Billy Hunter Calls For Derek Fisher To Be Fired From NBPA
Here Comes The Knife
The National Basketball Players Association executive committee voted to work toward the resignation of union president Derek Fisher, at executive director Billy Hunter’s suggestion.
Fisher has refused to give up his post and previously worked to gather a group to look into Hunter’s business and financial practices. With no intent to resign, Fisher plans to instead push Hunter to operate with more transparency. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard has more than two years left in his term as NBPA president.
Mistrust between the two has festered for months and reached a high point when Fisher convinced the executive committee to vote for an independent auditor to look into Hunter’s time as executive director.
Hunter later convinced the committee to focus in on Fisher, though Hunter hasn’t been in good favor with players and agents following huge concessions to the NBA owners during lockout negotiations.
Hunter’s legal team sent players a memo stating that the audit had been cancelled because it was found to be irrelevant.
“The executive committee recognized that the review was unnecessary since there had been a recent independent audit of the NBPA’s finances which raised no issues,” the memo said.
Hunter managed to convince the executive committee that Fisher’s push for an audit was rooted in a personal rift that has grown between Hunter and Fisher since the NBA Lockout. The committee includes such players as Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul, Washington Wizards guards Maurice Evans and Roger Mason, Boston Celtics guard Keyon Dooling and San Antonio Spurs forward Matt Bonner.
Dwayne Schintzius Dies
R.I.P.
Back on February 22 2010, we reported the news that former NBA player Dwayne Schintzius was battling leukemia, we now are sad to report that he lost his battle at the age of 43.
Schintzius, who starred at the University of Florida and played nine seasons in the NBA, died Sunday of complications from leukemia He suffered respiratory failure and had been hospitalized at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., for complications from a second bone marrow transplant he received from his brother, Travis, in November.
“He was my big brother and I looked up to him and idolized him my whole life,” Travis Schintzius said. “He’s at peace now. He’s not suffering any more. Now he’s probably cracking jokes and making people laugh in heaven.”
Schintzius, a 7-foot-2 center, played four seasons at Florida, from 1986 to 1990. He became well-known for his mullet and his rebellious side. He quit the Gators team midway through his senior season after conflicts with coach Don DeVoe.
Months later, Schintzius was a first-round draft pick, taken 24th overall by the San Antonio Spurs. He later played for the Sacramento Kings, New Jersey Nets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics. Injuries limited him to 217 career games (33 starts), during which he averaged 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds.
Blake Griffin Misses Wide Open Dunk
Los Angeles Clippers Blake Griffin missed a wide open dunk against the Minnesota Timberwolves last night as he put on his best JaVale McGee impression.
New Orleans Hornets Coach Apologizes To Blake Griffin For Foul
Flyin
New Orleans Hornets coach Monty Williams said he sent Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin an apologetic text after Jason Smith leveled him to the ground in last week’s game between the two teams.
Williams, in his second season as the Hornets’ coach, texted Griffin on Friday, waiting until the day after Smith hit him to earn a two-game suspension for the buzz to die down, he said. Smith sat out Monday’s game which the Clippers won 97-85.
“I’ll say this, because I’m here in this city: What Jason did was wrong,” Williams said. “I told him that it was and that he went about it the wrong way, and that’s why I reached out to Blake to let him know that it wasn’t something we do on a regular basis.”
Williams said hits such as Smith’s don’t occur as often in today’s NBA as they did when he got into the league in the early 1990s. That’s why he was surprised at the play. But, speaking candidly, he said Griffin’s offensive presence was part of what sparked Smith to foul him in such a manner.
Griffin had dunked on Smith several times in the game before the flagrant foul in the fourth quarter.
“He’s no fool — he knows he’s making people look crazy and guys don’t like that,” Williams said of Griffin. “He’s gotta expect some of that. It’s just gonna happen. If you jump 5 feet over somebody and dunk it and you got people coming up to you and hugging you after you do it, the opponent’s not gonna say, ‘Oh, man, can you do that again?’
“He’s a phenomenon, and a lot of guys don’t like that.”
Williams added that Griffin was “really cool” about the situation in exchanging texts with him Friday.
Samuel L. Jackson Does Hornets-Clippers Intro
Samuel L. Jackson brough his iconic voice to the NBA on Thursday night, introducing the starting lineups for the Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Hornets before a regular-season game in the Big Easy.
Blake Griffin Gets Rocked By Jason Smith
The New Orleans Hornets’ Jason Smith received an automatic ejection after taking out the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin on Thursday night. He also received a standing ovation from the Hornets’ fans as he exited the court. The Hornets won 97-90.
Samuel L. Jackson To Do New Orleans Hornets Intros
Say WHAT Again, I Dare You
On Thursday night the New Orleans Hornets are scheduled to be introduced by Samuel L. Jackson when they take on the Los Angeles Clippers in Chris Paul’s return to the Big Easy. Earlier this season, actor Will Ferrell introduced the team and you can watch HERE.
Jackson is in town to film “Django Unchained” which is directed by Quentin Tarentino.
Can we suggest some sort of intro like the one he gave in Pulp Fiction:
“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee.”
Blake Griffin Airballs Back-To-Back Free Throws
Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin is a power dunker without a doubt but shooting free throws is one of his major weaknesses as he’s only 55% from the line. These two free throws did nothing to help out that average as he airballed back-to-back free throws against the Atlanta Hawks last night.
Blake Griffin Takes Elbow To Face
In a game that saw Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul don a protective facial wear, after suffering a nasal fracture against San Antonio Spurs on Friday. Also saw his teammate Blake Griffin looking to add a helmet to their roster after he took a shot from Golden State Warriors Dominic McGuire that left him dazed.
Clipper Darrell Cries On TV
Super fan Clipper Darrell tries to explain his ongoing situation with the Los Angeles Clippers in efforts to drop his name. Darrell Bailey gets emotional on a local ABC telecast.
Comes off a little over dramatic.
Donald Sterling Consulted Prostitute On Los Angeles Clippers Issues
Racist
Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling solicited advice on the team’s basketball operations from a woman he described as a prostitute, according to court documents.
As part of its 2009 discrimination case against Sterling, the U.S. Department of Justice filed documents from an unrelated case that contained testimony from Alexandra Castro, an acquaintance of Sterling’s. The unrelated case in 2003 involved Sterling suing Castro to get a house he gave to her back. Sterling sued after Castro ended their relationship, but Castro won the case and kept the house.
Castro’s statement read, in part, “During our relationship, Mr. Sterling consulted me on issues he was considering almost every day including, among others, whether he should hire Alvin Gentry to coach the Los Angeles Clippers (although I had no experience in such matters), how he should respond to requests by players for the Los Angeles Clippers for increases in their compensation (Mr. Sterling and I often had dinner at the Arena Club with agents for a number of players) … ”
Additionally, attorney Raymond Hersh, who formerly represented Castro, said in a deposition about the relationship between his client and the Clippers owner, “… she cooked, drove, cleaned, was consulted on remodeling apartments, who went to dinner with agents, who should be hired—she didn’t make the decision, she said, but she was consulted about who to hire in the Clipper organization and what should be done, what he was thinking.”
Sterling, under oath in his 2003 case, said Castro was “a prostitute … she was a total freak and a piece of trash … It was purely sex for money, money for sex, sex for money, money for sex. The girl was providing sex for money. … I probably didn’t tell my wife … maybe I did something morally wrong.”
Clipper Darrell Forced To Drop Name By Los Angeles Clippers
Clipper Side
Rudy J’s favorite Twitter follow Clipper Darrell has butted heads with his favorite team the Los Angeles Clippers. Darrell Bailey know more to the masses as Clipper Darrell says the Clippers asked him to stop using his longtime nickname.
Bailey, an 11-year season ticket holder announced on his website that the team has asked him to refrain from using the name Clipper Darrell.
“I have been told by Clipper management they no longer want me to be Clipper Darrell, a name that was given to me by the media because of my unwavering support and team spirit,” he wrote. “I am devastated!”
Clippers guard Chris Paul wrote, “WE GOT YOU!!!” Clippers forward Blake Griffin tweeted, “Bring back #ClipperDarrell,” and Clippers center DeAndre Jordan added, “I love you Clipper Darrell&#ClipperDarrell.”
“I’m not feeling too good right now,” Bailey said. “They asked me not to be Clipper Darrell anymore. They don’t want me to dance. They don’t want me to cheer anymore at the games. I can’t be Clipper Darrell. They don’t want me in the suit. They don’t want me to do anything anymore.”
Bailey refused to go into further details. The Clippers issued a harshly-worded statement in response to Bailey’s claims on Wednesday.
“The Clippers have done absolutely nothing wrong or inappropriate as it concerns Darrell Bailey. His claims are absurd and unfounded. He has never been an employee or representative of the Clippers organization, and therefore cannot be terminated,” the team said. “The Clippers have never engaged Mr. Bailey’s services. When he has been in need, the organization has regularly provided him a seat for games. No good deed goes unpunished.
“We have had multiple conversations with him concerning his inappropriate use of the Clippers’ team name and trademark for his own unmonitored commercial gain. We have spoken to him repeatedly about his desire to make public appearances in ways which improperly suggest that he is officially affiliated with our organization. In all cases and over a long period of time, he has consistently rejected our efforts to operate in consultation.
“In a conversation with an authoritative and tenured Clippers’ executive last week, he was asked again to either consult with the team on all public appearances and/or commercial ventures, or stop undertaking those opportunities representing himself inappropriately. His response was an offer to stop representing himself commercially in that way and his offer was accepted in principle.The next thing we heard was the baseless claims he has made today and the ensuing media rush to judgment.
“We hold all of our fans in the highest esteem and we have been patient and generous with Mr. Bailey. He has not returned our support in an honorable way. He is not actually a fan of the Clippers, but a fan of what he can make off of the Clippers. We are no longer interested in that kind of association with him, and that is why we accepted his offer to remove our team name from his stage name.”
This isn’t the first time Bailey and the team have butted heads. Bailey has often complained about the team holding him back and preventing him from securing endorsement deals while the team has been upset that he has sold merchandise and booked public appearances on his website using the Clippers name for years.
Bailey, 44, has been a Clippers season ticket holder since the 2000-01 season and every aspect of his life seemingly revolves around the team. He wears a custom-made suit, half red, half blue to home games. He drives a customized 1995 BMW 740i, painted in red, white and blue with a Clippers logo and autographs on the hood and “CLIPERD” license plates. Even his Los Angeles home, where he lives with his wife and four children, is painted in Clippers colors.
“Clippers Nation made me who I am,” Bailey said. “I didn’t give myself the nickname but I guess the team can take it away.”
Blake Griffin Flys Over The Denver Nuggets
Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, reigning Sprite Slam Dunk champion, decided to give the NBA a dunk a to talk about heading into the festivities. Griffin flew over half of the Denver Nuggets in the middle of the third quarter.
Funny that Timofey Mozgov was in the house.
Keith Closs Admits To Drinking On Los Angeles Clippers Bench During Games
Rocky Road
In a recent interview with SLAM, former Los Angeles Clippers center Keith Closs opened up about his short-lived NBA career and how alcohol derailed his time in the league.
“I was drinking in the NBA,” Closs told the magazine. “I was drinking on the bench, too. That wasn’t Gatorade in my water bottle; it was whatever I’d brought with me from the liquor store on the way to the arena. I had grown very resentful of the fact that I wasn’t playing…I felt like I was wasting away.”
Closs was a backup center for the Clippers from 1997-2000, standing 7-3, weighing 212 pounds also admits to smoking marijuana while still in uniform during games at halftime outside Staples Center. After a league-imposed stint in rehab after receiving two DUIs during the lockout from 1998-99, he still didn’t see himself as having a problem.
“I was out there dunking on dudes smelling like three bars, then they’d take me out and I would refresh my water bottle,” Closs said. “Nobody disrespected the game of basketball like I did at that time. That’s something I have to live with.”
Unfortunately Closs is also remembered for being beaten up by a mob that was caught all on cell phones that inevitably went viral. Since his time in the NBA Closs has bounced around from a few NBA Developmental teams. He currently plays for the Santa Barbara Breakers of the West Coast Professional Basketball League and has been sober for more than four years.
Kenyon Martin Says George Karl Needs To Shut His Mouth
What's Nene Lips Doing On Your Neck
The NBA careers of Kenyon Martin and Tracy McGrady are on the downside. But while the two no longer can dominate a game they still know how to rip a coach.
Martin, now with the Los Angeles Clippers, is angry with his former Denver Nuggets coach, George Karl. Martin, just back from a stint in China, says Karl has continued to unfairly characterize Carmelo Anthony as being a selfish player while he was in Denver.
Said Martin to SI.com:
“Man, listen, George needs to keep his mouth shut, first and foremost. Melo don’t play there no more. So Karl shouldn’t be commenting on Melo. If George was such a great coach, then Melo would want to stay. He wouldn’t want to leave.
“If the organization was ran right, he wouldn’t want to leave, so it ain’t Melo. With Melo, not one time when he was there did he bring that in the locker room when all that stuff was going on. Not one day. Everybody made it a bigger deal than it had to be. That’s a good kid.
“They act like this kid was a cancer, like he came in there and destroyed the locker room and made everybody hate him. No, it wasn’t nothing like that man. And it bothers me for people to be talking about how he’s a selfish player and he has to defend himself.”
After playing sparingly in a Saturday loss to Portland Trail Blazers, McGrady’s issue is with his current coach, Atlanta Hawks Larry Drew.
In profanity-laced comments to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, McGrady said he was fed up with being left on the bench.
“I’m tired of this shit,” McGrady said. “You can put that in the paper, I don’t give a fuck.”
The two-time NBA scoring champion and seven-time All-Star added that: “If you don’t feel I can help, come tell me that . . . He ain’t told me nothing. I just want to help these guys win, man, which I know I can. But, damn, four minutes?”
Mike Brown Not Apologizing For Putting Showtime On Shelf
Playing The Role Of NBA Coach
Laker-land is not thrilled with the defensive-minded, grind-it-out style of play implemented under new coach Mike Brown and the abandonment of the Showtime Lakers of years past?
“It’s not something we’re used to,” Lakers executive Jim Buss, the son of owner Jerry Buss, said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “But if the team wins, I think it will become enjoyable; if it loses …”
Brown is making no apologies.
“Why would I try to appease the fans and play like we’re not capable of playing with the guys that I can put on the floor?” Brown told the L.A. Times. “If we win, I don’t care what style we play, it’s going to be entertaining.”
Brown added that he does not sense any frustrations among fans who may prefer a more wide-open style of basketball.
“No, I don’t sense that,” he said. “I don’t feel it. Maybe that is because of the way the Clippers are playing and their ascent, but look at the players the Clippers have.”
Buss stressed, “I think we have to give this approach time. I know it might take away from Showtime, but the ability to get defensive stops in the last minutes of games is something nice to have in your back pocket.”
Blake Griffin Won’t Defend Slam Dunk Title
Like He Was Ever Going To Drive It
This is surprising news, especially given that Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers threw down the possible dunk of the year, or decade, earlier this week. The NBA’s reigning slam dunk champ says he won’t defend his title during All-Star Weekend in Orlando this month. His reason? Slam-dunk contests just aren’t his “thing,” Griffin says.
‘As of right now I don’t plan on being in it, Griffin said Thursday night. ‘Those dunk contests aren’t my thing, I said that last year. There’s a lot of guys that can put on a great show and do some good stuff.’
Last year Griffin won the slam dunk contest, played in the Rookie Challenge and played in the All-Star Game during a whirlwind weekend in Los Angeles. This year, Griffin, who will be a first-time starter, would like to simply enjoy the weekend and play in the Feb. 26 All-Star Game in Orlando. ‘Last year was hectic and it kind of made it unenjoyable,’ Griffin said. ‘So this year, we’ll see what will happen, but I will try to tone it down a bit and get a break instead of being so busy.’
Kevin Durant Not Impressed By Blake Griffin’s Dunk
Sour Grapes
Los Angeles Clippers Blake Griffin’s dunk against the Oklahoma City Thunder this week has been getting accolades that fall into the best-ever category. But one significant NBA player who wasn’t impressed. That would be Kevin Durant, who could only watch while Griffin threw down the monster dunk against his team.
“I have no appreciation for it at all. It was a layup, I think. He threw the ball in and got fouled and made his free throw, so it was three points at the end of the day, no matter how it happened, how it went in the basket. I really wasn’t impressed. He finished it. So what? We’ve moved on.”
As for all the attention that has been given to Griffin’s dunk, Durant said:
“I wasn’t surprised because Blake is a poster child. He dunks the ball a lot and makes spectacular plays. If it wasn’t against us, maybe I’d say it was a good play, but it was against us, so it was a bad play. I have nothing against Blake, don’t get me wrong. But it was against us, so I’ve got to stick up for my teammate.”
“I knew that wasn’t going to get attention because we never get attention like that . . . We’re not an L.A. team or a Chicago team or a Miami team. All our plays get thrown under the radar.”
Blake Griffin Dunks Over Kendrick Perkins
NBA fans are calling this dunk by Los Angeles Clippers Blake Griffin over Oklahoma City Thunders Kendrick Perkins the dunk of the year. Even LeBron James had to concede this posterization bested his leap-frogging he’d committed against Chicago Bulls John Lucas.
Griffin’s powerful slam is reminiscent of his most famous in-game dunk over then New York Knicks center Timofey Mozgov.
Chauncey Billups Hits Game Winning Shot
Los Angeles Clippers Chauncey Billups inbounded the ball to teammate Blake Griffin only to get it back so he could continue to add to his resume of Mr. Big Shot. Billups drained a game winning three-pointer to defeat the reigning NBA champs the Dallas Mavericks.
Eric Gordon & Chris Kaman Are Happy To Be Ex-Clippers
Rolando McClain Is Not Impressed With Your Photo Opp
When the Los Angeles Clippers traded for Chris Paul, many believed it signaled the end of dumping on the Clippers. Turns out not quite yet as former Clippers guard Eric Gordon called team execs liars and center Chris Kaman called them unprofessional.
“All you do is take the man’s word and take that he said that no one is going to go anywhere,” Gordon told Yahoo! Sports. “… To completely lie like that is something unprofessional.”
General manager Neil Olshey said the NBA (who owns the Hornets) moved so fast that there was not enough time to inform the players before it was blasted out on social media.
Countered Gordon who was at an event with Kaman and Clippers season ticket holders when the trade was made: “They literally told me as an organization that they wanted to keep me, and (it still) went down?”
Kaman said his real estate agent’s son told him of the trade. He said the Hornets are “very professional…I’m not used to that.”
Kaman, who got a $1.8 million trade kicker bonus, questioned his old team’s integrity.
“The Clippers didn’t tell me anything. They didn’t tell me I was traded or nothing after eight years. They didn’t have the guts to come tell me they traded me.”
WTF: Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman
Rolando McClain Is Not Impressed
New Orleans Hornets fans meet your newest members of your team. It sure looks like Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman are all excited to be a Hornet. And they guys came from the Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers Lob City T-Shirts
That Was Fast
When Chris Paul was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, forward Blake Griffin said “it’s going to be Lob City.” Less than 24-hours later there is already a t-shirt to celebrate what Clippers executives hope to be an overpopulated town.
Skreened.com is offering shirts in several colors. Prices range from $20.99 to $29.99 depending on the style.
Blake Griffin Reacts To Blockbuster Deal
Watch as Blake Griffin and teammate DeAndre Jordan react to the news that the Los Angeles Clippers acquired Chris Paul. The deal sent Chris Kaman, Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu and a first-round draft choice to the New Orleans Hornets.
