Yessir, it’s October 1st, which always signals the end of baseball season (for me and other Dodger fans this has felt way overdue) and, more importantly, it demarcates the glorious start of basketball season. So what’s the plan for the Clippers this month? Let’s have a look.

On Sunday the 3rd, the Clippers are heading down to Camp Pendleton to hold a scrimmage in front of our servicemen as a thank you for their sacrifice. I’ll be in the building, so I’ll be sure to let you know how all the players look in action. Hopefully, all the discipline will rub off on the Clips this year, although it sounds like there’s a start.  More...

• Saturday was a busy day in Playa Vista. Sofo Schortsanitis was at the facility in the morning working out, then Mike Miller paid a three-hour visit.  Prototypically, Miller is precisely what the Clippers are looking for — a floor-spacing shooter who won’t kill them on the boards. He’s a guy who can assume the starting slot at the 3 while Al-Farouq Aminu develops, then move to bench as the Clips’ gunslinger at 32.
  
  Here’s the problem: The market has gone insane. In a world where Rudy Gay is a max player, where Amir Johnson can score a 5-year/$34 million deal and Darko Milicic is valued at 4 years and $20 million, a guy like Miller can command a big number — larger than the Clippers are comfortable committing to a middle-age SF whose skills are likely to fall off during the back end of his deal.

The following is a statement from General Manager Neil Olshey concerning today’s meeting in Cleveland with LeBron James:

“We can only surmise how the meeting went from our standpoint, and from our standpoint, it went very well. We approached it in a very honest and direct way, and we felt that their reaction was considerate and receptive.”  More...

From a personnel standpoint, the Clippers had a solid draft on Thursday. Al-Farouq Aminu can’t shoot from the perimeter, nor can he put the ball on the deck, but he addresses a number of needs on the wing — specifically rebounding and defense. He’s also a mere 19 years old and inordinately coachable. Eric Bledsoe, also 19, fits the mold of the modern-day combo guard. Although he measures only 6-foot-1, Bledsoe is a strong, lanky athlete with the ability to knife through traffic, shoot proficiently from distance and torment opposing ballhandlers. He’s the kind of talent quality NBA teams are bringing off the bench to give their backcourts a jolt of energy. The Clippers will also get a free look at the prodigal Sooner, Willie Warren. As a second round pick, Warren doesn’t count against the Clippers’ salary cap number until he’s signed.  More...

Pardon the eternal optimism, but LeBron James’ commenting on the Clippers in a positive manner on national television can only be considered a good thing. Maybe it’s a case of hearing what you want to hear, but LeBron’s saying the Clippers have some “really good players” and some “nice solid pieces” is a great endorsement from the most influential free agent the NBA has ever seen.  More...