Blake Griffin out for season for surgery

The chosen one for 2009-10 in Los Angeles reportedly has seen his season end, before it even began. According to the latest reports, the LA Clippers' #1 Draft pick, Blake Griffin, will be out for the remainder of the season for surgery. Griffin was injured in the final game of the NBA preseason when he broke his kneecap. Griffin's left kneecap hasn't healed as quickly as intended, so he'll be sidelined with surgery, rest and rehab.

This makes for the second straight year that the NBA's #1 draft pick was sidelined for the majority of their rookie campaign. Previously it was Greg Oden who had microfracture surgery on his right knee, causing him to miss the entire 2007-08 season. He returned in 2008-09 and was classified a rookie, but played sporadically, never quite materializing. In this current campaign, Oden hurt his left knee on December 5, 2009 and is out for the entire season.

As for the Clippers, they'll continue to rely on Marcus Camby at starting power forward, with Craig Smith backing him up. They're near a .500 record, and have Chris Kaman, Baron Davis and Eric Gordon all playing great, but obviously having the talents of Griffin would have propelled them higher. With the draft of Griffin at #1, there were high hopes for the "other team in LA" this season, but now they've been sidelined just like their rookie star. 2010-11 will begin the rookie year for Blake Griffin, and Clippers fans hope this isn't some eery deja vu, shades of Greg Oden just a year ago.

More about the Greg Oden injury at NBA.com

NJ Nets start 0-18, Can they buy a win?

Devin Harris must have been jumping for joy when he learned he was heading to the New Jersey Nets. Not only was he being traded for one of the all-time greatest point guards in the game, Jason Kidd, but he was at least going to have an alley-oop wingman in Vince Carter. Harris who's been known to score in bunches probably felt like he could at least garner some attention for future free agency. However, he soon inherited a team minus Vince Carter, full of newbies and guys who skipped the D-League. And now, Devin Harris and the Nets have officially sank to a new low, as the team has began the 2009-10 campaign at 0-18. The loss is a new record for worst start to an NBA season, with 23 games the longest losing streak in NBA history during a season. Ironically that 18th loss came to Harris' former team, the Dallas Mavs.

It's a dismal record and beats out previous awful starts by the LA Clippers and expansion Miami Heat. New Jersey is playing like an expansion team right now, with no real identity, young players, a new coach - GM Kiki Vandeweghe (Lawrence Frank was fired last week), and lack of offense or defense. The interesting stat to see would be how many games part owner Jay-Z has sat courtside for this season. It's likely Jigga man preferred slapping hands with VC, Kidd and Richard Jefferson, but isn't exactly in a rush to give a fist bump to Yi or Josh Boone after a score. For several years now, the talk of Jay-Z and Nets officials has been discussion of moving this team to Brooklyn, but would the city really want this team?

Perhaps the answer is for Jay-Z to do something about this. The mogul could arrange a who's who of rap artists for a "Rappers Unite for New Jersey" campaign. Then the Nets could buy a win, or some players to help stop the bleeding. New Jersey's upcoming games against the Charlotte Bobcats, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, andIndiana Pacers offer the team a glimmer of holiday hope for that first W. Right now, they're in contention for next year's #1 draft pick, but surviving the 82 game season will be quite a ride for Nets fans, players and personnel.

Read more about the NJ Nets at NY Daily News

NBA 2009-10 Season Schedules

The 2009-10 NBA Season will kick off in style on TNT Tuesday Ocotober 27th with an NBA doubleheader. In game 1, last year's Eastern Conference Finals Runner-ups, the Cleveland Cavaliers will go up against the NBA Champs from 2 seasons ago, the Boston Celtics. Lebron James and Shaquille O'Neal will have their first regular season contest together while the Celtics look to welcome Kevin Garnett, and recent pickups, Rasheed Wallace & Shelden Williams. In the second game of the night, it will be a battle of the two LA's. Kobe Bryant's NBA Champion Lakers will be taking on the in-town rival Los Angeles Clippers with their #1 draft pick, Blake Griffin. Two other games will go down on opening night; Washington takes on Dallas, while Portland hosts Houston.

The next night will be yet another doubleheader, this time airing on ESPN. Game 1 will feature Tim Duncan, Richard Jefferson and the San Antonio Spurs battling Chris Paul, Emeka Okafor and the New Orleans Hornets. In the second game of the night, Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets will go into Utah to go against Deron Williams and the Jazz. October 28th features a total of 12 NBA games on the slate.

The NBA Champion Lakers won't see their NBA Finals opponent from 2009, the Orlando Magic until Monday, January 18th, 2010. The Magic will have to wait until March 7th to host the champs at home. There will be a Christmas day treat for NBA fans as Kobe's Lakers visit Shaq, Lebron and the cavs in Cleveland for an afternoon contest.

In addition to various local sports coverage of games around the country, the usual networks will air plenty of games this season, with ESPN, ABC and TNT all showcasing some of the top matchups.

The NBA season will wrap up on Wednesday, April 14th 2010 as the Playoffs will kick into high gear soon thereafter.

NBA Preseason schedules will also be announced withing the coming weeks.

View Team by Team schedules here for the NBA 2009-10 season

Qunetin Richardson's 3rd Trade of Summer

Quentin Richardson is apparently part of a three way trade. That's three trades this summer. In his latest move, Q-Rich was swapped from the LA Clippers to the Minnesota Timberwolves for three players: Craig Smith, Sebastian Telfair and Mark Madsen. Previously, he was sent from Memphis to the Clippers for Zach Randolph, and on NBA Draft 2009 night he was swapped with the Knicks to the Grizzlies in a deal for the mysterious superstar, Darko Milicic.

Will the third team be a charm this summer? This will be Richardson's 10th NBA Season, and he's starting to play musical teams as a swingman it seems. He's part of Team Jordan, and previously had his best season stats wise with the Clippers back in 2003-04. Unfortunately, Richardson spent just a weekend with his former team and now will head over to the ever-rebuilding Minnesota Twolves. For now that is....

More about Q-Rich's trade to Minnesota here

NBA Summer League Las Vegas 2009 Edition

The NBA's Summer League 2009 kicked off in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 10, 2009. The schedule includes 21 teams participating and 55 games total, wrapping up on July 19th. You can expect to see the likes of top NBA draft prospects and D-Leaguers in action. The top NBA draft picks will be in action: Blake Griffin of the Clippers, Hasheem Thabeet of the Grizzlies and James Harden of the Thunder. Some of the vets in the summer league include the Thunder's Keith McLeod and Spurs' George Hill.

#1 pick Blake Griffin expects to have a busy summer, according to NBA.com:

“I’m going be to be working out as hard as I can,” Griffin said. “You know, Summer League, I'll be there, and I'm also going to the USA trials at the end of July in Vegas.”

There's also a summer league going on down in Orlando, and according to NBA.com, the Thunder are one team that is competing in both of the leagues. Guard Russell Westbrook will be in Orlando, while James Harden and BJ Mullens will play in Vegas. Several other second year players and some international prospects from their team will also make the trip to the desert. Unfortunately, Blazers rookie Patty Mills suffered a broken right foot and won't be participating in the league.

NBA.com has also picked out 10 games of note, including a July 12th battle between the #2 and #3 picks, Memphis Grizzlies' Hasheem Thabeet and OKC Thunder's James Harden. One of the final games of the schedule features Blake Griffin in action against the Phoenix Suns.

On day 1 of the league, Pistons #35 pick DeJuan Summers scored a monstrous 24 pts against the Kings, including many dunks, and seven rebounds as well. The Warriors' young phenom, Stephen Curry, scored 16, missed 10 out of 14 shots and had 7 fouls (I guess the rules change in a summer league).

All in all, the 2009 NBA summer league will provide a fresh look at some of the top prospects to possibly gauge who will be making some noise during the regular season, possibly propelling their team to greater success.

Also see: 2009 NBA Draft Results, Round 1

2009 NBA Draft Round 1

The 2009 NBA draft lottery picks started off just as expected as Oklahoma phenom Blake Griffin was selected first overall. The Grizzlies snatched up imposing Connecticut defensive player Hasheem Thabeet to man the middle in Mephis. From there the Thunder took James Harden who many continue to be the most talented overall player in the draft. Minnesota had two picks in the top 5, and took Tyreke Evans of Memphis followed by Ricky Rubio from Spain.

Here's a look at the first 13 picks in the 2009 NBA Draft:

#1 Blake Griffin (Oklahoma) drafted by Los Angeles Clippers
#2 Hasheem Thabeet (UCONN) drafted by Memphis Grizzlies
#3 James Harden (Arizona St.) drafted by Oklahoma City Thunder
#4 Tyreke Evans (Memphis) drafted by Sacramento Kings
#5 Ricky Rubio (Spain) drafted by Minnesota Timberwolves
#6 Johnny Flynn (Syracuse) drafted by Minnesota Timberwolves
#7 Stephan Curry (Davidson) drafted by Golden State Warriors
#8 Jordan Hill (Arizona) drafted by NY Knicks
#9 DeMar DeRozan (USC) drafted by Toronto Raptors
#10 Brandon Jennings (USA-Intl.) drafted by Milwaukee Bucks
#11 Terrence Williams (Louisville) drafted by New Jersey Nets
#12 Gerald Henderson (Duke) drafted by Charlotte Bobcats
#13 Tyler Hansborough (UNC) drafted by Indiana Pacers

As usual, the local NY Knicks fans booed their teams pick Jordan Hill, but according to the commentators he was the best pick available at that spot. Of course, the NY fans have quite a bit to be unhappy about with their team failing to make the playoffs yet again, and possibly losing out on the Lebron James sweepstakes with the news Shaquille O'Neal had been traded to Cleveland earlier in the day.

In other trade news, New Jersey Nets All-Star forward, Vince Carter, was dealt to the Orlando Magic, in what appears to be a rebuilding effort for NJ. Orlando definitely added to its lineup now with Dwight Howard having the shooting services of Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis.

More draft coverage at NBA.com

2009 Draft Lottery Results

Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers were on the court getting ready to try to take out the Denver Nuggets and move one step closer to the NBA finals. Meanwhile, their in-state rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers won the draft lottery on Tuesday night, possibly securing a franchise player in the process. Blake Griffin from Oklahoma was interviewed by Mark Jones of ESPN, and asked about the possibility of him coming to LA as the #1 pick. Griffin said he plans to try his best to learn on the fly and make an immediate impact wherever he's drafted to. Other top draft picks will include the likes of Johnny Flynn, James Harden, Stephen Curry and Hasheem Thabeet of Connecticut.

2009 Draft Lottery order:

1) LA Clippers
2) Memphis Grizzlies
3) Oklahoma City Thunder
4) Sacramento Kings
5) Washington Wizards
6) Minnesota Timberwolves
7) Golden State Warriors
8) New York Knicks
9) Toronto Raptors
10) Milwaukee Bucks
11) New Jersey Nets
12) Charlotte Bobcats
13) Indianapolis Pacers
14) Phoenix Suns

Several of the representatives in attendance for the draft lottery selection show on ESPN wer either current or former players, as well as coaches. Chris Webber was there on behalf of the Kings, while Kevin Love was there for the Timberwolves. Former Knick Allan Houston was in attendance for New York. Scott Brooks represented his Oklahoma City Thunder, while Larry Bird represented the Pacers.

The 2009 NBA Draft will take place on June 25, 2009.

NBA's Paul Davis on Millionaire Matchmaker

Former NBA player Paul Davis, a college basketball standout center and previous member of the LA Clippers roster, is currently looking for the perfect female partner. To get the assist he needed to score in the game of love, Paul Davis appeared on Bravo's reality documentary show "The Millionaire Matchmaker". The show features professional matchmaker Patti Stanger who attempted to help Davis find the right female for him. Her team of helpers includes personal shoppers, date coaches and therapists who give two wealthy clients bigtime makeovers and then send them on handpicked dates especially tailored to the individuals' personalities and expectations.

On the new episode 8 which aired April 2, 2009 on Bravo TV, Patti tried to help a successful Harvard graduate named Alex by giving him a physical makeover to propel his dating success. She also helped NBA player Paul Davis with a major personality makeover. According to reports on the episode Paul had some pretty high expectations when it comes to love but his date on the show with Kimi was successful. The two went to an upscale bowling alley and wagered over who could bowl better. Davis won the bet which gave him the prizes of Kimi cleaning his condo dressed as a french maid, making him sushi and then making him French toast the next morning. Shoot...Score!

According a Chicago Sun Times blog, Davis said the following about the date:

"I would definitely go out with her again. I think, you know, she's a great girl, great personality. And she definitely is somebody, regardless of what happens down the line, just to have a friend in your life -- I really think she would be one of those people."

See photos from the show here

In case you're wondering about Paul Davis' NBA career, he played just 2 years professionally after playing his NCAA college basketball for Michigan State Spartans and finished the 2005 season as leading rebounder. Lindy's College Basketball ranked him as the number 3 center at the time. By his senior year he was averaging a near double-double with 17.5 points and 9.1 rebonds. He was awarded Mr. Basketball of Michigan. In 2006, he went at the #34 draft pick in the NBA draft's second round to the Los Angeles Clippers, wearing the #40. Once the 2007-08 NBA season had ended, Paul Davis became a restricted free agent. The Clippers renounced his rights but resigned him in August 2008. Paul Davis was released from the LA Clippers in January 2009. In 2008-09 he averaged 4.0 points and 2.50 rebounds per game with the Clips. View Paul Davis' NBA.com bio info page.

2 More NBA Stars Return to Wild West

Wednesday night saw not just the return of Gilbert Arenas and Dirk Nowitzki, but also the returns of two more NBA All-Stars. Both were stars from Los Angeles as well. Pau Gasol suited up for the Lakers, while Elton Brand suited for the Clippers. The returns of both players are welcome, however the Lakers are in the hunt for the top spot in the Western Conference, while the Clippers are far from the playoff hopes right now. Brand scored an impressive 19 in his return helping his Clips beat the Sonics 102-84. Brand's been one of the all-star players out the longest. Paul Gasol returned to add just 10 points in 31 minutes to help the Lakers beat the Blazers.

There's currently six West teams that should finish with 50 wins this season, and they are jockeying for the top of the West.

New Orleans, San Antonio, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Utah

There's several other teams capable of getting 50 wins, with Denver, Golden State and Dallas.

See current NBA standings at InsideHoops.com

Each remaining game will feature West Coast teams battling it out, and will most likely take on a playoff atmosphere as the regular season finishes. The other funny thing to take note of, there's been several East teams to clinch playoff spots already, but nothing's confirmed yet out in the Wild West.

NBA Standings Analysis 11.11.07

Checking out the NBA standings even though it's still early, there's some surprises. The division leaders as of today are Boston, Detroit and Orlando. Nobody is too surprised by the Celtics red-hot start. Orlando is definitely on the rise thanks to Dwight Howard who continues to shine. And Detroit is a stable team which plays like most teams should. But many are surprised by Chicago's lackluster start and the Wizards winless start. The Wizards do have Gilbert Arenas back, but he is reportedly trying to recover from knee/leg surgery still. Miami is also winless and sorely misses D-Wade. That most likely explains the new Converse commercials where Wade is shown in an empty arena announcing himself.

Out West, not too many surprises. The teams you'd expect to be good are good (Utah, Denver, Phoenix, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas), those you'd expect to be bad are bad (Seattle, Minneosta, Memphis). However, the Clippers would have to be the surprise at 4-1. Elton Brand has been a solid force for them over the past few seasons so without him, its tough to understand how they are pulling wins off. Upon further analysis, three of the four teams they beat are winless (Bulls, Sonics, Warriors). Their other win is the Pacers, and their loss the Pistons. Still, they are winning and leading their division. The other division leaders are Utah and Houston/San Antonio. Houston's looked great early on, and as usual the test will be that T-Mac and Yao stay healthy this year. Portland is interestingly sitting at 3-3 without Greg Oden, but this will most likely start to change. Winless teams Minnesota and Seattle are in true rebuild mode and Golden State is either really missing J-Rich or just had a big surge the second half of last season.

If you look at the overall early picture so far it makes you wonder if the East is that bad anymore? A team like the Wizards has been a strong contender the past few years, as has Miami. Boston was not. Charlotte may be coming in to their own, as Orlando definitely is turning into a contender, slowly but surely.

The Bad News Bulls?

Something is amuck in the Windy City. The Bulls are definitely the biggest surprise of the early NBA season as many fans are seeing. This team, predicted by many to be one of the top 3 out of the East has come out of the gates with a winless start, 0-4. Unexpected and almost inexplainable. According to a recent Chicago Sun-Times article, one bright spot was rookie Joakim Noah's recent debut. Despite that, one would have to wonder why is this team not winning games?

Looking at the Bulls' stats, you have 4 guys scoring in double digits, with Ben Gordon leading the way at 20.5 points. Kirk Hinrich's production and Ben Wallace's production seem off and sub-par compared to what either player is capable of. Hinrich was a point guard for a Team USA squad a few summers ago and now seems like he's a rookie with just 11.5 ppg and 4 assists per game. Wallace is also playing like a bench role player picking up just 4.3 rebounds a game and 1.5 blocks. This isn't the guy Chicago wanted to land from the former champion Pistons. They wanted the Big Bad Ben, capable of snatching tons of rebounds and intimidating offensive minded players.

Bright spots for the Bulls are Tyrus Thomas who's pulling almost 7 boards a game and 8.3 points, and veteran Joe Smith who's also giving about 10 points a night and almost 7 rebounds. But overall this team of tremendously talented players needs to start finding ways to produce and win, or they will be competing for a lottery pick, not a spot in the Finals.

On the other hand you have a reverse surprise, the Los Angeles Clippers who are undefeated without Elton Brand. They recently defeated the aforementioned Bulls. It's amazing and suspicious all at once in a very tough Western Conference.

Elton Brand Injury

According to NBA.com, Elton Brand suffered a ruptured achilles this past Friday. An unfortunate injury for one of the league's most consistent power forwards.

From NBA.com:

"EL SEGUNDO, August 3 (AP) -- Los Angeles Clippers forward Elton Brand ruptured his left Achilles' tendon on Friday during his daily workout.

The 28-year-old will undergo surgery but plans for the operation have not been finalized yet, the Clippers said.

"It's unfortunate that this had to happen,'' general manager Elgin Baylor said in a statement. "But knowing Elton and how dedicated he is to his profession and how hard he works, I believe he'll be back 100 percent as good as ever.''

Last month, Brand - a veteran of eight NBA seasons - withdrew from the U.S. national team because of injury. He averaged 20.5 points and 9.3 rebounds last season, when the Clippers failed to make the playoffs."

Let's wish for a speedy recovery for Elton, an all-around good player and good guy on and off the court.