New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season

Steve Williams said:

Clippers suspend Griffin four games without pay

By BETH HARRIS, AP


LOS ANGELES (AP) — Blake Griffin was suspended four games without pay on Tuesday for punching a team staff member, and the Los Angeles Clippers will dock the star forward's pay for an additional game because he broke his shooting hand.
In all, Griffin will lose $859,442 from his season salary of $18,907,725.
A team spokesman said the suspension will begin when Griffin is healthy, cleared to play and active. He was expected to be out four-to-six weeks while his hand heals from the Jan. 23 altercation in Toronto.

The spokesman said the fine was issued by the Clippers, with the NBA assisting in the investigation of the incident as well as in the disciplinary process. No other punishment from the league is expected.
The Clippers end a four-game road trip Wednesday night in Boston before the All-Star break this weekend. They resume play with a four-game homestand starting Feb. 18 against San Antonio.
The Clippers will donate Griffin's salary from the five games to charities that help disadvantaged youth in Los Angeles. The team said Griffin asked to donate his time to the organizations.
"We have made it clear that this conduct has no place in the Clippers organization," team owner Steve Ballmer and coach Doc Rivers said in a joint statement. "Blake is remorseful and has apologized for his actions. He is a valued member of our Clippers family and we support him as he rejoins the team."

Ballmer and Rivers, who also is president of basketball operations, said Griffin is eager to get back to work, which starts immediately with rehab, appearances and attendance at games.
Griffin has been away from the team since he punched assistant equipment manager Matias Testi last month. Testi has yet to rejoin the team, although he is expected to at some point.
The Clippers are 18-4 without Griffin, who has been out since Dec. 26 with a partially torn left quadriceps tendon. He was close to returning from that injury when he punched Testi, who sustained multiple facial injuries. Both men were sent back to Los Angeles, where Griffin underwent a procedure on his hand.

There was no immediate comment from Griffin. He has been off Twitter since Jan. 26 when he posted an apology on the social media site, where he is a frequent user. He and Testi are friends and Griffin described him as "someone I care about."

A person with knowledge of the incident said last month that Griffin and Testi got into an argument during dinner that escalated. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Clippers had not confirmed those details publicly. Rivers said later that both men had been drinking.

Griffin was averaging 23.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists before being sidelined. He missed being selected to the All-Star game in Toronto for the first time in his six-year career because of his absence.

Click to expand...

WLVCA said:

I lost some respect for Blake when he knocked up Brynn Cameron - the woman who already had a baby with Matt Leinert. Guess she needed a new sugar daddy when Leinert lost his NFL QB gig. Beating up a locker room attendant was pretty darn stupid, too. He'll be lucky to make it back before the regular season ends.

Phil Jackson back to the Lakers? Better than Jimmy Buss! Not sure Luke Walton would want the coaching job with Phil looking over his shoulder.

Click to expand...

Steve Williams said:

I agree with your first comment burt not sure about the second. Luke was always beside Phil on the bench and knows his style.Phil always said Luke had a great grasp of the game and one day would make a good NBA coach

Click to expand...

WLVCA said:

I'm stuck watching the Celtics broadcasters and they are HOMERS!

Sullinger and Evan Turner (former Ohio Statre Buckeyes) are taking it to my Clippers.

Click to expand...

Gregadd said:

I think Blake got 4 game suspension from his team.
Jeanie technically has the power to fire her brother. If there was a way to hire Phil she would have done it before he went to N.Y. See her interview on First Take. Her brother IMO has a bad case of sibling rivalry. It's bad enough his father put her in charge. Firing him and hiring Phil would be devastating.

Click to expand...

Steve Williams said:

But she has the power and he said he would step down if he couldn't turn it around by 2017. Plus Phil and Jeannie are are pillow buddies

Click to expand...

Gregadd said:

If he voluntarily steps down which I doubt that's a different matter. What would Phils' job be?

Click to expand...

Steve Williams said:

Reeling Rockets reportedly looking to deal Howard

http://www.nba.com/2016/news/featur...-for-dwight-howard/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpts

Click to expand...

WLVCA said:

Chickens come home to roost. Nobody wants Dwight Howard.

Click to expand...

jadis said:

He could be as insignificant as Amare, if he's lucky.

Click to expand...

WLVCA said:

Chickens come home to roost. Nobody wants Dwight Howard.

Click to expand...

Steve Williams said:

another interesting trade rumor......

No. 2: Trade season takes no All-Star break — Just because the NBA’s regular season gets put on hold each year over the longer-than-ever All-Star break, that doesn’t stop league business for chugging along. And with the annual February trade deadline fast approaching – it’s Thursday, before the schedule actually resumes for anyone that evening – rumors and speculation were flying in Toronto, including an alleged three-team, multiple-star blockbuster if it were to come to fruition. Always keep your eye on the big “if,” of course, but this one between Cleveland, New York and Boston was reported by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News:

The Daily News has learned that the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers have discussed a blockbuster trade centered around Kevin Love. There were very preliminary discussions with the Knicks about expanding the deal to include [Carmelo] Anthony, who would have to waive his no trade clause in order to facilitate a deal to the Cavs.
The Knicks would receive draft picks and players in return. One of those players is believed to be Timofey Mozgov, who five years ago was traded by the Knicks to Denver in the Anthony deal.
Those talks have not progressed. Plus Anthony reiterated on Friday that he has no plans to seek a trade. However, when asked if he’s thought about his future with a losing organization, Anthony gave a cryptic answer.

“Not yet. I’m pretty sure I’ll have that conversation with myself and my family and my team,” he said. “But it’s not a conversation for right now.”
The NBA trading deadline is Thursday and Knicks president Phil Jackson is exploring ways to upgrade the 23-32 Knicks and get them back in the playoff race. Trading Anthony would signal a complete rebuild centered around 20-year-old Kristaps Porzingis.

On Friday, Anthony bemoaned not having a proven star as a teammate and revealed that he’s had talks with fellow All-Stars about joining forces.
“I think everybody kind of dreams and hopes that they can play with another great player, another star player. It’s a star player’s league,” Anthony said. “I think that’s what we talk about when we all get together — ‘I want to play with you, I want to play with you.’ Even here different guys say, ‘Come play with me, come play with me.’ So that’s always the mindset. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it don’t. But I think everybody that’s in my situation, that’s in my position, they all want the load off especially the older they get. Because you realize you just can’t do it all by yourself. Everybody knows that.”

The Cavaliers are in first place in the Eastern Conference and the odds-on favorites to return to the NBA Finals for a second straight year. The Cavs and LeBron James, however, are not convinced they have enough to beat the top teams in the West, in particular Golden State and San Antonio.
The Cavs are 1-3 against those clubs with the one win coming against San Antonio one week after Tyronn Lue replaced David Blatt as coach. Anthony would give Cleveland a proven scorer to join LeBron and Kyrie Irving.

Click to expand...