November 2008 Archives

Let's get back to those salary-clearing trades for a moment. The Knicks motivation for making the trades was imminently transparent. Their timing was not. Why would New York trade away its top two scorers in the beginning of the season when it had gotten off to a better-than-expected start? Why not try and make the playoffs this year? Those trades, maybe even better trades, would likely still be there later in the season, in the offseason, even next year?

One well-connected league executive theorized that the Knicks realized that they were in a position where they might end up just good enough to make the playoffs, but not good enough to do anything once they got there. Making a trade later this season and throwing away a real chance at the playoffs would be much harder to sell to their success-starved fan base. So would making a trade in the offseason, after a presumed first or second-round playoff exit.

All of which sets the Knicks up in a position to miss out on young (cheap) talent from lottery picks over the next two seasons.

This is exactly what happened to the Lakers during the interregnum between the Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant years and the Pau Gasol-Kobe Bryant years. If it hadn't been for Kobe Bryant's ankle injury and Lamar Odom's shoulder injury in the 2004-05 season, the Lakers never would've lost enough games to get the lottery pick that turned into Andrew Bynum.

I was thinking about the offseason move that brought Jason Hart to the Clippers for Brevin Knight. Considering Hart has barely gotten off the pine since Mike Dunleavy made the move to play rookie Mike Taylor ahead of him, why would the Clippers even bother going out and getting Hart.

I've spoke with several people about this and the general feeling was that the club felt Hart would be a better fit for the No. 3 guard role than Knight, more from a locker room, team chemistry perspective than anything.

Since his demotion, Hart has been nothing but professional. He pushes Taylor in practice, teaches him, and is generally a pretty positive guy in the locker room.

Knight, the feeling is, may not have been as keen on riding the pine. And as such, would've stunted the development of Taylor, who has been a real bright spot in an otherwise dreary season.

Eric Gordon (hamstring) and Marcus Camby (ankle) both went through a relatively light practice on Sunday, though the practice was so light it's hard to draw many conclusions from that.

We should know more about their status for Tuesday's game in Dallas on Monday.

Eric Gordon left Saturday's game in the third quarter with a sore right hamstring. Gordon's injury is best described as a tight, sore hamstring than a pulled hamstring. Gordon said he didn't know how bad it was, or what the recovery time would be. But he'd know more in the morning.

It's worth noting that trainer Jasen Powell probably saved Gordon a more severe injury by taking him out of the game when he did. Once the muscle tightened, it easily could pulled, snapped or evolved into a more severe injury.

Marcus Camby also came away with a little ding. Camby limped off the court midway through the fourth quarter with what appeared to be a right foot injury. But returned a few minutes later and was on the court at the end of the game.

``I'll be OK,'' Camby said. ``I didn't really want to come out of the game because it was getting intense. It was getting fun going down the stretch, but I came back, got some more tape on it and I was able to continue.''

Camby said he tweaked his right ankle, but did not reinjure the bruised right heel that kept him out for most of training camp and the first three games of this year.

``I think I'll be out there in Dallas. I'll know more after tonight,'' he said.

It's worth noting that Camby walked out of the arena Saturday without any extra protection on his ankle. M experience has been that guys are immediately put into walking boots if the ankle sprain is considered serious, so this was an encouraging sign.

As for the two Clippers who didn't dress Saturday -- Chris Kaman and Ricky Davis -- my sense is that they will be out a little while. Kaman has been playing with a sore left arch for a little over a week now. He actually did injure it in the Oklahoma City game, it's not just a flare up from overuse.

He isn't going to travel on the four-game road trip, meaning the soonest he'll play again is December 8th against Orlando, but my sense is that two weeks (from Friday) is the most realistic.

Davis is going to shut it down for approximately two weeks too. His left knee tendinitis has flared up and Davis feels like he needs to rest it in order to resume playing at a level where he can help the team.

Chris Kaman is in street clothes for tonight's game against the Heat with a strained arch. No timetable has been set for his return, but he is not expected to make the team's upcoming four-game trip so the soonest he'd be back in uniform is probably December 8 against Orlando.

Baron Davis has a stomach virus, but is dressed and ready to play tonight. Not sure how much he'll be able to give though.

Chris Kaman is now doubtful for tonight's game against Miami with plantar fasciitis in his left foot; but a new player has been added to the injury list.

Baron Davis has come down with the stomach virus that took out Jason Hart and Brian Skinner the other night and will be a game-time decision.

Ouch.

When the Knicks acquired Tim Thomas as part of the Zach Randolph trade, it was assumed that Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni liked Thomas because of the success they had together in Phoenix.

He might still like him just fine, but a few pounds less of him would be preferable, according to an article in the New York Post.

D'Antoni said both Harrington and Thomas have to get in better shape.

"It's going to be difficult for Cuttino also," Thomas said. "I have to continue to get in shape for this system. It's up and down, and in L.A., it was run when you have the opportunity. The last couple of years, it's been that way. I know how to get myself right. I've played it before. It will take me a week and I'll be ready."

Jason Hart and Brian Skinner are OK after missing Wednesday's game with the flu. Chris Kaman is officially questionable with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Ricky Davis is doubtful with a sore left knee.

Kaman will likely be a game-time decision while he waits to see how his foot responds to the cortisone shot he got on Wednesday night. My understanding is that it generally takes 48-72 hours for the shot to have its greatest effect so Kaman is still within that window.

I'm not always big into trying to read guys moods from what they saw and how they act. Any NBA player who has been in the league for a few years is pretty good at saying and doing the right things when the media is around.

But I will say, Baron Davis' mood seems to have brightened considerably in the last week. Basically, as soon as the Randolph trade went down, and about the same time Eric Gordon and Mike Taylor have gotten it going. BD seems to really enjoy mentoring the rookies.

Tonight after the close loss to the Nuggets, Baron went around the locker room giving fist taps to all the guys and wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving. He's social on other nights, but this was by far the most I'd seen him reach out to the team after a tough loss.

The other day we had a chance to ask him about mentoring the young players. Here's what he said:

``With Mike it's a little different because he is a point guard so it's like a lot of times you have to do more coaching,'' Davis said. ``You have to tell him, `that's not a good play, that's not a good pass, you gotta pass the ball to him.' I'm a little harder on Mike than I am on Eric because they play two different positions. We have a great relationship though.

``When I come off the court and sit on the bench, he's in my ear. And I respect that because he knows what I can do out there and he's making sure I'm doing everything that I possibly can, it's another set of eyes. He has good eyes and Jason Hart is the same way. We all kind of communicate to each other and try to help each other out there.''

So the Clippers came down the court, down 106-105 with 9.9 seconds to go, having already decided to play it through and not call a timeout.

Why?

``I did not want to call a timeout. I don't believe in that,'' assistant coach Kim Hughes said. ``I'm kind of like Jerry Sloan in that. I think it's to your advantage to go in transition, without allowing them to get in a set defense.''

OK, so then what happened?

``I thought Baron had a wonderful opportunity to penetrate, he chose not to, which is fine. Marcus was open. I don't think it was a great shot. I'm sure he doesn't think it was a great shot. Eric Gordon was wide open up top,'' Hughes said. ``You can look back, and remember that you didn't call a timeout. If it was a situation where we should've called a timeout, I'll take the heat for that. But I don't believe in that.''

And so the Clippers ended up with the ball in Marcus Camby's hands about 22-feet out with about two seconds left on the clock.

Camby's not really a 3-point shooter, though he can make them.

"It was right there on line. It just came up short,'' Camby said after the game.

What if it would've gone in and Camby would've beaten his former team?

"I guess that's just fitting the way our season has gone,'' he said. ``We had this team last time up 18 at halftime and we let them come back and win the ballgame. I thought the effort was good. We were missing a lot of players. We had two guys sick. Kaman went down. We were without Mike today. His father in law passed. We had a lot of things stacked against us. But I thought the effort was definitely there.''

On another wild night in Clipperland, one of the most entertaining parts had to be our pre-game press conference with assistant coach Kim Hughes, who was filling in for Mike Dunleavy tonight.

Hughes is a smart guy with a dry sense of humor. With all the crazy developments taking place before Wednesday's game --Jason Hart and Brian Skinner coming down with the flu, Chris Kaman taking up until game time to decide whether his painful left arch would allow him to play, Ricky Davis potentially shutting it down for two weeks with a sore left knee -- that sardonic wit really took the edge off of things.

I'll try and convey just how funny, wry and engaging Hughes was in this account.

Q: How many times have you been the head coach?

KH: ``This is the second time. The other was February of last year in Madison Square Garden. We got lucky and won.

Q: So if you win tonight, and go 2 for 2, think Mike will let you do it more often?

A: This isn't about me, this about us getting a win.

The last time; Mike was sick and (TV announcer) Ralph Lawler said to me on the bus, are you nervous and I said, `About what?' and he said, `You're coaching.'

I said, `Oh really?' That was about 4:30 in the afternoon.

``I thought I'd be really nervous and I wasn't. It's not that much different than people think. And ... the power is a rush.''

Q: Did you ride the refs?

KH: ``No, I don't do that. My father refereed college basketball for 25 years and he said he'd break my neck if he saw me doing it. I'll talk to them. I think it's more effective to talk to them under your breath and talk to them like a man. I think you can milk calls a lot better (that way) than embarrassing them. I'm upset with them, but if you're yelling they're not listening to you.

Q: Will you stand up as much as Mike?
KH: ``I'm not even comparing it to Mike. In the second half I won't have to stand as much because they're in front of us. I'll stand in the first half because the defense is away from us and try to transfer the calls to our guys. We've got a situation where a couple of our guys don't know our plays, actually, more than a couple. So we have to make it as simple as possible.

Q: How much will Zach play?

KH: That will depend on the status of Chris Kaman. He may not be able to play.

Q: What's wrong with him?

KH: Do you have like an hour to talk about it?

Oh, physically you're saying. He's got a strained arch and I don't know what the chances of him playing are. He's in the training room getting treatment right now, he didn't participate in shoot-around, he didn't practice yesterday.

He's actually been struggling with it for five games. If you notice he can't jump any more. He's been fighting through it. He's missed a lot of short layups because he can't finish at the rim. He's been fighting it, he sat out two days, and he'll get a cortisone shot tonight, which he'll do either at halftime if he's not playing or after the game if he's playing.

He had a bone bruise in his ankle. This is a diferent injury. It's on the bottom of his foot and its really more pain than injury. But it's limiting his jumping and he thinks it affects his movement.

Q: Does this game being against Denver (where Hughes spent five years as an assistant) have any extra meaning?

KH: No not at all. I loved my time in Denver. I had a really bad last year, where I wasn't able to work. But I lived in Denver 28 years and it was a good time for me. I liked George Karl, I loved Nene. A lot of their players are gone from when I was there.

But when I left I always told Mike you need to go get Marcus Camby because he's so good, he's so smart.

This is not a vendetta (game).

Our whole focus is: We've got to get better, we've got to find our chemistry, we've got to guard dribble penetration and we've got to be tougher.

Q: What happened in Denver in that last year?

KH: I was told by management that the coachign staff didn't want me there. But a lot of the players would come up to me and ask me questions. Jeff Bzdelik told me, `I really want you on staff but I'm not able to' and I believe Jeff. I think Jeff was being very honest with me.

And I don't begrudge them because in all honesty I wanted Larry Harris to be the GM before Kiki (Vandeweghe) got there, so why would Kiki want me around. And I like Kiki, but why would he want me around if I wanted Larry Harris to be the GM. You want your own people and I fully understand that.

Clippers center Chris Kaman played just 12 minutes before leaving Wednesday's game with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. The injury has bothered Kaman for about five games, but has gotten progressively worse.

Kaman said he'll get a cortisone shot in his foot after the game.

``I've been playing a lot of minutes,'' Kaman said. ``Right now it's pretty sore. Hopefully once I get this injection it should be good in two or three days. Basically I (was) trying to get through today because we have a couple of days off and then Thanksgiving.''

He's listed as day-to-day.

Ricky Davis has been a bit of a mystery this season, averaging career lows pretty much across the board and shooting a frigid 27 percent. Wednesday he provided a glimpse of what might be wrong.

Apparently the tendinitis in his left knee has been flaring up a lot this season, making it painful to jump, shoot and cut. He's tried to play through it because the team needed him, and he knew he had an opportunity to play a lot in the early going. Unfortunately the pain, he said Wednesday, has gotten to be too much and he's going to shut it down for a little while to try and get things back in order.

``It's awful. We're probably looking at about two weeks,'' Davis said, when asked how much time he'd miss. ``I haven't really put a time on it yet. It was just a lot of pain going on.'

Why is he shutting it down now?

``I feel like I'm out there like 60 percent,'' he said. ``I'm kind of hurting the team more than anything. I decided to sit down and get it right. I thought I could play through it a little bit. I'd rather get it right.''

Chris Kaman's sore left foot has forced him out of the game. He will not return.

OK, bullet points because I've got an early deadline with the holiday:

--Kim Hughes will coach tonight. Mike Dunleavy did not make it back from Dallas, where he was attending his father in laws funeral. He will rejoin the team Friday.

--Brian Skinner and Jason Hart have the flu and are not even here tonight.

--Ricky Davis is contemplating shutting it down for two weeks to rest his painful left knee. He says that it's been affecting his play to the point that he's ``hurting the team more than anything''

--Chris Kaman is deciding whether he can play tonight. His left arch has flared up and been causing him severe discomfort of late. He plans to get a cortisone shot soon.

--Zach Randolph would start if Kaman is unable to play tonight.

With all the drama surrounding the finalities of the Clippers big trade for Zach Randolph, the other guy included in the deal, guard Mardy Collins, has been largely ignored.

Collins was a bit of a throw-in to the deal, but the Clips are happy to have him. He's a 6-6 guard with a great basketball pedigree though a lot of people just know him as the guy who started the fight with the Denver Nuggets back in December of 2006.

I called up a couple reporters who dealt with Collins back in New York who insisted that Mardy is actually a really good guy, and the brawl was very out of character for him. So far that description has been pretty accurate from what I've seen out of Mardy.

He struck me as a real polite, thoughtful guy. His inclusion in the deal takes him away from the East Coast for the first time in his life really. Collins went to Simon Gratz High in Philadelphia, the same high school as Aaron McKie and Rasheed Wallace attended. He also went to Temple, so the comparisons to McKie are pretty much cemented into his biography by now.

He's generally regarded as a smart basketball player who plays some pretty good defense. He said today that he was excited about playing in the Clippers half-court oriented offense, which is more like the system he excelled in, in college.

``I think I've got most of the plays down,'' Collins said after the Clippers practiced on Tuesday. ``There's a lot of combinations in them so it's kind of confusing, but I should be alright.

``There are a lot of plays, but they all make sense and go together. It's the kind of system I've worked in before, with half-court sets, so it definitely helps.

``Once I get out there and don't have to think about what i'm doing, that's when I think everything will feel a little better.''

With Ricky Davis doubtful for Wednesday's game against the Nuggets with knee pain, don't be surprised to see Collins see some minutes tommorrow.

``For Mardy it depends on matchups,'' assistant coach Kim Hughes said Tuesday when asked how much Collins might play Wednesday. ``I think he has the ability to guard Carmelo. ... And I kind of like the fact that he got into it with Melo a year ago.''

I forgot to mention that shooting guard Ricky Davis is doubtful for tommorrow's game with pain in his left knee. He did not practice Tuesday. A determination on his status will be made tommorrow.

If Davis is unavailable, rookie Eric Gordon would start the game. Though I have to say, I'm pretty sure that even if Davis is available, Gordon would be starting after the performance he had last night against New Orleans.

A lot of rumors have been flying around about the Clippers and Charlotte talking about trades for Chris Kaman. Every time another one hits the internet, I call up four or five people who generally know what's going on, and am told the same thing: Kaman isn't being traded.

I'm not the only one making these calls of course. Agents and front office types are too, just seeing if there is anything to them. Any one of these calls could result in movement in the situation, which is sort of what happened last week when talks with the Knicks stalled over the Knicks' request for Marcus Camby and draft picks, then re-opened later in the week after the Knicks came back and said they'd do the deal for Mobley and Thomas.

I can only go off of what people tell me, but every time I ask I'm told that nothing substantive is happening with Kaman right now.

In addition to Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins, the Clippers received approximately $1 million dollars from the Knicks in the trade for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas last Friday.

Also, because of the way Randolph's contract is structured, nearly a third of his salary is deferred money. His salary cap number is the same of course, but the actual payouts are different.

In other words, financially this deal was quite a bit more shrewd for the Clippers side than we'd previously understood.

The Clippers and Knicks finalized their trade for Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins around 12:30 this afternoon.

Zach and Mardy were able to take part in the short practice Tuesday. Assistant coach Kim Hughes ran practice today because Mike Dunleavy was in Dallas for a family funeral.

Dunleavy said Monday that he expected to be back in time for Wednesday's game, but it really depends on flight times. If he doesn't make it back, Kim Hughes would coach the team against the Nuggets.

By Ramona Shelburne
Staff Writer

The Clippers' proposed trade with the New York Knicks has gone through, a source close to the team said Tuesday afternoon. The Clippers traded Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas to the New York Knicks for Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins.

The deal had hit a snag Monday night, when New York raised questions about the condition of Mobley's heart.

The knicks had Mobley undergo additional testing Tuesday and signed off on the deal shortly thereafter.

Cuttino Mobley is having additional tests done on his heart this afternoon. After those are completed, the Knicks will decide whether to approve the four-player deal with sent Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins to Los Angeles for Mobley and Tim Thomas.

Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters in New York that Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh would make a final decision on the deal.

"There are more tests today and this afternoon Donnie will make a decision (after) whatever comes out of the tests," D'Antoni told reporters at the Knicks practice.

OK, so I'm about to head for bed after another wild night in Clipperland and if you pinned me down, I'd still say I'm pretty sure the Randolph trade will end up going through.

There is some sense that the reason New York might be holding back on approving the deal, and signing off on Mobley's heart condition, is that it's trying to get a ``rebate'' from the Clippers. Say a draft pick, back from them as some sort of compensation for accepting Mobley with this condition.

That might be true, since New York had really wanted a draft pick as compensation before even making the deal on Friday. If that's the case, the Clippers will not be pleased. According to a person familiar with the club's thinking, the Clippers are pretty adamant about not giving any sort of ``rebate.''

But I don't think it's the whole story.

Basically, New York is just making itself comfortable with Mobley's condition. He's obviously had no setbacks from it in the past, which is why it has never come out in public before. But considering NY's recent history with Eddy Curry, you can understand why it would be wary, and insist upon doing its due diligence.

Second, New York had the luxury of time. It didn't play Monday night. So it could spend an extra day checking into things.

But the most compelling reason I see this deal going down is that New York has made such a public case for why it did the deal, sold the notion of clearing cap space for LBJ in 2010 so well, I just don't see ever getting this fizz back into a bottle.

Clippers president Andy Roeser said he's ``confident that both guys (Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins) will be in uniform'' when the team plays Denver on Wednesday, despite concerns raised by the Knicks about a physical condition of Cuttino Mobley's that has held up the four-player deal.

The Clippers have been saying all night that they expected this situation to be resolved by tommorrow morning, which I took to mean that there was just some paperwork issues that were dragging on. But I just came across a report on NBA.com which calls the trade ``in limbo'' because of a physical concern about Cuttino Mobley raised by the Knicks.

I'm checking this out and will update with more information as I get it.

Looks like Eric is OK. He's back in the game.

Well, that didn't last long. Rookie Eric Gordon got his first career start tonight with Ricky Davis limited by tendonitis in his knee, but then went and sprained his ankle just a few minutes into tonight's game against New Orleans.

His return is questionable.

Rookie Eric Gordon will make his first start of the season tonight, when the Clippers tip of against the New Orleans Hornets at 7:30 here at Staples.

Just got word that Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins will not be in uniform today because there has been some hold up with the physicals.

Here's a part of my NBA column that somehow didn't make it onto the internet on Sunday that I thought was pretty interesting in regards to the Clippers:

A few weeks ago NBA commissioner David Stern announced the league was laying off about 9 percent of its workforce, amid fears that the country's economic recession was going to severely cut into the league's growth.

Well, we're nearly a month into the season and attendance is basically flat compared to last season. Not half bad, considering the grim news coming from the economic sector every day.

Where the poor economy is being felt are in cities or regions that are being hardest hit by the recession and/or trying to support a losing team.

The steepest declines in attendance thus far come from Miami, where the Heat is off by an average of 3,622 fans a game from last year and Los Angeles, where the Clippers are off by 2,743 fans compared to last year.

Right behind those two franchises are the Philadelphia 76ers (-2,112), the Sacramento Kings (-2,101), the Charlotte Bobcats (-1,677) and Orlando Magic (-1,165).

There are a few exceptions of course. The new Oklahoma City Thunder has the worst record in the league and is still packing the house nearly every night. So are the dreadful Washington Wizards, who are still drawing 17,582 fans a game.

Those franchises that have managed to tread water in these turbulent times have come up with some creative promotions. Saturday, the Nets hosted the first of five job fairs, where unemployed fans who attend and bring a copy of their resume are given free tickets to the game.

"Unemployment is on the rise in the metropolitan area, so we want to offer our fans that are between jobs some help in finding a job, as well as a chance to relieve some stress by coming to a Nets game," Nets CEO Brett Yormark said in a press release. "We are committed to investing in our fans now, and hopefully they will invest in us when times are better."

Answers will flow freely Monday and Tuesday. I got a bit behind after the crazy day on Friday and follow up on Saturday. Feel free to send a few new ones over if you want, since obviously a lot has changed in Clipperland since Friday morning.

Here's what coach and GM Mike Dunleavy had to say Friday night when I asked whether this move was a precursor to any other moves.

``There's plenty of minutes for all three of them,'' Dunleavy said. ``I don't anticipate trading any of those three guys because I think they can play together. That's why we went out and got them.

``I think it's going to be great for us, as long as guys don't get caught up in the ego part of the game.''

Dunleavy also said there is a possibility all three could play on the floor at the same time, meaning Al Thornton could see some time at the shooting guard spot.

``We could just go real big,'' he said. ``I think Marcus has shown the ability to guard smaller players. He did that tonight (against Philadelphia) several times.''

In the short term, the most likely scenario would be Randolph coming off the bench while he learns the system (a few games at most), then Dunleavy deciding which combinations work best. Dunleavy believes Camby is a perfect complementary player for Kaman and Randolph.

For now, Ricky Davis will likely start at the 2 spot, but rookie Eric Gordon will see a lot more playing time. If he seizes the opportunity, the starting job could be his sooner rather than later.

I just got off the phone with Zach Randolph, who on a bus in Milwaukee, but took time out to speak about today's trade to the Clippers.

Here's what he said:

(On coming to the Clippers)
``I'm definitely excited to come out there it'll be a new situation for me. Coach Dunleavy is a great coach and he plays the style of basketball I like to play. So it's definitely going to be something great and a new experience.

(On the Clippers slow start)

``I definitely think they can turn it around. They've had a tough start, but they've got some great players. Kaman, Marcus, a great point guard with Baron and some other great players, like Al Thornton. It's going to be interesting to come out there and try to turn this thing around and hopefully we can win some games.''

(Speaking of turning things around. How does it feel to be leaving the Knicks right as New York seems to be turning things around?)

``We started off pretty good, things have being going good. Coach, the organization have been great. It's just something they wanted to do to make cap room. I'm just going to continue to do what I've been doing, continue to work hard and help my team win.''

(On growing up while in New York, after some off court incidents in Portland)

``It's a big city and there's a lot going on. I've just been focused on basketball and improving as a player, and winning games. I'm getting older, I'm focused on my career, focused on winning and tring to get a ring.

``I'm 27 now, I'm a lot older and I've been in this league a long time now so I know the ropes.''

(On the potential trade with the Clippers over the summer)

``I know they've been trying to get me for a long time. So that feels good. I'm ready to get started, ready to work.''

Here's what Lakers coach Phil Jackson had to say about the trade before Friday's game with the Nuggets.

``Randolph gives them an inside presence,'' Jackson said. ``For whatever it cost them in that process, I think it was a pretty good deal for them.

``Randolph is a good offensive rebounder. He's a guy who can create stuff on his own on the inside. I think they're ready to move on and try to do some different things. With Baron out there I don't think the guard situation that Mobley gave them (was working out).

``Looking at Elton Brand and Philadelphia, everything isn't coming up roses for them. They're still learning how to play together. You know, it will take a while for teams to
figure out the personalities.''

Just finished speaking with Cuttino Mobley's agent, Andy Miller, to get a quick feel for how Cat reacted to the deal.

``I think best way to describe is shock,'' Miller said of his client's reaction.``He had good run in Los Angeles with the Clippers. He enjoyed playing for the organization. But while he's disappointed to be traded, he's looking to being back on the East Coast with the Knicks.''

Mobley is originally from Philadelphia. He played college ball at the University of Rhode Island.

The plan is for Randolph and Collins to travel to LA over the weekend, take physicals on Monday, and hopefully be in uniform for Monday's game vs. New Orleans. Mobley and Thomas are expected at a press conference in New York tommorrow afternoon, but probably won't take physicals until Monday as well.

According to his agent, pretty darn good.

``We talked about the trade in the summer and he was excited about it then,'' his agent Raymond Brothers said. ``We talked about it today and he's very happy it's happened. He thinks the Clippers have a good core of players. He's excited to play with Baron Davis, Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby.''

Zach Randolph will wear #50, Mardy Collins will wear #25

This creates quite a bit more playing time for rookie Eric Gordon. Expect his minutes to increase soon, as the club believes he could eventually be the team's top perimeter defender.

My first question, after staring at the possibility of three front court players --Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman and Zach Randolph -- averaging 9.5, 10.8 and 12.5 rebounds a game, respectively, is which of those three starts the game on the bench? Or, if this move is a precursor to another move.

I've confirmed that the Knicks did ask for Camby earlier this week; which caused the talks to stall, and which is the reason I wrote a few days ago that it didn't look like the Clippers would be making any big moves any time soon. However when the Knicks decided that they'd take Thomas instead, the deal got done very quickly.

So, is this a precursor to another move?

From what I'm hearing, No.

A source close to the team told me that the Clippers were ``done'' and any playing time questions would be decided by Coach Mike Dunleavy, not general manager Mike Dunleavy.

Still, I expect this to be a fluid situation, depending on how the team plays.

In other news, the Clippers play Philly in a few hours and see Elton Brand for the first time since the events of last summer. Wow, doesn't that seem like a long time ago now.

Just got off the phone with Zach Randolph's agent Raymond Brothers.

Brothers said he hadn't spoken with Randolph about his trade to the Clippers yet, but anticipated that Randolph would be ``fine with it'' and excited to come to Los Angeles.

As for some of the character issues that have followed Randolph from earlier in his career, Brothers said, ``I've always told people that Zach came out of Michigan State when he was 18 years old. But now he's grown up and he's fine.

``Zach is a competitor, he's already proven himself as a basketball player. I think now his main focus is to win. I think he's definitely going to help the Clippers.''

The Clippers have agreed to a trade for New York Knicks forward Zach Randolph and guard Mardy Collins in exchange for guard Cuttino Mobley and forward Tim Thomas, a league source told the Daily News Friday afternoon.

Randolph is a dominant low post threat, having averaged 16.4 points and 8.2 rebounds in his eight seasons in the NBA. This season with the Knicks, he's excelled in new coach Mike D'Antoni's system, averaging 20.5 points and a career-high 12.5 rebounds.

Mobley is averaging 13.7 points this season, Thomas is averaging 9.5 points and 4.6 rebounds.

The Clippers have long-admired Randolph's athleticism and offensive game.
And with the team averaging a paltry 90.9 points a game, better only than three other teams in the league, the Clippers jumped at the chance to acquire him.

They tried to land Randolph in the summer as well, offering the Knicks a similar salary-saving deal they later offered Denver for center Marcus Camby. The Knicks passed on that deal, preferring to hold Randolph for real assets, as opposed to just salary-cap relief.

By acquiring Mobley and Thomas, whose contracts both expire in two seasons, the Knicks better position themselves as players for the wild free agent summer of 2010, when stars like LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade will be free agents.

Randolph's contract has three years and approximately $48 million remaining on it.

Just got word from a league source that the proposed Zach Randolph for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley deal is very real, and very close to going down.

I've been checking into the reports out of New York all morning and getting nothing but radio silence on the Clippers end. That usually means one of three things: 1. They don't want to talk at all 2. They haven't decided yet 3. Something else.

Essentially, it's wait and see until radio silence ends.

Here's what I will tell you, from the recent conversations I've had with the Clippers. Payroll flexibility is very important to them. Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas both have contracts that expire before the golden year of 2010. Hence, they are very attractive to every team in the league. That's also why they are attractive to the Clippers, who have quietly worked very hard to become players for 2010 as well.

That said, the Clippers like Zach Randolph a lot. They tried to land him over the summer, making New York the same kind of offer they made Denver when they acquired Marcus Camby. Basically, a straight salary dump. New York passed, wanting a real asset from the Clippers.

In my last conversation with the front office, I was told the team was not having substantial discussions involving Chris Kaman. And that it was going to be very hard for them to make a deal before December 15 because a quarter of the roster can not be traded before then. They also have no intention of trading any of the three rookies.

That means there were six players who could be traded: Thomas, Mobley, Baron Davis, Ricky Davis, Paul Davis, Brian Skinner.

I think that makes things quite obvious, since Baron isn't going anywhere soon and Ricky, Paul and Brian don't have much trade value except as throw-ins to make salaries match up.

As soon as I hear something I'll get back to you.

.... When we last left off, I was recounting the circumstances of Elton Brand and Corey Maggette's decisions to opt out of the final years of their contracts and sign as free agents elsewhere.

Here's one very important thing to note: At the time Elton opted out of his contract on June 30, his intention was to return to the Clippers. He and David Falk said it multiple times.

His intention was so strong, he spent the next day or two helping to court Baron Davis to sign with the Clippers. Davis, the third player in this dramatic triad, decided to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Warriors at the 11th hour, when it became clear the Warriors would not give him an extension. Subsequent reports out of the Bay Area indicate the Warriors had offered Baron and extension, then pulled it back.

Needless to say, when Baron opted out of his contract, everything changed.

Udrih was no longer the primary target. Davis was, and Brand had several conversations with him trying to woo him.

One problem: The Clippers had approximately $27 million in salary cap space. If Brand wanted $15 million a season, that left only $12 million for Udrih/Davis/Maggette. Maggette wanted $10 or $11 million, Udrih was looking for a full mid-level exception deal (approximately $5.5 million a season), Davis' market value was somewhere in the $12-$15 million a season range as well.

The question was: would any of those players settle for less to be together?

Very quickly, it appeared Brand and Davis had worked it out amongst themselves. Brand verbally agreeing to take $14 million a season (five years, $70 million) Baron agreeing to $13 million a season (five years, $65 million).

It all seemed so easy.

As promised, here's the first of several entries I'll be posting about the Elton Brand situation.

A lot of people ask me, to this day, what exactly happened over the summer which led to Elton ending up in Philadelphia, Baron being in LA with the Lakers and Corey heading up the 101 to play for the Warriors.

Here's the best I've been able to make of it. The original plan, as Elgin Baylor and Mike Dunleavy stated many times before the NBA Draft in late June, was to bring both Elton and Corey back, draft the best player available, and make a run at free agent point guard Beno Udrih. The Clippers would've preferred that both players play out the final year of their contracts. Corey and Elton though, were not entirely comfortable with that arrangement, and preferred to opt-out and ask the team for a new contract.

Hey,

I'll try and get the answers out a little quicker this week. Have them in by Friday afternoon..

Also, just a little tease: I'll have some info on tommorrow's game vs. Elton Brand and the 76ers up a little later today.

Although coach Mike Dunleavy said earlier in the season that DeAndre Jordan could see some time in the D-League this year, don't expect his trips down there to be long or frequent.

The organization is VERY high on him and would prefer to see him work every day in practice against Kaman and Camby, rather than some other project players in the D-League. If he were to go down there, it would likely be during a stretch that was heavy on games and light on practice time.

The buzzards aren't quite yet circling, but they might be making flight plans.

That's what happens when a team opens the season 1-9, as the Clippers have. Every loss brings a handful of new phone calls from front offices around the NBA, wondering if they might be of any assistance in shaking things up.

The Clippers generally tend to answer those phone calls and listen, but don't expect any major moves right away for two very important reasons.

First, the club still feels like its current roster can win.

"I think guys are honestly really committed to turning this thing around," Clippers forward Marcus Camby said after practice Tuesday. "We still feel like we have a chance to make the playoffs. It may seem bleak because of where we're at right now, but we still have 70-plus games to go."

And second, because by league rules, nearly a quarter the roster can't be traded until Dec. 15 because they were acquired in the offseason via trade. Three players are rookies, and the club has no intention of letting any of them go.

So essentially, half the roster is off-limits until Dec. 15, which is 23 games into the season, approximately the amount of time club officials have always felt was necessary to fairly evaluate how all the pieces on this roster are fitting together.

"First of all, whether we're 1-9 or 9-1, you're always exploring options that could make your team better," Clippers coach and general manager Mike Dunleavy said. "You're always in work mode. You're always talking to people.

"It's awful, horrible where we are. But there's 70-plus games left in the season. ... The real question I'm looking for is: Who are the guys that are mentally tough and want to work ... and who are the guys that are heading for the hills?"

Last week, trade rumors began swirling around center Chris Kaman after a report in the New York Post said the Charlotte Bobcats had inquired about him. Dunleavy acknowledged Charlotte had called and that the Clippers had listened, but contended the talks died rather quickly.

Since that report, rather predictably, about half the league has called to inquire about Kaman's availability. But according to a source with knowledge of the team's thinking, Kaman is not involved in any substantive personnel discussions at the moment.

Now, does this mean the Clippers will make a big move after December 15? No, not at all. Just that you should consider the restrictions on the team whenever a trade rumor floats around the team.

As for other guys whose names often come up in trade rumors: guys like Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas whose contracts expire before the golden year of 2010. Well, the same reason all those other teams would want Mobley or Thomas is the same reason the Clippers would want to keep them.

After all, the Clippers have worked very hard, albeit somewhat quietly, to position themselves well to be in on the 2010 bonanza and aren't keen on trading that away.

Last week I asked you how well the players get along and you said they get along great. How is the players' relationships to the coach? Not just Baron Davis, but in general. Do the vets like Cat, Ricky and TT respect coach Dunleavy? Do the rookies like Gordon and Jordan understand why they don't play as much?

I actually had this conversation with Ricky last week, just trying to get his perspective on how Dunleavy compares with the NBA's ultimate stickler, Pat Riley, whom he played for in Miami last season and Ricky said it was't even close.

Dunleavy, in his mind at least, is actually pretty laid back.

``He lets guys be guys,'' Ricky Davis said. Compared to Miami, where ``everything was monitored.''

I haven't spoken to Tim or Cat about this recently, so I can't speak directly on this.

How visible is Donald Sterling around the team? Practices? Locker rooms? Does he interact with the players? He used to love to talk to Lamar Odom.

I don't see Mr. Sterling at practice, or in the locker rooms, but he's generally pretty visible at Staples Center on game days. I've seen him walking around the building quite a bit recently.

Sorry to be so slow with these this week. I've been sick the last few days. Here's the second set of answers...

Has there been any talk of Dunleavy stepping down as Coach and solely focusing on being the GM? I would like to see them go after a coach who can actually utilize Baron's athleticism and instincts as well as the team's athleticism in the right way.

In a word: No. I have asked this question very delicately to a couple of people within the organization, because there's obviously a bit of frustration on how the team is performing, but I don't think anyone is thinking along these lines right now.

Do you know if any of the team or staff check Clipper blogs/message boards to see what the fans are saying? If so, who and where?

I don't know about this. Sorry. A week or so ago, coach Dunleavy said he reads hoopshype every day. And Peter Vecsey, whenever he writes.

Has Kim Hughes been able to work with DeAndre Jordan much in practice?

Yeah, Kim works with all the big guys. I see Kim and Kaman staying after practice all the time. DeAndre, being a rookie, also works some with Fred Vinson, who is the ``young guy'' coach.

Why doesn't Dunleavy stick to consistent rotations and line-ups? He has consistently messed around with line-ups over the past several years. The worst example was his Corey Maggette off the bench experiment.

I think with this team, and all the new players, there will be a lot of mixing and matching. But overall, I would say that Coach Dunleavy is a big match-ups guy. Last week, when he put Jason Hart in before Mike Taylor, just a few games after he'd decided to make Taylor the back-up point guard, ahead of Hart, was a good example. Basically, coach said that he just preferred the matchup of Hart against Dallas' Jason Kidd over Taylor vs. Kidd. But it also had to do with the fact that Hart had played well against Dallas in the past.

Clearly his style of "trying to match up against other teams" and saying "we can do whatever the other team does; run, play big or go half court" doesn't work. The Clippers need an identity and should stick with it, instead of trying to just merely match up. We should make other teams try to match up with us, not play to what the other teams try to do.

I think Coach would agree with you. That said, he has said numerous times that he would like this team to be a ``running team'' and has made a commitment to that. But any Dunleavy coached team will emphasize defense first. So until they nail that down, everything else is secondary.

Also, in my opnion we need to give the rookies more minutes. Start Eric Gordon and bring Cat in off the bench would be a good start.

I think Eric will see his minutes increase steadily throughout the year. I don't know about starting though. Cat's veteran presence in that role is very valuable. I'd say it just depends on whether the team starts winning, and how quickly that happens. If it doesn't happen soon, Eric's role would increase sooner rather than later. But we're still a long ways from writing off the season. A long ways.

I just finished filing my story on today's ugly loss to the Golden State Warriors and thought I'd shed