It is the Clippers.

It is the Clippers, still.

Yes, Baron Davis, one of my favorite players to watch has come to town, but it is still the Clippers.

Baron Davis shooting over Andrew Bynum of the Lakers

Image details: Golden State Warriors v Los Angeles Lakers served by picapp.com

Clippers fans have to be bumming. They lost Elton Brand to the 76ers, because the Clippers upset his manager, David Falk. They lost Corey Maggette to the Golden State Warriors, can’t remember why. Maybe money.

Anyway, even with the signing of Baron Davis the Clippers will suck. Baron cannot carry them on his back all by himself.

It sucks to be a Clippers fan when the Lakers are just across town. Just off the top of my head the Lakers in my lifetime have had Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant.

The Clippers in my lifetime have had…the Clippers have had…well, uhh..oh..Elgin Baylor! Not as a player, though, but it still counts doesn’t it? Elgin is vice-president of basketball operations and very good at his job.

NBA Elgin Baylor factoid – From the 1960-61 to the 1962-63 seasons, Baylor averaged 34.8, 38.3 and 34.0 points per game, respectively. His 38.3 point per game season average is the highest for any player other than Wilt Chamberlain. Baylor, a United States Army Reservist, was called to active duty during that season, and being stationed in Washington state, he could play for the Lakers only when on a weekend pass. However, despite playing only 48 games on the season, he still managed to score over 1,800 points.

The 71 points Baylor scored on November 15, 1960 was a record at the time. The 61 points he scored in game 5 of the NBA Finals in 1962 is still an NBA Finals record. An underrated rebounder, Baylor averaged 13.5 rebounds per game during his career, including a remarkable 19.8 rebounds per game during the 1960-61 season — a season average exceeded by only five other players in NBA history. Baylor was a 10-time All-NBA First Team selection and went to the NBA All-Star Game 11 times.source

Baron Davis

Baron is one of the great penetrating guards of today. Somehow he can muscle inside or move fluidly inside for easy baskets, but he will miss big Elton Brand.

“Before you ask, there was never an underground handshake with Baron Davis,” Brand said Wednesday, addressing speculation that he’d given Davis some kind of commitment to return to the Clippers.

Today, we’ll find out if Davis feels the same way.

Davis is a two-time NBA All-Star (2002 and 2004). He averaged 21.8 points (12th in the NBA), 7.6 assists (6th in the NBA), 4.7 rebounds and 2.33 steals (3rd in the NBA) while playing in all 82 games for the Golden State Warriors during the 2007-08 season. Davis was just one of four players in the league last season to average 20+ points and seven+ assists (Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Chris Paul) per game.

Entering his tenth NBA season, Davis brings career averages of 17.1 points, 7.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.95 steals and 35.5 minutes per game.

source

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Can Kobe Bryant keep on smiling?

No Bynum, no problem.

Just let Kobe take over and take over he did.

Kobe put up 48 on the Seattle Supersonics and pulled the game out in OT.

Kevin Durant shot a horrible 6 for 26 for Seattle.

Final Score – Lakers 123 – Sonics 121

The Lakers were recently dealt a severe blow when young center Andrew Bynum, the player not named later in the Kobe to the Bulls non-trade, injured his knee.

The Lakers had to come right back and play on the road again the night after the injury.

And if there is any doubt about whether Kobe Bryant is one of the best players in the league, if not the best, then look no further than this game.

“This is a tough one,” a tired looking Bryant said. “Tonight was one of those nights where I kind of had to read the mood of the team. Us kind of being a little deflated with (Bynum) going down, being a back-to-back, coming in on the road, it was one of those things where I just kind of wanted to be a lot more assertive.”

How assertive? Bryant scored the final six points of overtime. He took 44 shots, just three off his career high of 47. source

The Lakers had learned before the game that Bynum’s injury was much worse than thought.

They learned center Andrew Bynum could be sidelined for more than eight weeks because he suffered a subluxation of the patella and a bone bruise of his left knee in Sunday night’s victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Bynum was injured when he landed on teammate Lamar Odom’s left foot in the opening minutes of the third quarter. He left Staples Center wearing a soft knee brace and said he didn’t believe the injury was that serious. source

No one is expecting Kobe to put up 48 per night to keep the Lakers rolling, but it will be a test for the whole team to keep going until Andrew Bynum can return.

NBA Basketball Kobe Bryant factoid - It was Bryant’s 87th career 40-point game, one behind Elgin Baylor for third all-time in league history.

Those that know Kobe, know he is ready for the challenge. The real problem may be that his teammates are not.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Will Kobe tolerate his teammates if they begin to lose?

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