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Clippers Notes: Opener, Patterson, George, Beverley

October 23rd, 2019 at 7:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers showed off championship potential in Tuesday’s win over the Lakers, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Although it was opening night, the game featured playoff intensity as Montrezl Harrell, Lou Williams, LeBron James and Anthony Davis were each on the court for at least 36 minutes.

With all the talent on hand, Kawhi Leonard stood out as the best player on the court, Buha states. The Clippers’ bench held a 60-19 scoring advantage and their defense took over the game after a slow start.

“We got players on the team that want to play defense,” Leonard said of the Clippers, who were missing defensive stalwarts Paul George and Rodney McGruder. “We got some big bodies, we’re long. As long as we come out and be aggressive and play with our active hands, be in spots, it’s gonna be tough for people to score on us when it’s in a half-court. So, I guess, that’s just taking pride in our defense and wanting to win the ball game. Just got them a little flustered.”

There’s more Clippers news to pass along:

  • Coach Doc Rivers made a surprise decision to start veteran forward Patrick Patterson, Buha adds in the same story. Patterson had been with the third unit in nearly every practice and scrimmage that was open to the media, but he delivered when Rivers called on him Tuesday. Buha notes that the Lakers adjusted their strategy in an attempt to take advantage of Patterson guarding Davis in the post, which slowed down the offense. Rivers has promised a flexible starting lineup, so Patterson’s role may change from game to game.
  • Sources tell Chris Hayes of Yahoo Sports that George, who is recovering from offseason surgery on both shoulders, is expected to make his season debut in about three weeks. That matches an earlier report in which Rivers estimated that George will miss the season’s first 10 games.
  • Patrick Beverley has been fined $25K for throwing a ball into the crowd late in Tuesday’s game, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
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Lakers Notes: Opening Night, LeBron, Kawhi, Jones

October 22nd, 2019 at 5:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kyle Kuzma is not playing for the Lakers tonight against the Clippers as he recovers from a stress reaction in his left foot. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com, it’s not clear how long Kuzma will remain sidelined.

“He’s on no-contact, half-court now,” coach Frank Vogel said of Kuzma. “I’m sure we’ll build up to no-contact, full-court with sprinting or potentially half-court with contact. I’m not sure which direction they’re going to take it next, but there will be a progression this week building him up.”

Vogel added that Kuzma has been “impatient” with his injury but is “on board with the plan” that the team has to get him back at full strength.

Here’s more from Los Angeles:

  • LeBron James could envision a world where Kawhi Leonard was also on the Lakers, but he isn’t sure why the reigning Finals MVP picked the Clippers in free agency, as McMenamin relays in a separate piece. “Man, how the hell can I answer that? I don’t [expletive] know,” James said jocularly when asked what convinced Leonard to sign elsewhere. “I don’t know. I don’t know. Ask Kawhi.”
  • Anthony Davis said he had a role in attempting to recruit Leonard. “It was fun just to go through it, for me, with a player like Kawhi, trying to recruit him to come here. It was fun,” Davis said (via McMenamin in the same article). “We had one conversation, and I think he came out with a statement, or his uncle or something … somebody said he don’t really like all the recruitment and all that stuff, so I felt like I overstepped my boundaries…But it was a fun process. I would do it all over.”
  • The South Bay Lakers have traded the G League rights of Jemerrio Jones to the Wisconsin Herd (Bucks‘ affiliate), per a team press release. The Lakers’ affiliate will receive the No. 8 overall pick in the upcoming G League draft and the Herd’s 2020 first-rounder for Jones, who was recently waived by the Wizards and signed by Bucks on an Exhibit 10 deal.
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Clippers Sign Derrick Walton Jr. To One-Year Contract

October 21st, 2019 at 8:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers have signed point guard Derrick Walton Jr. to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract to fill their last roster spot, according to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times.

The Clippers waived forward Donte Grantham on Saturday, paving the way for Walton to make the opening-night roster. Walton’s $1.45MM deal won’t become fully guaranteed until January 10.

Walton signed a training camp deal with the Clippers in July. Walton spent a season with the Heat on a two-way contract in 2017/18 after going undrafted out of Michigan. He joined the Bulls for training camp last fall, but was waived before the regular season began and ended up playing overseas in 2018/19 for teams in Lithuania and Germany.

Walton averaged 7.0 PPG and 3.0 APG while playing in all five Clippers preseason games. He’ll back up Patrick Beverley and Terance Mann, though Lou Williams will also run the offense at times.

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Terance Mann Continues Development At Point Guard

October 20th, 2019 at 9:52pm CST by JD Shaw
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Clippers Waive Forward Donte Grantham

October 19th, 2019 at 2:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers have waived forward Donte Grantham, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets.

The transaction reduces their roster to the maximum 15 players on standard contracts, though only 14 of those players have full guarantees. The only player remaining from the camp roster without a guaranteed deal is Derrick Walton Jr. His $1.45MM contract doesn’t fully guarantee until January 10.

Grantham signed an Exhibit 10 contract in August. He’ll likely join the Clippers’ G League affiliate, as the Agua Caliente Clippers traded for his returning rights last month.

He went undrafted out of Clemson last year and then spent most of his first professional season on a two-way contract with the Thunder. He played just two minutes in three NBA games for Oklahoma City but was a regular starter for the OKC Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate, averaging 10.5 PPG and 6.5 RPG. Grantham’s two-way deal included a second season, but the Thunder waived him in July.

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Clippers Waive B.J. Taylor

October 18th, 2019 at 8:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers are waiving recently-signed point guard B.J. Taylor, who will report to their G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers, Ben Stinar of Amico Hoops tweets.

The undrafted rookie guard signed an Exhibit 10 contract on Wednesday. He played his college ball at the University of Central Florida, averaging 15.9 PPG, 3.2 APG, and 2.3 RPG with a .384/.372/.779 shooting line in 33 games (34.4 MPG) as a senior in 2018/19. The Orlando native joined the Magic for Summer League play, though he only appeared briefly in one game.

The Clippers will now have 18 players under contract.

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NBA GMs Pick Clippers To Win Title

October 17th, 2019 at 2:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

The revamped Clippers are the favorites to win the NBA championship in this year’s survey of league general managers, writes John Schuhmann of NBA.com. Forty-six percent of respondents believe the moves that brought in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will result in the first title in the nearly 50-year history of the franchise.

The Bucks ranked second at 36%, followed by the Lakers at 11%. The Warriors and Trail Blazers were the only other teams to collect votes.

Milwaukee was an overwhelming choice to repeat as the top seed in the Eastern Conference at 76%, with the Sixers (24%) getting all the remaining votes.

GMs are predicting the following Eastern Conference playoff order: Bucks, Sixers, Celtics, Nets, Raptors, Pacers, Heat and Magic. Out West, the Clippers were picked as the top team by 66% of GMs, with the Lakers at 14% the only other team in double figures. Still the Nuggets slipped into second in the playoff order, followed by the Lakers, Jazz, Rockets, Warriors, Trail Blazers and Spurs.

Here are a few more highlights from the annual survey:

  • Fifty-two percent believe Giannis Antetokounmpo will win his second straight MVP award. There was a three-way tie for second with Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis and Leonard at 10%, followed by Nikola Jokic at 7%. James Harden, LeBron James and Damian Lillard also received votes. Antetokounmpo was picked by 86% of GMs as the player they would like to build a franchise around, while De’Aaron Fox was tabbed as the most likely to have a breakout season.
  • The choices for best player at each position were all fairly decisive, with Curry (90%) at point guard, Harden (86%) at shooting guard, Leonard (62%) at small forward, Antetokounmpo (59%) at power forward and Jokic (48%) at center.
  • Eighty-two percent said the Clippers made the best offseason moves, followed by the Pelicans at 11%. The Nets and Jazz both got votes. Leonard (67%) was named the player acquisition most likely to have the biggest impact, while Utah’s trade for Mike Conley was the most underrated move (36%).
  • Zion Williamson was a clear choice for Rookie of the Year and the rookie who will be the best player in five years, with both numbers at 68%. Ja Morant received 29% support in the ROY poll, while Darius Garland was at 4%.
  • Leonard was picked as both the best overall defender (45%) and the best perimeter defender (59%) in the league. Rudy Gobert was selected as best interior defender (93%), while Draymond Green was named the most versatile (38%).
  • Gregg Popovich was a runaway winner as best coach at 55%, followed by Erik Spoelstra (17%), Mike Budenholzer (10%) and Steve Kerr (7%).
  • The Nuggets were chosen as the most fun to watch by 31% of GMs and the team with the best home-court advantage by 38%.
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Clippers Sign B.J. Taylor To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 16th, 2019 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have signed undrafted rookie guard B.J. Taylor to an Exhibit 10 contract, the team announced today in a press release.

Taylor played his college ball at the University of Central Florida, averaging 15.9 PPG, 3.2 APG, and 2.3 RPG with a .384/.372/.779 shooting line in 33 games (34.4 MPG) as a senior in 2018/19. The Orlando native joined the Magic for Summer League play, though he only appeared briefly in one game for the club.

The Clippers waived two players last week, so no corresponding roster move was required to sign Taylor, who seems likely to eventually end up with the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, L.A.’s G League affiliate. The Clips now have 19 players under contract.

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2019/20 Over/Unders: Pacific Division

October 14th, 2019 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

The 2019/20 NBA regular season will get underway in just eight days, which means it’s time to get serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign.

With the help of the lines from a handful of sports betting sites, including Bovada and BetOnline, we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

Having already looked at the Atlantic, Northwest, and Central, we’re moving onto the Pacific today…

Los Angeles Clippers

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Clippers poll.

Los Angeles Lakers

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Lakers poll.

Golden State Warriors

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Warriors poll.

Sacramento Kings

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Kings poll.

Phoenix Suns

Trade Rumors app users, click here for Suns poll.

Previous voting results:

Atlantic:

  • Philadelphia 76ers (54.5 wins): Over (54.9%)
  • Boston Celtics (49.5 wins): Under (57.0%)
  • Toronto Raptors (46.5 wins): Under (59.1%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (43.5 wins): Over (58.3%)
  • New York Knicks (27.5 wins): Under (54.9%)

Northwest:

  • Denver Nuggets (53.5 wins): Over (51.8%)
  • Utah Jazz (53.5 wins): Under (50.8%)
  • Portland Trail Blazers (46.5 wins): Over (78.7%)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (35.5 wins): Under (57.5%)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (32.5 wins): Under (55.1%)

Central:

  • Milwaukee Bucks (57.5 wins): Over (63.5%)
  • Indiana Pacers (46.5 wins): Over (56.6%)
  • Detroit Pistons (37.5 wins): Over (69.8%)
  • Chicago Bulls (33.5 wins): Under (56.2%)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (24.5 wins): Under (70.0%)
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Paul George May Miss The Clippers’ “First 10” Games

October 13th, 2019 at 12:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers has offered a little more insight into when Paul George might make his regular season debut for his new team, tweets Mark Medina of USA Today.

Rivers told reporters Saturday that George “is not going to be here for the first 10.” If that holds true, it would mean his first game will be no earlier than November 13 at Houston.

It’s the latest clue on the rehab plan for George, who still doesn’t have a set timetable for recovery after offseason surgery on both shoulders. George said late last month that he would definitely miss the team’s October games and was hoping for a return “in the November range.”

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