Le Basketbawl

The “Associated Press” reported Tuesday that the Los Angeles Clippers fired team General Manager Mike Dunleavy; just a little over a month since giving up his title as coach of the club. The Clippers have promoted assistant General Manager Neil Olshey to take over the position. On February 4, Los Angeles named assistant coach Kim Hughes as interim coach for the rest of the season.

The Clippers released a statement announcing the move. The team said “The team has simply not made sufficient progress during Dunleavy’s seven-year tenure. The Clippers want to win now. This transition, in conjunction with a full commitment to dedicate unlimited resources, is designed to accomplish that objective.”

The Clippers had a record of 25-38 through Monday March 8, and were 215-325 during Dunleavy’s stint as the club’s bench boss. Los Angeles made the Post Season just once while Dunleavy was coach and they have no shot at making it this season.

Rumors have already started to surface as to the candidates that may take over for the long term. Will the Clippers once again consolidate the duties as General Manager as they did this season with Dunleavy? Or will they hire a General Manager and a head coach; a situation that New York Vinnie believes would serve them much more effectively?

There are many reasons why New York Vinnie would favor any team hiring two people rather than giving all the power to one man. First and foremost as the old saying goes two heads are better than one; you have someone to bounce ideas off who may have a different perspective than you have. However in this day and age it is far too taxing for one person to be able to do both jobs effectively. The NBA has changed quite a bit since 1966; and there are no coaches on any team’s bench that will make any one forget Red Auerbach.

New York Vinnie believes that the perfect fit as coach for the Clippers is former Hornets head coach Byron Scott. Not only is Scott one of the sharpest young coaches available; there is already a very strong connection with the city of Los Angeles due to Scott being a key member of the “Showtime-Era Lakers.” There are not a whole bunch of situations in the NBA where a head coach can help you sell tickets.

The Clippers have been a bottom feeder in the NBA almost every year they have been in existence. They now have a chance to start out and bring in the right management team to finally turn their fortunes around. Will they be smart enough to do that? Only time will tell.

Well if the Phoenix Suns do trade big man Amar’e Stoudemire before the NBA Trade Dead Line of  Thursday at 3:00pm EST it will not be to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers and Phoenix have broken off talks that would have sent the All-Star to Cleveland in exchange for veteran Zydrunas Ilgauskas and second year big man J.J. Hickson. Thursday the “Washington Post“  reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired Washington Wizards veteran big man Antawn Jamison for the stretch run in a three team deal that also included the Los Angeles Clippers.

 Cleveland will send veteran center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and their first round pick in the 2010 NBA Draft to the Wizards. The Wizards will send Jamison to Cleveland and veteran forward Drew Gooden to the Clippers and Los Angeles will send forward Al Thornton to Washington and guard Sebastian Telfair to the Cavaliers to complete the deal.

Cleveland had been in discussions with the Suns for the last several days about the Cavaliers picking up Phoenix All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire before the NBA trade deadline. Cleveland reportedly had a deal on the table that would have sent Phoenix the veteran center Ilgauskas along with Hickson; a second year player that the Cavaliers really did not want to lose. The deal that they completed will still give the team an elite big man without having to lose Hickson a player the team believes has great upside. Instead Cleveland will give up their Number One pick in the upcoming NBA Draft a selection that should be at or near the end of the first round. 

The deal is the second major trade for the Wizards and the Clippers in less than a week. Saturday the Wizards completed a seven player deal with the Dallas Mavericks that sent Dallas forward Caron Butler, center Spencer Haywood and guard DeShawn Stevenson in return for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, James Singleton and Quinton Ross. Tuesday the Clippers sent veteran big man Marcus Camby to the Portland Trail Blazers to fill the pivot spot for them for the rest of the season. The Blazers traded guard Steve Blake and forward Travis Outlaw to the Clippers for the veteran who is the second leading rebounder in the NBA this year. Reports are also that the Trail-Blazers also sent Los Angeles $1.5 million and will pay Camby $2 million in incentives for the rest of the season.

The trade gives Cleveland a proven talent in Jamison that along with reigning NBA MVP LeBron James and veteran center Shaquille  O’Neal gives the club a very formidable front line. Jamison now in his twelfth season in the Association has averaged 20.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season for the Wizards. There is speculation that Washington could waive the veteran Ilgauskas which would then allow him 30 days after he clears waivers  to sign a deal with the Cavaliers for the rest of the season.

In many ways New York Vinnie sees this deal as a better fit for Cleveland than the trade with Phoenix would have been. The Cavaliers will have Jamison under contract for the next two seasons which should be enough to alleviate any lingering doubts that Cavaliers star LeBron James would have about signing an extension with Cleveland this Summer. They also get to hold onto a player they really like in Hickson and most likely will not be giving up a whole lot with the draft pick.

The deal gives James a veteran running mate for two seasons after this and if Jamison does decide that this is indeed his final contract it will open up  a salary slot that could bring in another quality player.

Most years as the NBA Trade Deadline approaches one starts to hear all sorts of rumors of deals that are on the verge of being completed. And most years that deadline goes by without those deals happening; in fact there are many years that it truly is a non-event. Well this season has been the exception to the rule with the Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards completing a block-buster deal on Saturday. With the addition of Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood to the Mavericks they became a more formidable opponent.

Tuesday the “Associated Press” reported that the Portland Trail Blazers have responded with a big deal of their own as they have acquired veteran big man Marcus Camby from the Los Angeles Clippers to fill the pivot spot for them for the rest of the season. The Blazers traded guard Steve Blake and forward Travis Outlaw to the Clippers for the veteran who is the second leading rebounder in the NBA this year. Reports are also that the Trail-Blazers also sent Los Angeles $1.5 million and will pay Camby $2 million in incentives for the rest of the season.

Portland General Manager Kevin Pritchard told reporters “We are very excited to bring an experienced big man of Marcus’ caliber to the team and we feel he’ll help us a great deal down the stretch run. He’s a fierce competitor and has been one of the league’s best defensive players for quite some time.”

New York Vinnie sees this as a total win/win situation for the Blazers in this deal. They get a legitimate presence in the middle in the veteran Camby who on a bad Clippers team is averaging 12.1 rebounds along with 7.7 points per game this season. Camby can score more if Portland needs him to; but the reason they are picking him up is the way he cleans the Frickin glass. This is what Blazers coach Nate McMillen wanted from “MR. RICKETS” starting center Greg Oden before he was lost for the season due to injury.

It also gets rid of a controversy that has hung over this team all season; Andre Miller or Steve Blake as the starter at point guard. New York Vinnie has told you all season that Andre Miller was not brought in to sit on the Frickin bench. It is all well and good that Brandon Roy and Blake had good chemistry on the floor but Miller can take this team to a level that Blake is not capable of. This now rids the team of that problem and helps them in an area of need. You can not ask for more than that from a deal.

Once again the deck has been re-shuffled and this time it is Portland that seems to be at or near the top of the pile in the Western Conference. Will Camby put this team where New York Vinnie thought it could be at the beginning of Training Camp; a team that is battling for the Conference Finals? Or will yet another move be made to change things yet again? This season you can not rule anything out!

Now This Would Be Frickin Hilarious! However as much as New York Vinnie would love to see this take place not even Frickin Donald Sterling could be this much of a Frickin Half-Wit! A reporter for “FOXSports.com” senior college basketball writer Jeff Goodman is reporting that the Los Angeles Clippers are considering Isiah Thomas to  become the team’s new head coach and General Manager. Former head coach Mike Dunleavy gave up his bench duties on Thursday to according to him devote more of his attention to his front office duties. Clippers Team President Andy Roesser said that Dunleavy was replaced on the bench by assistant coach Kim Hughes because the team needed a “fresh voice.”

The Los Angeles Clippers and Zeke would be enough to possibly to  move the Clippers to Seattle! As bad as that team has been historically they would be shaken to the club’s very Frickin foundation were Thomas to be in charge. This would take Donald Sterling from being one of the worst Team Owners in the history of the NBA to Numero Uno! Even Frickin Sterling could not seriously entertain this as much of a Frickin Imbecile as he is!

Thomas who drove “MY BOYS”  the New York Knicks back to the stone age is currently the head coach of Florida International University in Miami. The team is 7-18 in its first season under Zeke’s guidance.

The “Associated Press” Thursday reported that Mike Dunleavy will no longer be the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers but he will remain with the club as their General Manager. Clippers assistant coach Kim Hughes will  be the interim coach for the remainder of the season. Dunleavy released a statement “I’ve come to the conclusion that this is the ideal time for me to direct my efforts toward the many personnel opportunities that lie before us, such as the trade market, the draft and the free agent process. We fully expect to be active and productive on all those fronts.”

Los Angeles Team President Andy Roeser did not exactly explain the change on the bench the same way Dunleavy did. Roeser told reporters “It just seems clear that the team needs a fresh voice, and we hope that our players will respond in a positive way.As we approach the trade deadline, the NBA draft and the upcoming free agent period, our team is very well-positioned from a salary cap standpoint. Mike’s experienced input will be vitally important as we continue to develop our young talented nucleus and shape our team’s future.”

Now New York Vinnie looks at these two statements and they really don’t look like they are talking about the same situation. Roeser is talking about the team needing a new point of view and Dunleavy is saying that “he” made the move to concentrate on the “important matters.” Which tells New York Vinnie most likely Dunleavy will be gone from the team at the end of the season.

The Los Angeles Clippers could be the unluckiest franchise in all of Professional Sports. If there are two choices the Clippers by nature pick the worst. Even when things should be going totally in their favor something will come up at the last possible second and blow every Frickin thing apart! It is like there is a curse on the team and they just suffered their latest example on Wednesday as the “Associated Press” has reported that the number one pick in last June’s NBA Draft will not get  a chance to play this season.

Blake Griffin will have surgery to repair his left knee-cap according to reports and he will be in rehab for the next four months. Griffin who was a star in the NCAA with the Oklahoma Sooners hurt himself in the Clippers final exhibition game when he landed awkwardly. An MRI showed a stress fracture which doctors thought would heal without a surgical procedure. However when the big man started working out again a few weeks ago he started to experience pain.

The Clippers had put together a pretty impressive string of victories over the last few weeks and Chris Kaman was named NBA Western Conference Player Of The Week last week. But New York Vinnie believes this may take the wind out of their Frickin sails if  you catch my drift. It is one thing to bust your behinds when you see a light at the end of the Frickin tunnel. Los Angeles had that as they thought they would get Griffin back and he could have been that extra push they needed to maybe get to the next level.

Now all of a sudden they find out that Frickin light at the end of the Tunnel was another train heading straight for them.  That certainly is enough to Frickin de-rail you if you catch New York Vinnie’s meaning. Will this now put Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy in more jeopardy than he would have been had Griffin been healthy?

Had Griffin started playing he would have been on what they call an accelerated learning curve leaving cause for keeping things at the status quo. New York Vinnie is wondering if Team Owner Donald Sterling may look at this as a good opportunity to let a new coach such as Byron Scott or Avery Johnson establish a system for the team?

There were reports earlier in the season that there was a rift between Sterling and Dunleavy; some went as far as stating that once Dunleavy lost to the Boston Celtics last month he would be fired. However the Clippers won that game and they also defeated their inter-city rivals  the Lakers. That seemed to be enough to get Dunleavy to when the rookie Griffin would make his debut. Now that the situation has changed will the perspective remain what it was? New York Vinnie can only say this; when it comes to the Clippers anything is possible.

When did the inmates take over the NBA asylum? It’s the New Year and I awaken hung over to the “New York Post” headline “NBA Gun Play” as Agent Zero drew a gun on his teammate. This is just one of the oddities. Last week our other crazy Ron Artest fell up the steps then changed his tune and said he fell on concrete. The kicker? He can’t even remember what happened.

Seems that Ron may have had a bit too much to drink and blacked out. Now Artest isn’t playing due to a concussion and it’s a sure thing that Arenas will not be playing in the association in the near future. I’m afraid I’ll wake up tomorrow and Al Harrington will be running around NYC naked drinking a bottle of Hennessy with Dennis Rodman in a dress. I’m sure New York Vinnie would love to write about that!  

The NBA is becoming the laughing stock of the four professional sports. I feel like the NBA is becoming the romper room of death.Why is it that David Stern isn’t speaking up? If you don’t look you can’t speak David. Take your head out of your keister and lay down the law. Take control of your league so that the “basketball purists” get back to debating the amazing play of the Suns and Lakers.

The Suns are on a role starting the New Year with 21 wins (only 4 wins away from the Lakers). They unloaded Shaq and went back to the system that D’Antoni perfected (and is failing at implementing in NYC). Add that to MVP candidate Steve Nash and we have a contender. Not a championship caliber team but a legit 3 seed out of the West. They score a league leading 110 PPG. The drawback as usual is that they give up 105 PPG.

The Lakers score 104 PPG and only give up 97 PPG. Better yet look at the Spurs who score 102 PPG and only give up 96 PPG. Leopards don’t change their spots. Alvin Gentry has them back in contention. Without defense they will not win the big dance but they will be a blast to watch. Though with Nash playing the way he is and the resurgence of Amare they are back to their 2004 glory.

The biggest change is a constant up tempo style with spot on 3 point shooting from Steve Nash, Channing Frye and Jarred Dudley. Frye is 9th in the NBA with a .442 three point percentage. Dudley is first with a .505 three point percentage. It doesn’t hurt that Nash is 12th in three point percentage at .433 and 1st in assists at 11 per game.

I love two types of ball. 1) ALL OFFENSE ALL THE TIME like the traditional Suns and 2) ALL DEFENSE like Larry Brown coached team (aka the Bobcats) or the current version of the Celtics and Spurs. There is nothing better in professional basketball then those styles clashing.

I’m rooting for a Celtics/Suns NBA Finals. Though the odds of this are remote I yearn for this. I’m tired of the Lakers dominating the NBA. Without Ron Artest the Lakers struggle. How can this team repeat as the champions when they lose one player? Not even their superstar. They definitely don’t have the heart of the Rockets.

The Rockets don’t have any superstars and they are 20-13. They are winning with players like Chuck Hayes, Aaron Brooks, Trevor Ariza, and Shane Battier. They are a gritty team of role players that play great defense with clutch shooting. They bought into the Rick Adelman system. Adelman is the most unrated coach in the NBA. Heck they are playing so well Tracy McGrady will be moved. I give the Rockets organization mad props.

As I move through my random reflection of basketball purism how can I leave out my favorite rent a coach of all time…Larry Brown! Brown and MJ have shaped the Bobcats into a playoff team. They will sneak in as a 7 or 8 seed. The Stephen Jackson acquisition was a great move. They have the best defense in the NBA only giving up 92.5 PPG. But their offense is only scoring 91.7 PPG. Stephen Jackson may turn into the Allen Iverson of the 76ers in 2001.

Obviously he won’t be as successful because the puzzle pieces Brown has don’t quite fit. S-Jax isn’t as prolific as AI. S-Jax is 27th in the NBA in scoring at 18.4 PPG. By the time the Playoffs role around he will be in the top 15 in scoring. S-Jax does have a bit more help then AI had in 2001 with the presence of Gerald Wallace (who averages 17.9 PPG). If anyone can keep the egos of S-Jax and Wallace together it is Larry Brown. He has had plenty of practice over the years.

As I wrap up my random thoughts of the New Year I wonder if the LA Clippers will ever get it together. How Mike Dunleavy keeps his job is a mystery to me. That team has so much talent yet they always underachieve. Even with an older Baron Davis they have so many promising players with Kaman, Butler, Thorton, and Gordon. If they don’t get it together when Blake Griffin finally gets back on the court Dunleavy better get the pink slip. I guarantee you if Byron Scott could get this team in the playoffs. He was fired for a lot less then Mike Dunleavy. Mike you’re on notice. Get the job done or get a packing out of LA…you’re stealing money!