Eric Gordon sprains ankle

Just got word that Clippers rookie guard Eric Gordon sprained his right ankle at practice tonight and will sit out of practice on Wednesday. He’s considered day-to-day.

We’ll know more tommorrow morning just how serious the injury is, but even if it’s minor, it’s disappointing to see Gordon miss any practice time. Everyone in the Clippers camp seems enamored with Gordon and his potential to contribute immediately. One veteran player even used the word “star” when describing how good Gordon can be. And it seems like Gordon has taken the expectations on him seriously. He said after Tuesday morning’s practice that he’d lost about seven or eight pounds over the summer (he now weighs around 215 pounds), because he wanted to be prepared for extended runs and the long NBA season. That’s a good sign for a player who had to shut it down after just two summer league games, due to injury.

Camby not at all bitter*

That was sarcasm, in case you didn’t get it. We had a chance to ask new Clippers center Marcus Camby about his feelings toward Denver, and specifically about the way his time with the Nuggets ended and not much has changed from the day it first happened. In other words, Camby is still pretty miffed.

“It happened,” Camby said. “I know deep down inside I will definitely be missed, both on and off the court. I still get calls from their players frequently, everyone’s in shock, everyone can’t believe that it happened, that I’m here. I got calls from those guys today, after they had their media day, looking around at my locker and not seeing me there, so I know my presence is going to be missed.”

Regarding Shaun…

One of the big questions floating through Clippers camp pertains to Shaun Livingston. Basically, now that Jason Williams has retired and won’t be in camp, does that increase the chances of Livingston coming back to LA?

Coach Mike Dunleavy said he didn’t think it would have any effect.

“We offered him a contract and he turned it down,” Dunleavy said. “I think they know where we stand, so the ball is pretty much in their court now.”

Dunleavy said the team had offered Livingston a two-year contract, with the first year guaranteed. The second year would have a player-option.

When Livingston passed on it, the Clippers went after Williams.

Asked whether that means the team would reach out to Livingston again, Dunleavy said, “I don’t think we need to. They know where we stand. We still like Shaun a lot.”

Meet your new Clippers

The names were still on the back of the jerseys as the Clippers gathered at their gleaming new practice facility here in Playa Vista, but with 13 new faces among the 18 players who gathered for media day Monday, it would’ve been helpful to put something out front.

“We all have to adjust, but that’s the exciting point about being on a new team,” Clippers guard Baron Davis said. “We have so much to look forward to and to learn.”

And decide… For instance:

How will Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman play together?

Where will the lowpost scoring come from?

How quickly will rookie Eric Gordon make an impact?

Is Ricky Davis going to be a starter?

What happened to Jason Williams?

Where does Cuttino Mobley fit into all of this?

Oh, and how does a guy go from being the new guy to face of the franchise overnight, as Davis is attempting to do?

The Clippers, having spent the last six weeks cooling off from one of the wildest offseasons in NBA history, provided some preliminary answers to those questions Monday.

“I expect we’re going to have a team that can defend, block shots and rebound and if we do that, we’ll have some good opportunities,” Dunleavy said.

A little less boom….

Here’s the story I filed on Baron Davis’ press conference today. Baron said he’d dropped 19 pounds since early August, though when I asked, he wouldn’t say exactly how much he started at, or finished at. I suppose we’ll have to wait til Tuesday’s opening of training camp for the official weigh-in, then do the math šŸ˜‰

By Ramona Shelburne
Staff Writer

There will be considerably less Boom in Baron Davis’ Dizzle this season.

The Clippers’ newest leading man announced Friday morning there is an important new leading lady in his life: Diet maven Jenny Craig.

Looking svelte and trim in a neat grey suit, Davis said he’s lost 19 pounds since starting the program in early August and that he’d signed on as Jenny Craig’s most high-profile male spokesperson.

“I wanted to be a lot slimmer and quicker for the types of things we are going to do this season,” said the former UCLA star, who signed a five-year, $65-million contract with the Clippers this summer. “I feel great now. I’m at my playing weight, I’m in good shape. So now it’s just more maintaining and making sure I stay on my Ps and Qs. Like when we’re on the road, on one of those seven or eight-game road trips, you may lose a game and you just want to pig out late at night but you gotta have that discipline.”

Davis said his weight frequently fluctuates during the offseason, and that he turned to Jenny Craig to try something new this time around. He credits his friend, and Jenny Craig spokeswoman Queen Latifah with helping him make the commitment this offseason.

As strange athlete endorsements go, the pairing isn’t exactly Dan Marino endorsing Isotoner gloves, or Joe DiMaggio pitching Mr. Coffee machines, but Davis admits that it’s definitely opened him up to some ribbing from his friends. At least until they see him call his personal diet consultant, Victoria, for advice, or cook them one of the pre-packaged Jenny Craig dinners.

“The food is good, I’m telling you,” Davis said. “My favorites are the turkey chili, the macaroni n’ cheese with vegetables, the chicken fettucini alfredo, the southwest burrito. I know all the best stuff they got.”

He also hopes his story inspires others. Like … “My first target is coach (Mike) Dunleavy. I can tell he’s interested because he’s asked me all these questions about it.

“But seriously though. I hope this makes other people want to be healthier in their life. It’s not always easy. I had my ups and downs with it. Like in the beginning, you’re losing weight, feeling great, and then nothing happens and you get discouraged. But you have to stick with it. And the best thing about (Jenny Craig) is I had my consultant, Victoria, who I could call to help get through those points.”

Davis and the Clippers begin training camp on Tuesday morning.

Training camp invites

The Clips have added four players to the training camp roster. Normally, these are guys the club just wants to take a look at but have very little chance of making the roster. But now that Jason Williams has retired, there may be room for one of them.

In no particular order, the invitees are Dontell Jefferson (Arkansas), Jelani McCoy (UCLA), David Noel (North Carolina) and Curtis Sumpter (Villanova).

McCoy is the most experienced of the bunch, having spent portions of eight seasons in the NBA since being drafted by Seattle in the second round of the 1998 draft.

He averaged 0.5 points in six games with the Denver Nuggets last season, then appeared in 36 games for the Los Angeles D-Fenders in the NBA Development League, averaging 11.2 points and 7.4 rebounds en route to an NBADL All-Star appearance and a place on the NBADL Third Team.

Over the years, McCoy has played for the Supersonics (1998-2001), Lakers (2001-02), Toronto Raptors (2002-03), Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-04), Atlanta Hawks (2004-05) and several other international clubs.