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Anthony Davis To Be Added To Team USA Pool

May 2nd, 2012 at 12:43pm CST by Sean Highkin

12:43pm: Monroe won't be the second addition to the U.S. Olympic pool, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

12:18pm: Anthony Davis will be one of the two finalists added to the Team USA pool, according to SI.com's Sam Amick. Along with Monroe, Al Jefferson is a candidate to be the second finalist, says Amick.

11:08am: Lamar Odom hasn't been ruled out for the 2012 Olympic roster yet, Colangelo tells Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Colangelo also said that Cousins won't be added to the player pool this year, according to Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.

WEDNESDAY, 8:09am: DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe, and Anthony Davis are among the big men being considered for the Team USA pool, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Hibbert, unfortunately, is ineligible to play for the U.S. team because he played for Jamaica's senior national squad during the 2010 Centrobasket tournament. FIBA rules prevent players from representing two different countries at the senior level.

TUESDAY, 8:29pm: Jerry Colangelo told reporters (Associated Press link via ESPN.com) that he is leaning towards adding a couple of players to the pool from which the final Olympic team will be drawn. He gave no indication as to who those players might be, however.

7:30pm: With the U.S. Olympic team's projected roster increasingly depleted due to injuries, Jerry Colangelo is reportedly reconsidering his stance against adding new players. According to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, Pacers center Roy Hibbert has expressed interest in joining the team should they look to add new talent.

“It would be nice to be able to do something like that,” Hibbert said. “I always said I wanted to play in the Olympics for the US. I played with Team Jamaica last year. Hopefully I can get a quick release. It would mean the world to me to be able to participate for Team USA.”

With Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge out for the summer, the frontcourt rotation for Team USA is looking thin outside of Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, and Tyson Chandler. If Colangelo does decide to bring on new players, Hibbert, who made his first All-Star appearance in 2011/12, would appear to be a logical candidate.

Odds & Ends: Skiles, Griffin, Colangelo, Pierce

April 27th, 2012 at 10:20pm CST by Daniel Seco

With great anticipation of the weekend ahead full of playoff basketball, let's take a look around the league to see what's happening from coast to coast.

Count Brandon Jennings and Mike Dunleavy Jr. among Bucks players hoping head coach Scott Skiles is retained by Milwaukee after just missing out on making the playoffs, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com says Blake Griffin expects the playoffs to be more physical as the Clippers head into their first-round series against the Grizzlies.
Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo is excited to continue the process of rebuilding the franchise after carefully adhering to his long-term plan, reports Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun.
Paul Pierce tells ESPNBoston.com's Jackie McMullan that the thought of retirement has crossed his mind after playing 14 seasons for the Celtics.
ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin says Lakers executive vice president of player personnel Jim Buss is over the heartbreak of losing out on Chris Paul to the Clippers this past offseason.
Newsday's Al Iannazzone reports Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire are working to improve how they co-exist on the court after incessant chatter from the media and fans finally drew their attention.

Western Notes: Cuban, Griffin, Clippers

April 10th, 2012 at 8:25pm CST by Daniel Seco

With the playoff picture out west very much unsettled with 10 games to go, let's check in on the Western Conference to catch up on the latest news and happenings.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hopes making Lamar Odom inactive for the remainder of the season is addition by subtraction in his latest comments on the issue, reports Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com. While Cuban admitted he knew Odom was a fragile entity given how upset the player became in the wake of almost being sent to the Hornets in the Chris Paul trade that never materialized, the Mavs owner was confident he could get the most out of the former Rhode Island star. "Do I feel let down? No. But am I disappointed? Yeah," Cuban said. "I wanted it to work. We worked hard to make it work, but I failed. I couldn't make it work so we moved on. I failed; my business, my company, my team. When we (mess) up, I'll take responsibility."
Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman defends Blake Griffin against the growing notion that the former Oklahoma star has developed into a "villain" in the NBA. After being the toast of the league just a year ago, Griffin's reputation has taken a hit for reasons that truly shock new teammate Chris Paul, who has nothing but good things to say about the second-year star. Carlson suggests some of the criticism stems from the highlight-reel dunks Griffin has thrown down this season and how Griffin responds in the wake of them.
The Clippers are heading toward unfamiliar territory as they are on track to secure the fourth seed in the Western Conference thanks to completely overhauled roster, writes John Rohde of The Oklahoman. Upon clinching their birth, the Clippers would be adding some substance to their not-so-illustrious playoff history. Making the playoffs this season would mark the team's third appearance since 1998 and fifth since 1977 when the team was known as the Buffalo Braves.

Odds & Ends: Odom, Knicks, Griffin

April 8th, 2012 at 10:53am CST by Daniel Seco

ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell tweets that the Bulls are 19-0 when scoring 100 points or more on the season. Tom Thibodeau's squad will take their talents to Madison Square Garden this afternoon where they'll face a defensive-minded Knicks team fighting for their playoff lives. As the Knicks embark upon one of their toughest stretches as they close out the season, we look around the league to catch up on the latest news and happenings.

The Mavs' ability to rely on anyone and everyone to contribute in a victory has taken a hit this season thanks to the disappointing play of offseason acquisition Lamar Odom. Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com wonders if Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle and the rest of his team have given up on Odom, who has been afforded myriad opportunities to prove himself as a legitimate contributor to the squad's success. The former Rhode Island star, 32, is currently averaging 6.6. PPG and 4.2 RPG, both career lows, through 50 games with the Mavericks.
While the Knicks could probably use more depth at the point guard or power forward addition, the team did bring back a famous big man to help assist with player and community relations, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Larry Johnson, or more affectionately dubbed "Grandmama," was an integral part of the talented Knicks teams from the mid-to-late 90s after arriving from the Hornets in the summer of 1996. The addition of the former four-time Knicks captain follows New York's recent trend of adding former players to the team's staff.
J oel Brigham of HoopsWorld wonders if Lob City superstar Blake Griffin can continue to improve like fellow Western Conference power forward Kevin Love. While Griffin's points per game and rebounds per game are down as compared to his rookie season, Brigham points out that Griffin's PER has improved from 21.9 to 22.9, perhaps as a result of key offseason acquisition Chris Paul's ability to maximize the production of his fellow teammates. Brigham suggests the addition of a reliable jump shot and improved defense as two areas where the already-dominant Griffin could work on to take his game to the next level.

Sterling: “Everything Is Good” With Del Negro

March 27th, 2012 at 9:19am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking before his team's win over New Orleans last night, Clippers owner Donald Sterling said he hasn't given any thought to making a coaching change, according to T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times. While recent reports have suggested Vinny Del Negro could be let go any day, Sterling expects Del Negro to continue coaching the team for the remainder of the season.

"I like him," Sterling said. "I usually follow the advice of my people, and I think they care for him, like him and want him to succeed. And I think he will…. Would I like more wins? I'd like more. I'd like the players to develop more; I'd like to play better. But then I have great expectations, and to a certain extent they've been realized. To some extent they haven't, but I'm a patient guy."

ESPN.com's Chris Broussard reported last week that tensions were high in the Clippers' locker room, and that Del Negro had lost the team. Sterling insisted he didn't know where those rumors were coming from, saying "everything is good." GM Neil Olshey also downplayed the report, though he acknowledged the team's recent slide made questions about a coaching change inevitable.

"It would be crazy to say when you lose 12 out of 19 that the thought doesn't come through your mind. You'd have to be oblivious," Olshey said. "But the good always outweighs the bad with Vinny. He works his butt off, the players like him, and they're competing.

"I see absolutely no reason why there would be a coaching change based on where the guys are now," Olshey continued. "I think everybody built us up into something because we got out to such a great start and the minute we didn't live up to it for a short period of time everyone wanted to act like the Apocalypse was upon us."

While Del Negro's job status was the main focus of Simers' piece, Sterling also heaped praise on core players Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, vowing to keep them in Los Angeles long-term: "Chris Paul will be with me for a lifetime. And Blake will too. I'm not going to ever let these guys go. They are max players, and so you're going to pay that and keep them."

Clippers Links: Griffin, Billups, Martin, Smith, Butler

February 4th, 2012 at 11:56pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

Everything is roses for the Los Angeles Clippers, who won tonight in impressive fashion against the Washington Wizards. Mark Heisler of the New York Times writes how this impressive team came together and why they go "beyond mere highlights to spectacular." In other Clippers news:

Don't count Blake Griffin out of the slam dunk contest just yet, reports Dan Feldman of ESPN Los Angeles.
Feldman also wrote a great piece on how the Clippers and Chauncey Billups convinced Kenyon Martin to come to Los Angeles.
Martin is expected to join the Clippers on Monday, reports USA Today's Michael Falgoust.
Caron Butler, another unheralded free agent signing by the Clippers, is starting to find his comfort zone in Los Angeles, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
Martin isn't the only player returning from China that the Clippers are hoping to sign. Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Clippers now have their eye on J.R. Smith.

Blake Griffin And The Derrick Rose Rule

February 3rd, 2012 at 9:21am CST by Luke Adams

Last night, Blake Griffin was one of four Los Angeles players named a starter for this month's All-Star Game. Griffin joins teammate Chris Paul, Lakers Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, and Thunder forward Kevin Durant on the Western Conference squad that will play in Orlando. The presence of Griffin, whose dunk over Kendrick Perkins has been the talk of the league this week, is great for the NBA. It also could lead to a bigger payday down the road for the Clippers star.

The NBA's new Collective Bargaining Agreement introduced a new twist for players signing contract extensions following their rookie scale contract. A player entering his fifth season can sign an extension for up to 30% (rather than 25%) of the salary cap figure if he meets any of the following criteria in this first four years in the league:

Named NBA MVP
Named to the All-NBA first, second, or third team twice
Voted an All-Star starter twice

Although the new rule is named after Derrick Rose, it was Kevin Durant who first benefited. When the league ruled that Durant was eligible for the maximum 30% extension, it added nearly $15MM to the total of the five-year extension he signed with the Thunder.

Since a knee injury wiped out his rookie campaign, Griffin will essentially have only three seasons to try to meet these criteria. He's not a likely candidate for the NBA MVP this year or next, and he hasn't made an All-NBA team yet, but this year's All-Star nod means another start next season would make him eligible for the 30% maximum.

Because the in-season extension deadline occurs before the All-Star starters are named, Griffin would have to wait until after the 2012/13 season to extend his contract if he intended to take advantage of the Derrick Rose Rule. Russell Westbrook, for instance, re-signed with the Thunder last week for 25% of the cap, though he potentially could have qualified for 30% if he'd waited until season's end.

In Westbrook's case, the Thunder made him their designated player, meaning Oklahoma City could offer him five years instead of just four. It's hard to imagine the Clippers saving that tag for anyone besides Griffin, so perhaps if the team makes a five-year, 25% offer next season, the former first overall pick would be happy to accept it. If his elite play continues and he waits though, Griffin could qualify for an extra $15MM+ in negotiating leverage via the Rose Rule.