Beast of the Night: Derrick Rose put up 31 points, three boards, 11 assists, a steal, two blocks and four three-pointers last night against the Timberwolves. He shot 55 percent (12-22) from the field, 75 percent (3-4) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. For the season, Rose is scoring less than he did in 2010-11, but he’s dishing out 8.6 assists per outing, an improvement of nearly a full assist per game. Rose has put up top 15 averages so far, a bit disappointing given his first-round expectations heading into the season. Read More »

Whereas last summer reshaped the NBA and as a byproduct of that, helped usher in the extended lockout, the upcoming abbreviated free agency period won’t include a single franchise player. There are probably no future Hall of Famers available. Hell, there might not even be a single All-Star out there. But what is being given up will be replaced in a frenzy. The signings and player movement will be fast and furious, and without any sure things, there will be plenty of opportunities to criticize GMs who panic and throw ridiculous contracts at simply average players. Read More »

It is pretty rare when an elite superstar, a player at the top of their game, is traded off by a team. Circumstances have to reach a boiling point where the team is not going anywhere or the player sees greener pastures and nothing will stop that fixation. In the NBA today, superstars (and those who think they are superstars) are all built the same. If their team has not won a championship or when they see their friends winning them in a brief amount of time, they see it as a need for a new setting. Read More »

As we said yesterday, Christmas Day allows brands to drop special colorways of shoes for their guys. This year is no different. With that, watch as Clippers reporter Madelyn Burke caught up with her team before they opened the season at Golden State. Read More »

No Kobe Bryant meant mismatch at times last night in the Clippers’ 108-103 win, their second straight in as many games against their crosstown rivals. It was a barrage of turnovers and highlights that battered the Lakers to the ground in the third quarter. Then it was Blake Griffin that drove a stake into the Lakers’ hearts in the fourth quarter. The next time someone puts Troy Murphy on Blake (30 points, seven assists, six boards), call us. It’s must-see TV. Yet somehow, the Lakers still had a shot at the end, but first DeAndre Jordan had a huge block on Metta World Peace. Then Griffin flopped his way to a charge call on Matt Barnes, securing the win. Read More »

“It’s going to be Lob City.”

That is the first full sentence that DeAndre Jordan can get himself to put together once his agent called him with the news that the Clippers had pulled off last night’s Chris Paul trade.

Cameras caught this live reaction of Blake Griffin, DeAndre and Caron Butler at a community service event at an L.A.-area school. I love how genuinely excited these guys are about getting the best PG in the game: Read More »

Too bad Chicago. And San Antonio. You’ve lost out on a potential swingman who can play defense, make plays off the dribble and won’t screw you in any particular way. You’ve lost out on him to… the Los Angeles Clippers? As my main man Aron Phillips likes to say: “They never sign anyone.” But David Aldridge tweeted just a few moments ago that Caron Butler will sign with the L.A. Clippers for three years and $24 million, and its been confirmed by multiple sources. The question is: is this too little, too late? Read More »

Even so little as 12 months ago, who would’ve thought we’d be starting an edition of Smack talking about J.J. Barea? He’s a big part of the story, but so is Tyson Chandler and Caron Butler. The plot of it all: the Dallas Mavericks are breaking up the defending NBA champions. They haven’t had a shot yet to defend what they won so amazingly last summer, and here we are, with the once-reckless Mark Cuban now a part of this new age NBA where superstars team up together, and Cubes doesn’t overpay for big centers coming off career years. It’s too bad for Mavs fans that it’s looking like the one time he wants to be careful is the one time they really need his wallet. Read More »

Although Richard Jefferson didn’t make our list of the Top 5 Potential NBA Amnesty Clause Victims, that doesn’t mean he couldn’t still fall victim. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Spurs have indeed decided to use their one-time amnesty clause on the 10-year NBA veteran. Read More »

Deron Williams is probably feeling mad lonely right now over there in Jersey. Dwight Howard this, and Chris Paul wants to go here and everyone wants to team up. Well Williams is sort of stuck in a weird spot in Jersey: He’s with a team in transition, a franchise that has a future but aren’t quite sure what it is yet and while he holds a lot of power, his situation isn’t as sexy as CP going to the Big Apple or Dwight moving to Hollywood. He does have the game to back up any talk, and yesterday he made it perfectly clear: He will play out this season in Jersey and then take his chances as a free agent. So the Nets better get spending. Read More »