goodon… which, by the way, worked for both of them) but there were signs of inattention scattered between spurts of good play – the kind of foolish mistakes there seemed to be fewer of when the team was still “in contention.”

There were quarters that ended on possessions when the Clippers failed to get off a final shot. There were total defensive breakdowns, where everyone would simultaneously abandon the paint – at one point allowing a man named Alonzo Gee to streak untouched down the paint and rise for a full 360 slam like he was auditioning for the dunk contest. There were multiple lane violations. Little signs of a team with wavering attention.

But in the end, the Cavs were just worse. I mean, I know piling on bad play is pure hubris for a Clippers fan, but aside from JJ Hickson (who, if you’ve only seen him play against the Clippers you must think is one of the ten best players in the NBA) these Cavs played some ugly basketball. There was one inexplicable stretch early in the fourth quarter when – down 2, and on the verge of taking the lead – the Cavs burned three consective possessions on Lake Harangody jump shots, the first of which was one of the ugliest shots you will ever see in an NBA game. Or any basketball game, for that matter. The fact that epitomizes the Cavs play today: In their 6 possessions in the final 2 minutes the Cavs managed a total of three shot attempts. The Clippers didn’t play particularly well, but they did just enough to put away a weak team.

So that was the game. What about those storylines?

How’s Eric Gordon look?

Plenty of people realize Eric Gordon “took a step” this year, but I think to some extent Blake Griffin’s All-World rookie season (in addition, obviously, to EJ’s recent injuries) have overshadowed how dramatic that leap has been. There’s a short list of guys in the NBA who can roll off an injury and drop 29 points, guys who – judging from their blasé reactions – expect to walk in and drop 29. Eric Gordon is on that list.

Last year, Eric Gordon’s poor performances in “return” games were blamed on a lack of confidence. He would look tentative, as if each time he came back he was readjusting all over again – to his shot, his legs, the speed of the game, the flow of the team. What happened to that Eric Gordon? He came out gunning two weeks ago coming off the Wrist Part I, and tonight he did the same. It was a showcase of his confidence this year. On his first touch, he knifed to the basket, split two defenders, forced contact, and made a tough shot as he went to the floor. After jacking up a couple ugly looking contested 3s in the first half, Gordon found the range in the fourth quarter, knocking down 3 in 4 possessions. He was 6 for 10 from three and completely without that hesitations we saw from Eric as recently as past November. I really don’t know how to explain it. (It would pain me to credit the magic of Coach K even a little). But I can’t ever remember watching another player so fully going from a guy who seemed a little shaky in the confidence department to being a cold blooded scorer who always wants to take his shot.

Also, he still has that Demolition Man haircut.

Baron’s Return

There really wasn’t one. Baron sat this one out with back spasms. It’s hard not to feel for Baron who, according to reports, learned that his grandmother had to check into the hospital the same day he was traded for Cleveland. I’ve already waxed poetic about Baron plenty, but it’s depressing to imagine Baron freezing away his final productive years in Cleveland. (Is there still buyout talk? Is the idea of Baron coordinating the circus in Miami crazy?)

Is Blake Griffin hitting the “Rookie Wall?”

Blake had his best game in a month, scoring 30 points along with 9 rebounds and 8 assists. It was a good day for youtube curators of Blake Griffin highlight reels, who have suffered through a slow month. Surprisingly, Cleveland chose to play Blake one-on-one for much of the game, despite not really having a player in their front court capable of matching up with him physically. Samardo Samuels drew the unenviable assignment the most often, and was victimized accordingly, first with a down-the-lane reverse jam, and later with a stumbling upside down prayer that was first called a travel, then a basket with a foul, and finally a foul before the act. Whatever. It was pretty spectacular.

The huge stats, of course, don’t necessarily disprove the idea that Blake Griffin might be hitting the dreaded “Rookie Wall.” It would be strange if Griffin wasn’t tired. He’s played starter’s minutes for 60 games, didn’t have an All-Star break, and was forced to become the primary offensive weapon at the same time that coaches were beginning to game plan for him anyway. That takes a toll. Blake had room tonight, a rare commodity during Eric Gordon’s absence, in addition to relatively weak opposition. On the East Coast trip, teams were using two guys to force Blake to make plays 12-18 feet from the basket. Today, Blake got whatever position he wanted with a power dribble and a few backward jolts. Luckily, the Clippers next two opponents – Phoenix and Washington – aren’t strong inside either so… undecided. He clearly has plenty left, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t lost a little pop. (The decrease in rebounds the past two weeks might be a better indicator of this than points, which I think had a lot to do with opponent’s ability to double Blake without consequences in the absence of Eric Gordon).

(By the way: Blake’s quote on the pre-game knife-wilder:  “That was crazy man. There aren’t too many stand offs in Oklahoma. Not that I can remember.” Wait – does that mean he is leaving for the Thunder?)

What do we learn about the team flow with everyone playing?

Simple. To steal a word from Mike Smith, Eric Gordon changes the entire “geometry” of the team. His slashing ability makes it impossible for defenses to smother Blake with unvarying double teams. On defense, his ability to keep perimeter scorers out of the lane creates far fewer easy layups and/or situations where DeAndre or Blake have to foul. How many times in the past month have Blake and DeAndre been left alone to stop a streaking shooter? In short, the next time Eric Gordon gets injured I probably shouldn’t write that “Randy Foye can be Eric Gordon lite – at least for a few weeks.” Eric Gordon is a star. Mike borrowed a little flair from Clyde, noting that EJ “alleviates and facilitates.” And if Eric Gordon, it turns out, is as essential to this team’s success as any player, then is it time to start worrying about his propensity to injury? He missed 20 games last year, and he’ll miss almost 30 this year. With such a small sample size it’s hard to separate a few unrelated humps and bruises from a pattern. Time will tell obviously.

(Also – and I know this should be its own post – but in terms of “what the team needs going forward” take a look at the list of free agents that went up on ESPN. Pretty uninspiring group of small forwards (the Clippers most obvious need). Fliers on Caron Butler or Tayshaun Prince, or maybe Vlad Rad, CJ Miles. And down from there. Last off season, Neil Olshey showed admirable restraint in staying away from overpaying a free agent just to get a free agent. It will be interesting to see if that means he is more likely to try to trade than give, say, Prince 3 years 18 million dollars)

More proof that Kaman would make a good sixth man

I’m fully in this camp. I’m convinced Chris Kaman could win the sixth man of year. I know it’s not traditional, but there are so many things I like about Kaman as a sixth man (this is all assuming DeAndre and Kaman are still on the team next year.) 1. The mismatches. No back up 5 in the West could guard him. 2. As the sub he’ll often be in when the team is in the penalty, minimizing DJs foul shots. 3. He’s a guy who needs to get into a rhythm. You need to get Kaman his shots, but not at the expense of Blake, EJ, and Mo Williams. I love the lineups where Vinny plays Kaman with an energy unit (Aminu, Bledsoe, Moon, Smith, say) and just features Kaman in the post, play after play. Today, we saw the equally important corollary: When Kaman is off, the damage is limited. Sabermatricians can argue over the myth of the hot hand, but Chris Kaman is the streakiest guy I’ve ever seen. Today was one of those days for Chris – missed shots, sloppy fouls on defense, a few ungainly looking turnovers. But it’s effect on the flow of Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin was limited – and the rest of the second unit still continued to play hard defense and crash the boards.

Our expectations create our perceptions. A cheeseburger off the drive-thru value meal might hit the spot, but if you order a $14 burger at an expensive steak house and the waiter serves you a Big Mac, you would complain to the manager.

For 13 million dollars a year, fans expect everything. That’s reasonable. Guys who are paid at an elite level are expected to combine their (assumed) elite talent with elite work habits. Effort, consistency, and a good attitude (or, at least, the perception of all three) are base line expectations.

Since the trade with Cleveland was announced yesterday morning, I’ve read a lot of obituaries of Baron Davis’ time with the Clippers, ranging from mostly negative to downright vituperative. He’s been killed in opinion columns and message boards, called “lazy” and “moody,” an “indiscriminate chucker,” and a “coach killer.” At times, he was all of these things.

But honestly, the adjective I would use after watching Baron play for two and a half seasons is “limited.” As that heavyset fellow behind the podium in those beer commercials says, he was who we thought he was: a player prone to both injury and indifference, an extraordinary facilitator who often preferred scoring, an occasionally spectacular player who rose to big occasions, but – all too often – only to big occasions. That was the player Donald Sterling and MDSr should have seen that he was at UCLA, in New Orleans, and in Golden State.

I won’t try to defend the indefensible. In two and a half seasons in Los Angeles, Baron played about a season’s worth of good basketball. He helped Mike Dunleavy lose his job, and probably guaranteed that Kim Hughes will have more trouble finding his next one. He brazenly reported to camp out of shape this season, and his subsequent knee injury was a contributing factor to the 1-13 start that essentially ended the season before Thanksgiving.

But Baron challenged me as a fan, made me aware of the different ways I judge athletes and “people.”  As a person, I found myself feeling sympathetic to a lot of Baron’s challenges. Who hasn’t taken a job and immediately realized it might not be a good fit? Who hasn’t had a boss who was bull-headed, over-critical, reflexively joyless, seemingly determined to thwart any attempt at creativity or personality? Or felt sour after a friend’s betrayal? Or responded to criticism with petulance rather than a renewed commitment to accountability? Been overwhelmed by the pressure to impress at home?

Some athletes go out and perform regardless of circumstance. Some don’t. Some can’t.

Baron frustrated us because was human, and his responses to tough situations often seemed flawed, self-pitying, or selfish. For 13 million dollars a year, being human is something we expect athletes to forgo, or at least delay until they’ve retired to “spend more time with the family.” I’ve often heard sports-talk radio hosts say “You never hear a peep about Player X off the court,” when approvingly describing this or that star’s complete commitment to the sport. The less we know about an athlete “as a person,” the easier is becomes to conflate his in-game performances and the person behind the athlete.

What do you know about Kevin Durant? Or Eric Gordon for that matter? Each seems like a pretty good guy. Both are really, really good at scoring a basketball. We like to say that so-and-so is a good guy or a great teammate, but really we don’t want these guys to be multi-dimensional. Theoretically, I’m sure plenty of Clipper fans admired Baron’s trips to Africa or his interests in documentary film … right up to the first moment that Baron failed on the court. Then, his outside interests became distractions. I enjoyed the three-dimensionality that made Baron unusual in professional sports, even as I recognized that those attributes were unusual because they don’t usually coincide with winning. Baron liked to talk to reporters about his trip to Rwanda or the best restaurants he had discovered in San Francisco; Kevin Durant talks about working on his free throws.

Plenty has been written about Baron’s role as Blake Griffin’s alley-oop tossing “muse,” but impossibly accurate lobs to the rim were only one of the things Baron did extremely well. He put English on full court bounce passes that would have impressed Minnesota Fats (yes, that’s a billiards reference). He has one of the best handles in the league. He was great at getting Chris Kaman and Blake Griffin the ball on the block, often moving back and forth at the top of the key, maintaining his dribble until he could find the clear pass. (To quote ClipperBlog professor emeritus K.A. “Baron’s fingerprints were all over Chris Kaman’s All-Star selection last year.” It will be interesting to see if Blake Griffin’s eFG% takes a hit in the second half of the season.)

He has a savant’s understanding of how to manipulate space inside the paint. I’ll miss the way he likes to slow his final two steps on his drives in order to draw two defenders: first driving straight at the rim to draw the help defender from underneath the rim, and then popping horizontally away from the basket in order to draw the big in the paint. Once he had both bigs moving towards him he would slither a bounce pass into the newly empty space under the basket, where Blake or DeAndre would be waiting for a gimme dunk. (Baron trails only Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash on assists on “at the rim” baskets with 3.9 per game.)

The way I felt about Baron was more like the way I feel about certain musicians or film makers than the way I usually feel about athletes. Even when he was bad, there was always the chance that he would be amazing … if only for a one great pass or one impossible drive. We all have movies or albums that we know aren’t particularly cohesive or have a lot of filler, but are redeemed by the one great moment, a perfectly pitched supporting performance, or a transcendent guitar solo. In fact, we often associate inconsistency and artistic genius.

Of course, that was part of Baron’s problem. Comparing basketball to jazz (or, more recently, hip-hop) is one of the sport’s hoariest cliches. Both involve a group of individuals, melding their personal styles together to create something that is coherent, but still unique and personality dependent. The metaphor falls apart when you consider that sports can be an aesthetic experience, but it’s ultimately an objective one. The satisfying thing about sports is how definitive they are. Strike or ball. Fair or foul. Win or lose. Each game has an outcome, an exact way of measuring who played better and who played worse.

For 13 million dollars a year, Clipper fans weren’t looking for sporadic artistry but consistent winning, or, failing that, consistent commitment. Baron couldn’t provide that and now he’s gone.

And with all that said, don’t be surprised if the team takes a significant step back with Baron gone. If all you knew about Baron Davis was what you had read in the past 24 hours, you would be forgiven for thinking that his loss will barely affect the quality of the Clippers.

He wasn’t only capable of making Globetrotter passes. Fully engaged, Baron was also a fierce competitor. This may be Blake’s (and to a lesser extent, EJ’s) team going forward, but it was still Baron’s team this season. The Clippers season didn’t turn around because of a team meeting in a Detroit hotel, or because the team “bonded” after being heckled by their own owner. When Baron Davis returned to the starting lineup, the Clippers began to win. Period. He created easy baskets. His nearly four assists per game on shots “at the rim” trails only Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash (and is nearly a basket more per game than Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook). He embraced his roll as the bearded ringmaster of the U-23 Circus. He was the first guy to offer a hand to a teammate who had gone crashing into the seats. He talked up Blake and DeAndre constantly, gushing in postgame and halftime interviews about how fun it was to play with them, how their youth and energy had restored his own.

When Lamar Odom threw Blake to the ground with seconds remaining in the game, no player was further from them than Baron at half court. But Baron was the first person on the scene, sprinting through refs and players to shove Lamar away from Blake. Then he stood there and barked at Odom until he turned away and headed back to the bench. Criticize Baron’s effort level under Mike Dunleavy all you want. Once he was engaged he became a vocal leader, passionate about his team and his teammates.

There is something ironic for me — maybe even a little poetic — about the timing of the trade. I’ve had an open Word Doc on my computer for a couple weeks now, notes for a prospective column I was thinking of calling (rather academically) “Baron Davis: A Reassessment.” The basic premise was that Baron’s high level of play between Eric Gordon’s injury and the All Star Game challenged his reputation as a guy who needs ideal circumstances to play his best ball.

Baron’s excellent play this season was often described in supernatural terms, like he was a werewolf or something. He was going to “revert” back to his old form. He had been “rebirthed” from Blake Griffin’s Magical Womb of Dunks, and he was constantly in danger of “changing back.”  Or something. The epic road trip was tailor made for a guy with a reputation of finding excuses. When EJ went down, the Clips’ playoff hopes effectively went down with him.

Isn’t this where the Baron I’ve heard so much about – the moody coach killer who can’t play through adversity – shuts it off completely? I’ll spare you the onslaught of stat and anecdote that would have made up that column, but here are just a few notes from my Word Doc:

“Miami: Only Baron seems awake. Another deflection! That’s at least the third pass he’s touched this quarter.”

“Toronto: We should be losing this game by 20 points. Baron freezes defender with a fake alley-oop, takes ball to hole.”

“Cleveland: It’s like only Baron and Blake care.”

If you watched these games, it was impossible to miss: Except for the Knicks game, Baron was often most engaged, the only Clipper playing defense. It was like Bizarro Baron, playing his hardest right when the games stopped “mattering,” right when the season’s momentum began to wither. His shooting percentages decreased, not because he had reverted to a more selfish style, but because none of his teammates wanted to shoot. He played so well, in other words, that it made me wonder if Baron couldn’t pull what seemed impossible merely two months ago — play so well that by the end of 2013 his contract almost seems reasonable.

Of course, now we’ll never know. We can predict with near certainty that Baron’s time with the Cavs will be, at best, unspectacular and strained. Perhaps Baron’s fatal flaw is that he can’t just be a part of a team, he needs to be at the helm of a movement. He had the “We Believe” Warriors and then the “Blake Griffin Experience” Clippers; it’s unlikely another team will entrust a talented nucleus to a 31-year-old point guard with shaky knees and a shakier reputation. That’s life for a professional athlete — but that doesn’t mean that the idea of Baron wasting the remnants of his talent in the hinterlands of Cleveland isn’t also a little sad.

From a basketball standpoint, probably the trade is for the best. Baron Davis didn’t earn the contract he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. He couldn’t deliver either consistent wins or consistent effort. With Baron gone, it will be easier for the Clips to resign DeAndre and keep cap flexibility going forward for Blake and EJ. Mo Williams is a good shooter and, from all accounts, a good guy. Baron almost certainly wasn’t going to be the PG who brought this team to the promised land, whether he was traded now or as an expiring contract in 2012.

Long term, the Clippers probably won’t miss Baron Davis. But I will.

When Baron Davis arrived in Los Angeles almost three years ago, he was supposed to be the harbinger of a new era for the Clippers. He had just taken the almost equally pathetic Golden State Warriors to consecutive winning seasons and with a real big man in Elton Brand, he would be the bearded and smiling face of that change. People would be able to look back in the annals of Clipper history and pinpoint exactly when it was that the Clippers turned it around. Baron still may be able to be that marker, that Black Swan event that everyone rationalizes post-facto, but it won’t be in the way that he initially hoped.

Baron’s first two years with the franchise were more than a disappointment, but a heartbreaking poke in the eye to the fans of the Clippers. Local prodigy returns home to do good stories twisted and inverted themselves to the point where he was the focal point for blame. Brand may have bolted for Philadelphia, but it was still Baron’s team to handle. There were still players like Kaman, Camby, Gordon, and Zach Randolph. All was not lost, and yet, Baron arrived to camp overweight and unmotivated. His play in the beginning of the season was so uninspired that the Clippers barely pretended to have the normal and unreasonable excitement on the year. They finished with only 19 wins.

Blame piled on his shoulders, but there was a measure of understanding and fingerpointing at Elton Brand, the good guy that ran out on the bad situation. And with the prospect of Blake Griffin, a then exciting but unknown commodity bounding around the Big 12, there was a source of hope. Baron arrived into camp the following year in shape, with some ready to declare his first year with the Clippers an aberration. After all, many Clipper fans had watched Baron play with their own eyes. They witnessed his talent when he played at UCLA in his two years there, they knew what kind of limitless potential and charisma that could still transform the Clippers into more than the Lakers’ sniveling little brother. He did documentaries on the life of the inner city, spoke out, helped kids, and there always seemed to be times when his bushy face and unbridled smile were in a magazine, online or in the paper. There was still hope for him, a precious commodity in Clipperland.

But his great shape didn’t transition into a great mental state. A huge blow to be sure, but as soon as Blake went down with the injury that no one could give a correct prognosis, Baron reverted back to a form of Bad Baron, hoisting up transition threes and driving fans crazy. Even though the Clippers hovered around .500 for the first half of the season, it was clear that in the competitive Western Conference the Clippers wouldn’t be able to compete. They traded off fan favorite Marcus Camby and that’s when the real, cutting blame set in. Baron not only wasn’t the team’s savior but he was the reason for the team’s failures. Every jacked up three pointer, every turnover signaled the wasted opulence of his talent, the clear arrogance and delusion of self, and at the heart of it all, the embodiment of the stereotype of what was wrong with professional athletes. He coasted on his talent.

Even with whispers of Blake’s full return to health and Eric Gordon’s rapid ascension with Team USA, there were still the articles proclaiming Baron to be the lynchpin to this season. And he was, but what was so telling was that very few believed his return to a high level of play could happen and they knew with his massive contract that he was untradeable.

At some point, there was just too much history with Baron in a Clippers uniform to believe that he could change and when he showed up to camp blaming a bad knee for what was probably more a lack of conditioning, it looked like another year without the playoffs.

Only those low expectations couldn’t have even foreseen the abysmal start to the season. Blake was a reason to watch, and Eric Gordon’s improvement wasn’t a mirage, but the Clippers lost games in a pathetically repetitive way. Holding close until bowing out in the third quarter, the Clippers lost every game with Baron in the lineup until both he and Vinny recognized and agreed that it was best for him to rest his knee for a while.

Vinny’s handling of the situation should be commended as he didn’t apologize to Baron or make excuses during that brutal 1-13 start, but expected that Baron work his way back. There was no protection, but VDN also didn’t throw Baron under the bus either. The Clippers beat the Thunder in their fifth game, but other than that continued the losing. Blake played better on a nightly basis, so did Gordon (especially in Utah) and the Clippers began to challenge teams, their brilliant performances showing an imperfect blend of the Harlem Globetrotters style with the Generals ability to always lose a game. Until they beat the Hornets, who were then the owners of the best record in the NBA. Murmurs spread of Baron’s return. The Clippers beat the Kings for a second win in a row. Two losses followed, but by this point, the rookie Eric Bledsoe garnered more attention as he ran the team the best all season.

Baron returned in a Clippers home win over the Spurs, with Bledsoe still playing well, but with Baron having his own show off the bench. He played the way that the Clippers had always wanted him to play, with measured aggression and the mindset to get the ball into the hands of those most capable of shooting. In 24 minutes of play, he only shot the ball 6 times, scoring 7 points but spreading out 10 assists.

And his evolved play didn’t appear as only a one-time gift in a rare underdog win over the more regimented Spurs. Nor did he hold back the up-tempo pace as the cantankerous old vet on the team, but helped foment that speed and the entertainment surrounding the team. Baron, if nothing else, is an entertainer. He began throwing alley-oops to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan that threatened opposing players to the point where Baron was no longer guarded if he ran with Blake on the break, because the opposing team didn’t want to give the Clippers the satisfaction and the momentum that comes with the alley-oop.

The Clippers were infectious and for the first time in his tenure with the team, Baron now seemed like the leader on the floor. The guy running the show. The remaining years on his contract weren’t viewed so much as complete dead weight, but as an immovable object. He couldn’t be traded, but at least fans could watch and enjoy him play.

And then January hit, those freak wins over the Thunder, Hornets, Spurs, and Bulls didn’t look so anomalous as the Clippers took down the Miami Heat and the Lakers in a 5 day stretch, they had a winning month. Blake beasted, Gordon took over, but Baron was adeptly running the show. Even his harshest critics had to admit that he was effective in that time. And he was having fun, enjoying the game. He saw playing with Blake as new life and for those of us watching, it made sense.

Baron was no longer fighting between the dichotomies of Good Baron and Bad Baron, but working on this New Baron, where he became the revered conductor for the Clippers mad circus, where he was the smiling teammate throwing alley-oops through the sun-roof of a car to the team superstar in a dunk contest. He cared immensely about being in LA, turning the team around and finally making good on his promise to get the team back into the playoffs and headed to a championship. He was, impossibly, an attractive player to have on a team again, because he was about the team.

And that’s why the Clippers could ship him off.

Along with an unprotected first round pick in this year’s draft, Baron Davis is headed to the Cavaliers in exchange for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon. Not only does it give the Clippers a better outside shooter, and a capable defender at the small forward position, but it gives them more financial flexibility. Baron will make $28.8 million in the two years to follow, whereas the most that the Clippers would pay Jamario and Mo Williams is $20 million.

The Clippers no longer are geared towards Baron’s abilities and liabilities, as they have circled Blake, Eric Gordon and the other youngsters (DeAndre, Aminu and Bledsoe) as the foundations of the future. Baron was just expensive and poorly fitting.

Real, tangible improvement for the Clippers still exists only as a possibility, they have 16 more losses than wins, but a time could come when someone looks back to see where everything changed for the Clippers, and they’ll look to the 2010-2011 season and they won’t just see Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon, but a clever trade that rid the team of one of its hampering assets. The move a harbinger for a new era for the Clippers.

Over the past four seasons, neither the Clippers nor the Knicks have won more than 32 games in any of them. During the losing, they have shared such players as Zach Randolph, Tim Thomas, Mardy Collins and Cuttino Mobley (kind of). Yet while both struggled to win, even to put together consistent lineups at many points, they have managed to produce some of the most entertaining basketball moments of that time when they got together. Two years ago, they played not one, , but two overtime thrillers, including a 35-point, eight rebound(!) outburst by Mike Taylor that had the fans at the Garden going crazy. Both games, somehow, were heavily influenced by Al Harrington getting called for hanging on the rim down the stretch.

Their first meeting this season was an instant classic and a turning point for the young Clips. The Knicks won, 124-115, behind 39 points from Amar’e Staudemire, but it marked the end of a 1-13 start for the Clippers and gave promise for good things to come. Blake Griffin had the best game of his career (to that point), with 44 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists and a whole collection of highlight dunks in his breakout performance. It propelled the team to win three of its next five games, including New Orleans and San Antonio while they owned the league’s best records. Since that game, the Clippers are 18-19, with wins over the Lakers, Heat, Nuggets, and Bulls. They are coming off of four consecutive losses (including the first three games of the current 11-game roadtrip), though, and as you would expect, are struggling to replace Eric Gordon.

The Knicks come in at 26-24, good enough for the sixth best record in the Eastern Conference. Their play has been streaky; at one point they rattled off 13 wins in 14 games, but only two of those came against teams with records above .500. They have had success at times behind Raymond Felton and Amar’e, but have struggled to sustain a consistent level of play without a legitimate starting center or any depth in the backcourt.

When these two teams meet again, it will be a battle of tempo and the ability to play to each one’s strengths. The Knicks play at the 2nd fastest pace in the league and will look to push the ball up the floor to Amar’e and open shooters. The Clippers will attempt to defend the perimeter better than they have recently, limit turnovers (they commit the 2nd most turnovers per game, 16.1) and control the glass if they hope to get their first win of the road trip.

Keys to the Game

-The 2008 Draft. The Knicks had the sixth pick in Donnie Walsh’s first draft as G.M., and with it, they took 6’10” forward Danilo Gallinari. With the next pick, Mike Dunleavy took a player he never expected would be available, Eric Gordon. The two are different as players, and the Clippers may have wound up with the better player, but the Knicks are still high on the hilarious Italian. At the time, Walsh said he envisioned Gallo becoming a superstar a la Dirk Nowitzki, with his mix of size, shooting touch, feel for the game, and of, course, European-ness. These two will always be connected in the eyes on many Knicks and Clippers fans, and though they have taken different paths, they remain integral parts of their respective teams. Gallo may not ever become Dirk, but he is still 22 and shows flashes of being very difficult to stop. He ranks eighth among forwards who qualify in True Shooting Percentage (60.8%), and many Knicks fans would like to see him featured more prominently in the team’s offense. As a secondary option behind the Felton-Amar’e pick-and-roll, he tends to get lost standing around on the perimeter at times, but he is deadly from three and has improved his game going to the basket – according to Hoopdata, he is converting 70% of his shots at the rim this season, up from 59.4% last year.

For Gordon, his significance is felt as much in his absence as when he’s playing. Not many teams have a player like him, and even fewer would be prepared to account for losing him. The Clippers have won two of eight games since Gordon went out, with both wins coming against mediocre Eastern Conference teams. Randy Foye has assumed his starting spot, but the team has been unable to provide enough balance on the perimeter to prevent teams from clogging up the lane and swarming Griffin. As Blake said to Kevin Arnovitz a couple games ago, “it changes the game with Eric Gordon out.” Foye had another poor shooting night on Tuesday against Orlando (3-13), his third stinker in the last four games, a problem for the team that suddenly lacks depth at guard.

-Battle of the Bigs. The Knicks have had some success doing what they do, but they have also shown a glaring weakness on defense and on the glass. Amar’e is the main event for New York, but they have yet to find him a viable post partner, someone who can make up for his shortcomings in those areas. Rookie Timofey Mozgov (the pinnacle of Blake posterization) has seen a bump in playing time over the last four games, and he has shown promise, including a 23-point, 14-rebound performance in almost 40 minutes against Detroit. He has intriguing athleticism for someone his size (7’1”), and may prove to be a nice piece of their rotation, but this is a matchup against the Knicks bigs that should be a big advantage for the Clippers. The Knicks have been awful on the boards (26th in the league with a -3.7 number against their opponents), while the Clippers have found their strength there (4th in the league, +3.7).

Griffin managed to get the best of Amar’e last time they met, and by many measures, has been better all season, believe it or not. While Amar’e has generated impressive scoring numbers (26ppg), he has done so with the most touches of any power forward in the league (31.42 % of possessions used). Blake, on the other hand, scores slightly less (22.9 ppg, third among power forwards), but with a smaller Usage Rate (27.81). At this point, Amar’e is better equipped to operate on offense thanks to the shooters that surround him, whereas Blake will need to get used to constant double- and triple-teams until Gordon returns – as evidenced by his 4-12 shooting performance against the Magic. What separates these two elite power forwards, though, is their rebounding ability. Blake ranks sixth (19.8) among power forwards in Total Rebound Rate, while Amar’e comes in 31st, with 13.1. It’s a staggering difference, one that should give the Clippers a real edge. If Blake and DeAndre Jordan cannot establish a strong advantage on the glass, they could be in real trouble.

-Baron against Felton. When the Knicks have won, they have generally done so on the strength of strong point guard play from Felton. He is averaging 17 points and nearly nine assists a game, mostly from thriving in D’Antoni’s system. He has arguably the best scoring big man in Stoudemire, and the two have become a dangerous pick-and-roll pair. While he has proven to be a savvy pickup by Walsh, Felton’s early numbers may be slightly misleading and his play has cooled off after a hot start way above his career levels. His field goal percentage (42%) and three point percentage (33%) are actually down from last season in Charlotte, and despite calls for an All-Star spot, his Adjusted PER (18.9), puts him in the middle of the pack among point guards. Despite his ups-and-downs, he remains a dangerous threat to shoot from three and is capable of finding open shooters off the pick-and-roll.

Baron, meanwhile, has seen his Adjusted PER (17.9) rise as he has worked himself into shape and into sync with his high-flying teammates. Once trailing way behind Felton among point guards this season, Baron enters this game as a key for the Clippers, coming off an impressive performance against Orlando (25 points, eight rebounds, eight assists). He may have a great opportunity to get in the lane against the defensively-challenged Knicks, and if he does so, he should find open looks for himself and dump-offs to Griffin and Jordan. It should be an uptempo night, in which case it will be Baron’s responsibility to control the ball and limit turnovers. If he can do that, the Clippers have a good chance to beat the Knicks at their own game.

Injury Report

Chris Kaman: left ankle, out
Craig Smith: herniated disc, out
Eric Gordon: wrist/back, day to day (out) (note on Gordon: Lisa Dillman tweeted that Eric Gordon saw the doctor and the original timetable is unchanged)

Kelenna Azubuike: left knee, out
Eddy Curry: left hamstring, out
Ronny Turiaf: sprained right ankle, doubtful

Note: Breene will be at ESPN’s Daily Dime Live if you want to stop by and chat with him

Despite a weak performance from Blake Griffin, the Clippers found themselves tied with the Magic 70-70 with 9:41 left in the fourth quarter. They weathered the storm through the third, surged back after an 11 point run from the Magic and the Clippers were poised to sneak away a win from the stumbling Magic. But then the Magic went on a 12-0 run, highlighted by an Earl Clark dunk and a Gilbert Arenas three, and the Clippers were just about done.

After three quarters of floundering around, the Magic finally found their rhythm in the fourth quarter. Their three point shooters warmed up as they made 5 of their 10 three pointers in the last quarter and their defense maintained its efficacy, holding the Clippers to 20 points. The Clippers really didn’t have much going on tonight, and would have been completely blown out had Baron Davis not played like it was 2007 again. It was Baron’s best game by far this year, but there wasn’t the support around him to get the job done. Usually, it’s Blake that needs the help.

Blake found himself double and triple teamed tonight without the help of Eric Gordon. We’re all accustomed to him rushing out to hot starts and then cooling, but he only had 5 points through the first half. That’s normally what Blake scores in the first two minutes. Literally. But the Magic dared the other Clippers to beat them. And while Baron played very well, Randy Foye had nothing going for him at all.

Foye never managed to get good looks, forcing bad shots that didn’t help his already cold shooting. He finished with 7 points on 13 shots. Yes, you read that correctly. He just hucked up brick after brick, failing to attack the rim enough (no free throws attempted). The lack of attacking the rim hurt, too, because Dwight Howard drew his fourth foul mid way through the third and the Magic didn’t take him out of the game. Had Randy attacked the rim to compensate for his awful shooting (what Eric Gordon does when he’s having an off night), the Clippers could have put Dwight out of the game for a longer stretch and altered the complexion of the game. He did drew a foul on Dwight once in the third quarter, but once wasn’t nearly enough.

Back to Baron. He played fantastic tonight. He shot 6 threes, which usually is a bad sign, but he shot them all with his feet set and made four of them. When he wasn’t shooting threes, he attacked the rim, and when the defense swarmed him, he kicked out for 8 assists. He even rebounded the ball, pulling down 8 rebounds. Had the other Clipper players been shooting better, Baron would have had a double double. He found Blake when he could, including a tricky pass in the first quarter when the Clippers were on the break. Baron was in traffic when he flipped it to Blake for the bucket and the foul. Then there was the long distance lob (captured up top) at the end of the third quarter that gave the Clippers the energy to come back from the Magic’s first big run, an 11-0 run from 6:31 to 3:01 in the third. Baron was all over the place this game and had the Clippers continued their tough defense down the stretch, and not given up 30 points in the last 9:41, he might have willed him to the win.

The only player that really showed up, other than Baron, was Ike Diogu. Ike only had 5 rebounds, but four of them were on the offensive end, where he created his own shot. He basically was the janitor for the rest of the team, cleaning up as much as he could, and finishing with a highly efficient 7 for 10 shooting. He even drew a charge on Dwight in the third quarter that gave the Clippers some lift. It’s amazing what he’s been doing since he signed with the Clippers, but it’s becoming clear that the NBA cast him off too early.

However, against teams like Orlando, the Clippers have such a high degree of difficulty that they can’t have two great games from supporting players and expect to win. Blake needs to have great games for them to win. Whether or not that’s fair is beside the point, other players have done it (look at LeBron and Cleveland) and it’s what’s necessary for the Clippers going forward.

Some notes:

• After seeming to have broken out in early January, DeAndre Jordan played poorly again. In the last four games, he’s averaged 4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 24.5 minutes per game. Part of his poor play is just the normal step back for the two steps forward, but there is two things that I want to address: 1) opposing teams are more aware of his movements around the basket because he’s such a good target for alley-oops, and 2) he seems to be hesitating when he gets the ball. DeAndre isn’t the most skilled big, so when he gets the ball close in the post, he can’t take a dribble and go to the hoop. He just needs to put it up. His confidence is not where it was when he was playing so well in January. If the Clippers want to play better, especially with Kaman out, they need DeAndre to be at least half as mentally strong as he is physically.

• Al-Farouq Aminu. His outside shot isn’t nearly what it was earlier in the year, but from what I see, he shows some signs of improving. He had three steals, a block and one of his “Farouq pass it! Pass it! Oh, oh! Great layup” fast breaks. I don’t want to gloss over his two turnovers and his 5 fouls, he’s still a long ways away. But I continue to think that he might fit in better with veterans around him. If he and Gomes switched places, and not necessarily minutes, I think there’s a chance that the Clippers could see more growth from Aminu while getting Gomes’ basketball I.Q. working with the second unit. Look at that Baron-Gordon-Aminu-Blake-Jordan line-up, it’s the best unit the Clips have given more than 20 minutes of run over the course of the season, with Aminu running with the “vets.”

• Bledsoe isn’t using his speed to get enough good shots. He only shot twice tonight despite having the speed to blow by every player on the Magic team. In his last five games, he’s averaged 19.4 minutes per game, and yet in all that time, he’s only shot the ball 17 times total. I like that he’s taking the role of distributor seriously, but he’ll be more effective if he gets his own shot and becomes a legitimate threat himself.

• Some stats on Dwight’s impact for the Magic (courtesy of ESPN Stats and Information):

The Clippers shot 75 percent on 9 for 12 shooting when Dwight was off the court, and 12 for 21 when Dwight was on the court.

Dwight out-dunked Blake tonight, 4-2, increasing his lead on the most dunks for the season, 135-118.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Back in November the Clippers turned in their biggest stinker of the season, getting run off the Pacers home floor 107-80. They shot poorly from the field (33 percent, 22 percent from three) and they defended poorly (Pacers shot 50 percent from the field and 54 percent from the beyond the arc). But that Clippers team looked so different from the one that lost to the Pacers.

Some Changes:

- Blake Griffin has had a double double in every game since that Pacers game. He logged 12 points and 8 rebounds then, but has averaged 24.6 points and 13.8 rebounds since. (Even if the steadiness of that production isn’t as even.)

- Eric Gordon has found his shot. He was largely going to the rim for his shots, but now, he’s shooting threes like everyone remembers, 14-33 in his last 5 games (42 percent).

- Return of Baron Davis, the good one. Since coming back Baron has turned into the table setter for the team, improving his shot selection (still not perfect) and even becoming feisty on occasion, just look at the game against the Lakers when Baron jumped in to scuffle with Lamar Odom and when Baron stood up to Zydrunas in the Heat game, Baron’s alive and kicking.

- DeAndre Jordan’s emergence. At the time of the first game against the Pacers, DeAndre was a center by default, but now he’s been playing really well of late, anchoring the defense and dunking all over opposing centers.

- Bledsoe and Aminu’s return to the bench combined with the decrease in minutes for Rasual Butler. ‘Sual played 20 minutes in the game against the Pacers but he hasn’t gotten off the pine recently, sitting in the last 7 games. He’s been largely inefficient and a reason for the Clippers then-stagnant offense. While Aminu isn’t shooting quite at the same clip that he was earlier in the year, the bench is stronger now.

All combined together and it’s no wonder that the Clippers are in a completely different place than the last matchup. Instead of 1-11 in recent play, the Clippers are 9-4 and learning, forming a unit and breaking bad habits. The next one to break: having let-down games.

Keys to the Game:

- Danny Granger v. Gordon. Not only is Granger a very good offensive option but his defense has improved mightily. In the last meeting, Eric Gordon lit up the Pacers for 11 first quarter points before Granger switched off of his natural matchup with Aminu and on to Gordon. EJ did finish with 19 points, but it was on 5 for 17 shooting, a large reason the Clippers were run off the floor. And then Granger’s the top option on offense, playing at a position that the Clippers have had a hard time guarding.

- Roy Hibbert. Like the Lakers’ Bynum, Hibbert is a strong low post presence with good shot-blocking capabilities. DJ is slightly shorter but he has the reach and athleticism to bother Hibbert. Being one of the only interior threats, stopping Hibbert is the best way to throw their offense off balance.

- Keep up the Intensity. The Clippers are 3-3 after big wins (Thunder, Hornets, Spurs, Bulls, Nuggets, Heat) and they just beat their in-house rivals for a huge win. It’s conceivable that the Clippers could let down for a 12:30 game the day after a big victory, but if they continue to learn from their mistakes over the course of the year, then they’ll play a focused game today.

Injury Report:
Brian Cook right ankle, doubtful
Craig Smith herniated disc, out
Chris Kaman left ankle, out

The Clippers raced out to an early lead, paced by a great first half from Blake and DeAndre and then Nuggets started chipping away. First it was a long J.R. Smith three, then it was Chauncey Billups’ four point play and the Nuggets brought a fifteen point lead down to 8 to close the second quarter. Then the Nuggets came out of break, the Clippers gave up five straight points on three free throws from Chauncey Billups and an easy Nene Hilario steal that lead to a fast break where Blake, again looked confused on transition defense. Considering the recent history, it would be easy to expect the Clippers to get away from Blake, start hoisting bad shots and letting their offensive missteps transfer into a paranoid and lackadaisical defense. However, that wasn’t the case tonight as the Clippers even extended their first half lead and won by thirteen.

The disturbing trend of the opponents shooting a high percentage from three continued, and the Nuggets even got within 3 within three minutes of the third quarter, but there was a spurt from Eric Bledsoe that put the Nuggets back on their heels. He started the run with a right handed floater on the right side of the lane, then he nailed a three and then went back to the rim for another deuce and the foul (although he didn’t convert). Bledsoe benefitted from the zippy Nuggets guard Ty Lawson’s absence, but his play still required the gumption to make those shots, even if the shots were more open than normal because he had the slower Chauncey Billups guarding him. It’s been what the Clippers have been missing in the recent losses to Utah and Atlanta, that resilient ability to stare down a charging foe and make a steely move. They have harnessed this ability in certain spots, like the wins against the Hornets, Spurs and Bulls, but the win over the Nuggets felt different. It wasn’t like the Clippers survived the game, but that they actually won it.

DeAndre Jordan provided a surprisingly big lift on the interior and his play, beyond the Nuggets game, begs more attention. Yes, he turned in a Camby-esque 14 point, 20 rebound, 6 block performance in a win, but even in the recent losses he’s had a positive effect. In the last 3 games, he’s had 19 blocks. Yes, that’s right, 19 blocks. He’s still swatting at some of the shots like little kid exploding harmless soap bubbles, but there are some that lead to fast breaks. It’s no coincidence that the Clippers highlight of the game (a fast break, give-and-go alley-oop between Blake and Baron) started from a DeAndre block to his teammates. Granted, it was a mistake, as he clearly out-jumped the shot and swatted it off of his forearm, but it worked. That potential of defensive awareness will vastly improve his effectiveness. What’s most crucial is that he’s learning, becoming that low usage defensive anchor that compliments his front court partner and friend Blake Griffin.

Speaking of Blake, he again had a monster game, coming close to his first 20-20 game as he racked up 22 points, 18 rebounds and 7 assists (capped by a beautiful lob thrown to DeAndre), those assists a testament to his quick ability to adapt to the competition. His second half let downs, let downs at least in comparison to his first halves, continue to beguile. Maybe it’s just the teams figuring how to deal with his energy and bring Blake down to earth, even if his 7 points and 8 rebounds in the second half are what some centers average for a game, but he needs to figure out how to maintain his effectiveness. It’s crazy to pick the nits of a player that has the potential to be historically great (I had an argument with Daily Dime Live Host Zach Harper whether Blake could has the potential to be a Top-50 all time player), but if Blake wants to improve beyond a great player on a bad team, then he’s going to have to continually address his faults. I’m not even saying that he’s resting on his laurels, obviously he’s a hard worker, but his current situation is extremely difficult. Beyond just being on a bad team, he has to deal with the consistent negative stigmas associated with the owner and the franchise. Unfair or not, there is the extra push that he’ll have to endure to overcome the trivialities of an anomalous highlight machine on a bad team.

Watching this game, I began to wonder how closely Blake’s first half dominance is related to Baron Davis’ play. In the first half, Baron already had amassed his 8 assists, but in the second? None. It potentially provides a template for the answer to Jordan Heimer’s question brought up the other day, if Baron is healthy, then why isn’t he getting big minutes? This may be the answer, that he’s not able to sustain his play in the second half and those minutes need to go to Bledsoe in order to provide Baron with whatever rest is needed for him to finish out the ball game. Maybe Baron the facilitator requires a certain equilibrium, not too much playing time before he searches for his own shot rather than serving up passes to the rest of his teammates. It may just be something Baron needs to simply focus on, but the correlation and the trend is at least worthy of addressing.

Good news is that it didn’t have an effect on Eric Gordon who played another quietly impressive game. If Blake, DeAndre, Baron and Bledsoe are taking a chunk of the highlights, it’s largely because Eric Gordon allows them to be there. I’d bet that if you asked the casual NBA fan who was the scoring leader on the Clippers, few would answer Eric Gordon. And it’s not like he doesn’t contribute to the “big” plays. In the third, when the Nuggets were still fighting, Eric drove strong to the hole for a decisive lay-up and the foul. It was stabilizing, even if it didn’t completely prevent the slide that allowed for Bledsoe’s hot streak. Instead, Gordon has become a wonder in spite of his excellence, his handle down the stretch rightly questioned even though he has displayed the propensity to take over games (see November Jazz game in Utah and the second matchup with the Kings). He clearly hasn’t finished his development, which will involve the steadying of his handle so that he’s jerky dribble penetrations doesn’t fool himself more than the defenders.

But for now, Clippers fans should enjoy the solace of the win over the Nuggets. The two games prior showed that the Clippers are not going to make constant improvements, there will be setbacks against good teams, but they are learning enough where they can continue to bounce back and show very real progress.