January 2009 Archives

Just caught up with Zach Randolph in the locker room tonight and he said that he's planning on traveling with the team on its upcoming road trip and could play Monday.

Randolph said that he still has a little pain in his knee (bone bruise), but that he wants to play on it and see how it responds. His return has also been delayed by a bout with the flu.

The Clippers have decided to sign Fred Jones for the rest of the year. He was on the last day of his second 10-day contract.

Baron Davis will play tonight against the Chicago Bulls. He won't start, and I wouldn't expect him to play a ton of minutes since he hasn't hasn't had a full practice yet.

Clippers rookie Eric Gordon and second year forward Al Thornton were selected to play in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam February 13 at the All Star Game in Phoenix.

Averaging 17.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, Thornton currently ranks second in the NBA amongst second year players in scoring. Gordon is currently ranked fourth among all rookies in scoring, averaging 13.7 points per game, however in 13 games played in January, Gordon has averaged a rookie high 21.5 points in 41.2 minutes played per game.

Point guard Baron Davis's status has been upgraded to probable for tommorrow's game against the Chicago Bulls.

What rookie wall? If anything Clippers' rookie Eric Gordon has gotten better as this season has gone on. After pouring in a career-high 41 points in Friday's win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Gordon is fourth among rookies in terms of scoring at 13.5 points a game though.

But while most of the more heralded rookies ahead of him have seen their averages stagnate or drop this month, Gordon's game has soared. He's averaging 22.6 points a game in 11 games in January, best among NBA rookies.

Rookie scoring leader O.J. Mayo (19.1 ppg) has scored just 16.6 points a game in January. Derrick Rose is also under his season average (16.7 points a game) this month, scoring just 14.7 points a game in 12 January games.

Only Russell Westbrook has shown similar improvement throughout the season, increasing his scoring average in each month this season.

Perhaps more importantly, Gordon has earned the respect of his veteran teammates with his attitude, effort on defense and willingness to take big shots at the end of games.

Recently veteran center Marcus Camby even stuck his neck out for the rookie, arguing that the stocky shooting guard should be getting a lot more love from officials around the league.

``I think Eric gets fouled a lot when he goes to the hole,'' Camby said. ``I think the referees see how they see how big and aggressive he is, so he doesn't get the benefit of the whistle.

``Yeah it's a rookie thing. They may say it doesn't exist, but it exists. Hopefully as we go on through the season, he can start getting that respect and have it carry over year after year, because I know he's going to be in the league a long time.''

Just got late word today he is staying behind for treatment. Zach Randolph is also not scheduled to make the trip.

Yes, Baron Davis is scheduled to be in Oakland with the team Sunday for its first game up in the Bay Area this season. He just likely won't be in uniform after suffering a little setback this week, trying to work himself back into shape.

So those who bought tickets for his big return will at least get to wave at him and see what color scarf he's wearing.

Marcus Camby (ankle) is now listed as questionable for tomorrow versus Oklahoma City after he practiced today without a problem.

He will be re-evaluated after shoot-around tommorrow morning and a determination on his status will be made then.

I was able to catch up with Baron Davis before today's game, the most extended conversation he's had with the media in the last month or so. Anyway, in addition to the column I filed, here's a few extra quotes from BD.

After avoiding the spotlight for a few weeks, Davis was very candid before Wednesday's game and, dare I say, even a bit chipper. He spoke about this season, his injuries, and his reaction to criticism that he's been out too long with his latest injury.

``The rush is to play. At a certain point, you have to stop paying attention to your record and play when you can. For me, the first opportunity I get to play, I want to get out there.

``I wanted to play in the Minnesota game. I was like just give me 10 minutes coach, that's all I need is ten minutes. Not being able to do something you do every day of your life is tough, no matter what the record is.''

When asked how he felt about criticism that he's taken a while to come back from his latest injury, Davis calmly defended his record.

``A lot of you don't know but a lot of my career, I played in games being hurt. You go back to my days in Charlotte when I played with cartilage in my knee, playing with herniated disks in my back for the entire season,'' Davis said. ``Me playing hurt is something that I've always done. but as you get older, you become a little bit wiser and you understand, do you want to miss five to seven games, or do you want to miss 40 games.

``I've got thick skin. The people who know me, the people who've been around me. you could ask our trainers how hard I work, how much I want to be out there on that floor.''

Clippers rookie DeAndre Jordan said after his breakout 23-point, 12-rebound game against the Lakers whether he knew he had that kind of performance in him.

``I'm just as surprised as you all,'' he said with a laugh.

Not everyone was so blase.

Jordan's monster dunks even seem to have caught the eye of the league's reigning MVP.

``He has a lot of talent man,'' Kobe Bryant said after the game. ``He's just got to keep on working hard to improve the other aspects of his game, shooting in particular. He's got a lot of potential.''

CLIPPERS
RECORD: 9-31 (14th in Western Conference).
SCORING LEADER:Zach Randolph (23.1 points per game).
REBOUNDING LEADER: Marcus Camby (13.8 rebounds per game).
ASSISTS LEADER: Baron Davis (8.0 assists per game).

MVP: Without a doubt, Marcus Camby. While Baron Davis has been missing in action for large chunks of the season and disappointing as a leader, Camby has continued to lead by example no matter how dire the circumstances. He's averaging a career-high in rebounds and scoring more than anyone knew was possible. If he hadn't hurt his ankle on Saturday, the campaign for Camby to earn an All-Star nomination would be swelling.

TOP NEWCOMER: Rookie Eric Gordon is reminding everyone of a young Mitch Richmond. Already the team's top perimeter defender, he began to showcase an electric offensive game once joining the starting lineup at the end of November.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: When the Clippers made their blockbuster deal for Zach Randolph in mid-November, guard Mardy Collins was regarded as little more than a throw-in. But with virtually all of the Clippers backcourt on the sidelines with injuries, Collins has flourished as a starter, averaging 13.4 pints and 6.6 assists in his seven starts.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: It's so hard to pick just one, with Ricky Davis getting hurt, then being suspended for violating the league's drug policy; Chris Kaman's injured foot keeping out of action since late November and Baron Davis shooting a career-low 36 percent, then missing 10 games due to injury. But considering the fanfare following Baron Davis' free agent signing in July, this dubious distinction has to fall on him.

GUARDS: If not for promising rookies Eric Gordon and Mike Taylor, this would be, by far the team's most disappointing area. Both Davis' -- Baron and Ricky -- have posted career-worst seasons and veteran Jason Hart largely ineffectual. But Taylor was looking like one of the steals of the draft before fracturing his thumb; and Gordon looks like a future All-Star. Grade: D

FORWARDS: Second-year forward Al Thornton has had an up-and-down season, with moments of brillance and equal parts inconsistency. Zach Randolph was outstanding in the 14 games he played following his November trade, but has been hurt since December 22. Second-year man Steve Novak can shoot the lights out, but only done so a handful of times. Camby saves this group with is All-Star caliber play. Grade: B

CENTERS: Chris Kaman has been out since November 29 and was woefully inconsistent in the 15 games he played before that. Brian Skinner has proven to be a solid veteran and rookie DeAndre Jordan has shown potential. Kaman's absence though, has hamstrung the entire team's development. Grade: D-

COACH: Coach Dunleavy seemed to have trouble meshing his structured style with Baron Davis' free-wheeling style early in the season, which landed the team in an early season hole. Then came the big trade for Randolph in November, further shaking up the lineup, and the injuries, which forced Dunleavy to play reserve players big minutes. Hard to evaluate at this point, but they do seem to be competing harder now than earlier in the season. Grade: D+

GENERAL MANAGER: On paper, Dunleavy and his staff have done an exceptional job of acquiring talent for virtually nothing from teams looking for salary-cap relief. That team though, has yet to take the court altogether. Also, the signings of Baron Davis and Ricky Davis and trade for Jason Hart haven't worked well. Grade: C

LOOKING AHEAD: If the Clippers ever get healthy, they have the talent to get on a roll in the second-half of the season. That's a big ``If'' though. None of their myriad injuries seems particularly bad at first, but they always seem to turn into long ordeals. The best the team can hope for is extended playing time for its young players like Gordon, Jordan, Thornton and Taylor and to get its full team back onto the court and building chemistry for next season.

He's heard his name in trade rumors almost from the day he arrived in Los Angeles. And after Wednesday's 97-80 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, he admitted the Clippers 12-game losing streak felt ``more like 30.''

But Marcus Camby isn't ready to jump ship just yet.

``I'm here for the long haul,'' Camby said. ``Health is our issue. Myself, Chris (Kaman), Baron (Davis), Zach (Randolph). That core right there we should make the playoffs.

``So I'm still feeling confident. Right now it's a tough time for everbody. No one is playing at their best right now. We're not having great team success, it's frustrating at times. But for the most part, guys have really been in the ball games, they've battled, and they've competed with what we've got.''

Kaman, Davis and Randolph are all out with injuries and still at least a week away from returning. Kaman (foot) is likely out through the All Star break.

The Clippers have consistently maintained they have no intention of trading Camby, despite widespread interest around the league in the 6-foot-11 forward.

Camby, who will turn 35 on March 22, is averaging a career-high 13.8 rebounds this season, 12.1 points and 2.4 blocks a game.

Before the game, Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said that there was ``no question'' Camby has been the team's most valuable player in this injury-plagued season.

``He's been pretty much our glue,'' Dunleavy said. ``Just because of his consistency. He's a factor at both ends of the floor for us.''

Wednesday night he finished with 12 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks.

Clippers guard Ricky Davis returned to the lineup Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks after missing the last 24 games: 19 due to knee tendinitis and five due to a league-imposed suspension for violating the NBA drug policy.

Davis said he had apologized privately to the team and felt badly for ``letting the guys down'' due to his drug policy violation. He also indicated that he wasn't surprised when learning he'd be suspended back on December 29.

``I kind of knew,'' he said. ``I wasn't really surprised.''

When asked if he'd tested positive for a banned substance or merely failed to comply with the league's drug program (either by missing a test or some other violation) Davis indicated that he'd tested positive but added, ``No steroids.''

``It's behind me,'' he said. ``We're just going to keep going from here. ...It's tough, just leaving the team out there like that, letting the guys down. I talked to the guys though. It's behind us.''

As for his sore left knee, Davis said that he felt about ``90 percent'' but that the debilitating pain he'd felt before was gone.

Davis last played on November 22. He was averaging just 4.3 points and shooting just 27 percent from the field when he was forced to shut it down and allow his injured knee to heal.

Normally, the sight of Shaquille O'Neal at the free throw line, trying to convert a critical three-point play would be a good thing for the opposing team.

But these days, with the rejuvenated O'Neal having his best season in years, and suddenly, after 16 years of horrendous free-throw shooting, finding a winning stroke from the line, there are no breaks.

And so O'Neal, or ``Shaqovic'' as he's dubbed himself, stepped to the free-throw line and converted a three-point play to help ice Phoenix' 109-103 victory over the slumping Clippers Sunday afternoon at Staples Center.

O'Neal made all five of his free throw attempts Sunday, extending his current streak from the line to 12-for-12.

``I made that up,'' O'Neal said of his new nickname. ``If you go down the league, anybody with the last name (ending in) `vic' is a great shooter. Radmanovic, Vujavic ... all those Viches.''

In January, the career 52-percent free-throw shooter is shooting 80 percent from the line and averaging 21 points and 9.5 rebounds a game, prompting talk of him making a case for an All-Star bid.

``I just went back to my high school films, stopped listening to people,'' said O'Neal, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds Sunday. ``I was always a pretty good shooter in high school, but I tried to make it better rather than staying with what I know. Listening to people, changing the form, just trying a bit too hard.''

For the Clippers (8-29), who've lost 11 straight games, O'Neal's newfound rhythm was just the latest piece of evidence in what some players have begun calling a ``cursed'' season.

``It has been really tough,'' forward Al Thornton said. ``It just seems like there has been a curse every game.''

Not that it was going to be easy to beat the Suns (21-13) without three of their four leading scorers (Baron Davis, Chris Kaman and Zach Randolph) once again.

Or, with a note in the Phoenix locker room warning the team not to underestimate the Clippers, who seem to be play hard enough to contend for a victory on most nights, but rarely have the gas left to finish off games.

``They've been playing people tough,'' Phoenix coach Terry Porter said. ``They're short-handed right now, but even during this stretch (of losses), they've been playing people tough.''

Tough, but not tough enough.

After rallying from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to take a 98-95 lead on Thornton's turnaround 15-footer with 4 minutes, 27 seconds remaining, the Clippers failed to get stops at the defensive end and were outscored 14-5 down the stretch.

Grant Hill, who had 21 points on the day, scored seven of the Suns final 14 points. Amare Stoudemire led Phoenix with 26 points and Jason Richardson added 21.

Marcus Camby had 18 points and 18 rebounds for the Clippers. Thornton had a team-high 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting.

``The other team has been making the big plays,'' Clippers swingman Steve Novak said. ``We just need to get in there and make big stops, make big shots. We've been doing those things in the course of the game, but really when it's crunch time we haven't been able to close it out. ''

O'Neal's three-point play with 2:05 remaining extended the lead to 105-100 and the Clippers never seriously threatened again.

``It's not like it used to be, when you could play straight up and take a foul and know that you could get one, maybe two misses out of the deal,'' Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said of O'Neal's free-throw shooting. ``To his credit, it's a totally different deal with him now."

Dunleavy was ejected with 6:00 remaining in the third quarter after arguing a non-call on rookie Eric Gordon. The Clippers were called for an unsightly eight offensive fouls on Sunday.

``I certainly didn't agree with all of them, but most of them were right,'' Dunleavy said. ``We have to do a better job of reading those situations and avoiding those kind of opportunities.''

I meant to publish this the other day, but with all the stuff going on contract wise I held it for a lighter news day.

Anyway.

After the Pistons game on Sunday, I had a chat with Marcus Camby about rookie shooting guard Eric Gordon, who scored a then-career high 31 points against the Pistons, but took quite a pounding in doing it.

Camby, without much prompting really, thought a bunch more fouls should've been called on those plays, and took it upon himself to stick up for the quickly-budding rookie.

``I think Eric gets fouled a lot when he goes to the hole. I think the referees see how they see how big and aggressive he is, so he doesn't get the benefit of the whistle.

``Yeah it's a rookie thing. They may say it doesn't exist, but it exists. Hopefully as we go on through the season, he can start getting that respect and have it carry over year after year, because I know he's going to be in the league a long time.''

No, the Clippers aren't that fickle. They didn't just go and trade for Hassan Adams in the morning and waive him at noon for no reason. Well, they did, but it's for a pretty good reason.

In between completing the trade for Adams, which basically cost them nothing (a conditional second round pick in 2015 so protected it'll likely never change hands), and waiving Adams, the club learned that Fred Jones was healthy enough to play in Thursday's game against San Antonio.

So the choice became Adams --a player the team liked, but who would need some time to learn the system -- or Jones, who had played well for them before hurting his foot on Sunday and being waived Monday.

The team chose Jones. The team is expected to sign him to a 10-day contract in the morning and he should be on the court tommorrow night.

``We were just hedging our bets on Fred's injury,'' assistant general manager Neil Olshey said. ``He'd played well for us, and if he was healthy, we felt comfortable putting him out on the court tommorrow.''

The Clippers acquired guard-forward Hassan Adams and cash considerations from the Toronto Raptors Wednesday afternoon in exchange for a conditional draft pick.

The deal is very similar to the trade the Clippers made with Denver on Monday, where it acquired Cheikh Samb for cash considerations for a conditional second-round draft pick in the 2015 draft. The cash considerations essentially amounted to the remaining $418,000 on Samb's salary.

A Clippers source said Wednesday's trade had nearly the same terms as Monday's trade, with the cash considerations amounting to the remaining portion of Adams salary this year, and the draft pick coming in 2015.

I was able to touch base with Fred Jones tonight and he said he was also under the assumption the club was interested in bringing him back after he clears waivers, as reported earlier today.

``Yes, that is what I'm hearing and praying for too,'' Jones wrote in an email.

A couple interesting names hit the waiver wire tonight. Shaun Livingston was told after the Heat's loss to San Antonio that he had been waived, and Golden State waived point guard DeMarcus Nelson

Nelson was the Warriors' starting point guard on opening night, but he quickly fell out of favor with coach Don Nelson. He appeared in just 13 games with Golden State, averaging 4.1 points.

Livingston, of course, was the Clippers No. 4 overall pick in 2004 who was attempting a comeback from a catastrophic knee injury. He had played in just four games this season.

I'm not sure if either of these moves changes the Clippers thinking. I will check in the morning.

Here's the notebook I just filed:

For once, it wasn't an injury that took down another player from the Clippers roster.

Monday afternoon, the club waived forward Paul Davis and recently-signed point guard Fred Jones, in an effort to create some roster flexibility before Wednesday, the date on which all players on the roster have their contracts guaranteed for the rest of the season.

After signing Jones last Sunday, the Clippers were at the maximum of 15 players, meaning all 15 contracts would've become guaranteed Wednesday. With a rapidly ballooning injury list --seven players are currently out with injuries -- Clippers coach and general manager Mike Dunleavy said the club could not assume such risk.

``Had we not had all these injuries, we might've done nothing,'' Dunleavy said. ``But with all the guys out, we just figured this would put us in better position, buy us some time to figure out schedules and such.''

There is a chance one or both of the players waived Monday could be re-signed once they clear waivers on Wednesday afternoon. Of the two, a club source indicated Jones was most likely to return because of the team's multitude of injuries in the back court.

Baron Davis (tailbone) did not travel with the team on Monday for its three-game road trip and could miss additional time after that. Rookie Mike Taylor (broken thumb) is out at least another six weeks. Jason Hart (elbow) is day-to-day, but doubtful for Tuesday's game in Dallas.

Jones hurt his right foot in Sunday's loss to Detroit and was expected to miss a week-10 days, though he said Monday after practice --but before he was waived -- that he was going to try and play through the pain.

``Everybody sways on the caution side, but me right now, I feel like I'm one of those old school players that you know you put some ice on it and do what you need to do,'' he said. ``This is a job I love. Basketball is not just a job to me. I love this. Even when I was at home, I'd sit on the couch and watch games and study games. This is my first love.''

Losing Davis was a bit of a surprise. Davis was the team's second-round draft choice (34th overall) in the 2006 NBA Draft. While the team remained high on him, Dunleavy said that the rash of injuries necessitated that it create some flexibility on the roster. And Davis, whose contract was not guaranteed until Wednesday, was waived.

``We like Paul, we liked his effort,'' Dunleavy said. ``We still have interest in him.''

The club could've waited until after Tuesday's game in Dallas to make the cuts, but preferred, out of courtesy, not to bring both players on the trip and then cut them after Tuesday's game. It also allowed the team to see which other players get waived before Wednesday's deadline and decide the best course of action.

An hour after waiving Davis and Jones, the club traded a conditional draft pick in the 2015 draft for Denver center Cheikh Samb and cash considerations.

The Nuggets will pay the remaining $418,000 of Samb's contract this season, meaning the Clippers essentially get a free look at a 7-foot-1 player with good shot-blocking ability and shooting touch.

Samb, 24, was originally drafted by the Lakers in 2006 (51st overall). He was traded to the Pistons, where he appeared in four games. In November, he was sent to the Nuggets as part of the Chauncey Billups-Allen Iverson trade.

Samb has played in six games with the Nuggets before being assigned to the Colorado 14ers of the NBA Development League on Dec. 10. Since then, he's averaged 12.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.8 blocks in 10 games.

UPDATE: A couple of people have e-mailed about my listing of Wednesday as the deadline contracts become guaranteed. I probably should've been more precise. Contracts become guaranteed on Friday. But in order to clear waivers by Friday, a player must be waived by noon (Pacific) on Wednesday. Essentially then, decisions on who stays and who goes must be made by noon on Wednesday. Sorry if there was any confusion, I could've been more precise.

The Clippers decided to make their decisions Monday because it's just not kosher to bring a guy on a road trip and waive him a day into it, then put him on a plane ride home. The Heat did the same thing later in the day when it waived Shaun Livingston before it left town on a seven-game road trip.

They also did it because it allows Fred Jones and Paul Davis to clear waivers by Wednesday afternoon, meaning one or both could be re-signed after that and theoretically back in uniform by the end of the trip.

Just from my own reckoning, that makes a bit more sense since Jones had a foot injury he was nursing. He said Monday he'd try to play through it in Tuesday's game against Dallas, but it certainly couldn't hurt to give him a few days to heal up, if indeed the club decides to re-sign him.

This should shed a bit of light on the situation. The Clippers are essentially getting Cheikh Samb for free. Denver is paying the remaining salary on his contract this year, which is a little less than $420,000. The conditional pick the Clippers are sending to Denver isn't until 2015 and is 1-55 protected.

In effect, Samb is a free player for the Clippers right now, while Davis would've cost them a roster spot and his remaining salary.

The Clippers will put Samb to work immediately, but not at the expense of promising rookie DeAndre Jordan.

And, more importantly, this has nothing to do with Marcus Camby.

As coach and GM Mike Dunleavy said, while laughing, when we asked about the veracity of reports out of New York linking the Clippers to a strange three-way deal with Portland and the Knicks, ``Oh yeah, I'm looking to trade 20 rebound (a night) guys every day.''

Another team source told me that the club has assured Camby not to worry about the recent round of rumors, and that the club values him highly.

After a little bit of checking, I think I can shed a little more light on the events of today.

Basically, today's moves were made to create a bit of flexibility before cut-down day on Jan. 7.

The Clippers would've waited until tommorrow to do it, but it's just not cool to drag guys out to Dallas, play them in a game when both have some minor dings, and then cut them in the morning.

Also, it gives the Clippers a chance to see who else around the NBA gets cut today and tommorrow and see the best direction to go. That said, it now sounds unlikely the team will sign a new point guard from the group I mentioned earlier (Eddie Gill, Damon Stoudemire, Walker Russell and Troy Hudson) this afternoon.

It is far more likely the team will wait a couple days to evaluate what's out there.

Fred Jones has 48 hours to clear waivers, then can sign with any team in the league. The Clippers would like to have him back. But they needed to create a little flexibility before the seventh, since they have 15 guys on the roster.

I'm told it's far more likely Jones will be back with the team than Davis, even though the Clippers like Davis and would like to have kept him around. He just got caught in a numbers game, and on a team where point guards have been dropping like flies.

Wow, it took an hour to get home from Clippers practice, which is apparently as long as it took for the Clippers to waive two guys, trade for another, and decide on who their next point guard might be.

The Clippers waived guard Fred Jones and forward Paul Davis today. The move on Jones was expected, since his contract was non-guaranteed and he injured his right foot in Sunday's game and was expected to miss 8-10 days.

Jones said Monday that he was going to play through it, put some ice on it, whatever it takes to get back on the court. With contracts becoming guaranteed on January 7 though, that wasn't a risk the Clippers could take.

Moral of the story: Don't get hurt right before cut-down day.

As for Davis, I'm mildly surprised because I know the Clippers really like him and his game. He's just the guy on the team with the non-guaranteed contract, on a team with a bunch of injuries.

Basically, the Clippers had nine healthy guys, meaning everyone has to be able to play a lot. If you're even a little dinged up, that's an issue. And if you're dinged up, with a non-guaranteed contract, that's a bad combination.

Expect the Clippers to fill those spots rapidly. They went out and traded a conditional second-round pick for Cheikh Samb, a 7-1 center on the Nuggets, and will also discuss signing another point guard.

If they decide to go in that direction, the point guard will likely be one of the guys who tried out for the Suns two weeks ago: Eddie Gill, Walker Russell, Damon Stoudemire or Troy Hudson.

Just came across a report out of New York linking the Clippers, once again, to trade talks with the Knicks. This time, it's Marcus Camby as the focus of the trade talks.

Wait, wasn't it Camby last time as the focus of trade talks?

In the negotiations with the Knicks in the run-up to the Zach Randolph trade, the Knicks repeatedly asked the Clippers for Camby, and the Clippers repeatedly refused. In fact, about a week before the deal was consummated, the talks were essentially put on hold due to New York's insistence on Camby being included in the deal.

The Clippers really, really like Camby. If anything, his value has increased this season along with the monster numbers he's been putting up. He's averaging 18.3 rebounds in his last eight games.

Still, it should be noted that in recent conversations I've had with team sources, the impression I had was that everyone involved is hoping the Clippers can use the second-half of this season to build for the future and lay a foundation.

Marcus is 34 and has one year remaining on his contract after this season. With as well as he's been playing, his professionalism, and his very reasonable salary, he has to be considered the club's most desirable trade chip.

At this point though, I'm not sure the club wants to part with him. He is a fantastic complement to Zach Randolph, who should be back from his bruised knee in a week or two.

I will do some more specific checking in the next few days to vet this latest rumor. My first reaction though, is that it's very unsurprising that other teams would value Marcus and want to acquire him.

Baron Davis missed his second straight game Sunday due to his bruised tailbone, which has been painful since the third game of the season.

Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy didn't think Davis would make the upcoming three-game road trip, meaning Davis is likely out at least another week.

That would probably be the soonest Davis would come back. Around the locker room, there was a sense he might end up missing a few weeks.

I don't think Davis is mailing it in for the season though. He was in pretty good spirits when we chatted Sunday, and his agent, Todd Ramasar, was sitting courtside for all of Sunday's game with the Pistons.

With an injury list as long as the Clippers has become, it's hard to know where to begin the latest round of updates.

Center Chris Kaman, who has been out since November 26 with a strained arch in his left foot, is as good a place as any.

Kaman was originally supposed to miss a couple of weeks to let the pain in his foot calm down. A quick check of the calendar shows that timetable has long since been tossed in the garbage can.

Sunday, Kaman said he was going to see a different foot specialist next week and would know more about his potential return date then, but couldn't say when he'd be back.

``I don't know what to tell you,'' Kaman said. ``Sometimes these things take longer than you expect. I thought it'd be something easy, but it's been nothing but difficult the whole time.''

Kaman said he'd been on a cycle where he worked out on the court one day, did pool work the next, then took the third day off. That was going well until he suffered a little ``flare up'' this week.

``It sucks that I can't play. I've sat out 16 or 17 games, I don't know know what it's up to now,'' he said. ``I'm tired of sitting out. I'm tired of seeing the team take these losses. We're so short right now, anything I can do to help, I would, but right now, I can't physically go out there.''

The news on injured power forward Zach Randolph (bruised knee) was slightly more encouraging, though it's been determined that Randolph will not make the Clippers upcoming three-game road trip.

Randolph said he's feeling better from the bruised knee he suffered in a controversial play involving Toronto's Jake Voskuhl on December 22, but still needed to strengthen his knee before returning to the court.

His feelings regarding the controversial foul --for which Voskuhl received no additional punishment from the league -- were still pretty raw.

``I don't want to get nobody in trouble, but it was blatant you know,'' Randolph said. ``I was highly upset over it. He really took me out.''

The Clippers sent footage of the incident to the league office, but did not receive a response. Coincidentally, the NBA's executive vice president for basketball operations, Stu Jackson, was in attendance for Sunday's game.

When asked about the incident, Jackson said he ``vaguely remembered'' receiving footage of the play, but needed to review it again in order to accurately comment on it because it happened so long ago.

He said he would review the play under question later Sunday night back at his hotel room and comment after that.

Here's an interesting quote from Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, when he was asked before Sunday's game about some of the challenges of managing the team's ever-changing, or should we say, ever-growing injury list this year:

``I'm not saying that it's happening to us right now,'' Dunleavy said, initially qualifying the statement to come. ``But the typical fallout from this kind of deal is that when guys get injured, typically their agents are going to tell them, `Don't rush back there's no reason to hurry back. Make sure you're 110 percent healthy before you come back. ' ''

Remember, Dunleavy made sure to qualify that statement up-front. But you have to wonder, if it's ``not happening to us right now,'' why would he bring it up unless he was at least a little worried about it happening at some point?

Clippers point guard Fred Jones suffered a sprained right foot early in the first quarter of today's game against the Pistons and is questionable to return.

Seriously.

The Clippers have just nine players in uniform today, including Jones, who was officially signed a week ago today. So now they have eight, the league minimum.

Hey folks,

I'm back after a few days off around New Years where I mostly slept and went to movies. Anyway, a little news to report this morning and unfortunately it's not really the good kind.

Both Baron Davis and Jason Hart have been ruled out of Sunday's game against Detroit. Baron with the sore tailbone and Jason with the sore right elbow.

Add those to the already full injury list of Chris Kaman, Zach Randolph and Ricky Davis and you've got a group that could be a pretty decent starting five. J/K

Anyway, I'll have more for you starting tommorrow afternoon, but wanted to pass along the updates on Baron and Jason.