Clipper news from around the internet:
Former Clip (& a fave of mine) Shaun Livingston finally rounding into form from his awful accident (he still refuses to watch a replay of it).
A decent defense of Zach Randolph (as a player, not a person).
That being said, the Z-Bo trade has yet to go through, which makes me nervous even if other people ain’t (a possible reason for the trade delay is explained here).
Info on the Clippers’ first summer league practice.  I’m excited by just the group that will play there alone: Mike Taylor, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin, & DeAndre Jordan.  That’s a [...]

For Part I, click here.
The Attempted Repeat
Film: Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian
By Spring 2007, the original was an overwhelming success having made $250 million+ in the U.S. alone after being constantly on top since it’s December debut.  2008 brought nothing, but now in 2009, this franchise tries to make it back to the top.  While it’s already made over $167 million, it cost $150 million, so it’s sure to be successful, but unlikely to be as dominant as last time.  For those who don’t know, the story is about young Ben Stiller running around trying to control [...]

Okay, I’m not making up this quote, you can find it at Sources: John Kuester of Cleveland Cavaliers to be Detroit Pistons’ coach – ESPN:
“At our present stage, we just feel it’s important that we continue to make decisions that are best for our team,” Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said.
Does that mean in the past it was important to make decisions that weren’t best for the team?
Other great bits:  Last week after firing former coach Michael Curry, Dumars said he didn’t want another tyro coach and instead wanted to
“move forward with a more experienced coach”
So naturally he [...]

The NBA versus Hollywood. What’s the difference? Both center around overpaid stars (although usually these stars do have talent & work hard at what they do). Each requires a strong hand (be it a director or coach) to guide the talent to success. Many of the main honchos (studio presidents or team owners) care more about the bottom line than giving the public a high-quality product. Certain times of year, viewers pay more attention (for film during the summer and Christmas season, for bball during the playoffs and when big trades are made during the [...]

My friend Rich, who now that he works at home likes to procrastinate as much as me, often wastes time with me emailing back and forth about NBA junk. Here’s our latest exchange:
Rich:
So the Lakers essentially trade Ariza for Artest. Ariza, who is a team roll player with good defense for Artest, a “me-first” guy and team chemistry destroyer with more talent….is this an unfair advantage for the Lakers…or a handicap?
My response:
I like Ariza a bunch and think his skill set is a better fit for the Lakers. But Ariza seemed offended that the Lakers weren’t offering [...]

For a good analysis of the trade of one overpaid player with a bad attitude (Zach Randolph) for one overpaid player with a bad back (Quentin Richardson), check out Kevin Arnovitz’s good post earlier today on TrueHoop.  He also has some interesting comments on his ClipperBlog about how this gives Clipper fans hope for the future which you might find intriguing.  However, for moronic babbling about the trade, stick here.
Now while I would’ve loved to get back more than a stiff with a stiff back (say that 10 times, fast, “get back more than a stiff with a stiff back, [...]

In ESPN The Magazine’s newest issue they rank every team from the NBA, NHL, MLB, and NHL to determine this year’s Ultimate Franchise Standings. The Clippers, unfortunately, came in at #122. Out of 122 teams. Yeesh. However it’s not all bad news for LA fans ‘cuz the LA Angels came in first! Yup, the City of Angels represents both ends of the spectrum (although let’s be honest, they’re really the Anaheim Angels, so this city of mine actually didn’t do so well). As if it wasn’t clear enough that the sole purpose of this [...]