The Clippers have relied heavily on offseason addition Lou Williams off the court as well as on it, Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times writes. In addition to posting career bests statistically, the veteran has been a leader in the locker room.
“He’s been wonderful off the floor. And what I like most about Lou is he was the best when we were the worst,” Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said, referring to the team’s nine-game losing streak in November. “I’m not talking about his scoring. I’m talking about his word and his actions. I thought he was the absolute best when we were at our absolute worst. And that says a lot about a teammate.”
The guard, who has been flipped to a contender at the deadline twice in his career, is aware that his name has come up in trade speculation this season but is eager to remain with the Clippers and build a contender in Los Angeles.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Don’t expect the Suns to tank as unashamedly as they did last season. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 tweets that there’s no scenario in which the team will shut players down early as they did last year with a number of individuals, Eric Bledsoe chief among them.
- While his name has been embroiled in trade speculation, Kings guard George Hill is intent on being a good teammate in Sacramento for as long as he’s in Sacramento, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. “Right now, I’m with the Sacramento Kings, and I’m trying to help these young fellas learn,” Hill said. “It’s about the relationships I’ve got with the players. We’ve got a bond, and it’s my job to teach those guys what I’ve been successful with.“
- The NBA has fined Warriors Kevin Durant $15K for his public criticism of officiating in Golden State’s Tuesday night win over the Knicks, Mark Medina of The Mercury News tweets.