Two Sides to the Clipper Darrell Saga

For the most part our site has refrained from talking much about Clipper Darrell. To be honest, we were never the hugest fans of his. Allow staff writer Vince Robbins to explain...

Clipper Darrell has been a fan of the Clippers for a decade and a half, a season ticket holder for most of that time, and is easily recognizable as THE Clipper fan, wearing the red & blue suit and chanting "Let's Go Clippers, Let's Go!" His bit was a lot of fun, until, as long time Clipper fans ourselves, we got to know Clipper Darrell a little bit better. Not that we became personal friends with him, but after observing him over the years (including a few personal interactions), he just didn't seem as awesome as we first first thought he was.

There was a period a few years back when Darrell went from quirky, staunchly devoted super-fan to spammy, branded character-for-hire. His website, his Facebook, his Twitter, his events...they all just got to be too much. Some of us de-friended him on Facebook, or at least threatened to under our breath on often occasion (gotta love the passive aggressive de-friend move - very 9th grade girl). It wasn't fun anymore when you were getting constant status updates, messages, and event invites to all of these things that seemed unnaturally, and overbearingly, sales-ish. It became clear that he was firing on all profiteering cylinders and monetizing the Clipper Darrell image at every turn.

Blake Show or The Love Boat

This Tuesday, the Clippers have a chance to re-do that heartbreaking last-second loss to the Timberwolves earlier this season. At 17-17, the Timberwolves are not exactly the biggest threat in the west, but they're reminiscent of last years Clippers; they are youthful, exciting to watch, and can potentially take down any team at any time.

The matchup also provides us, the fans, with something special: the chance to watch a head-to-head matchup of arguably the best two power forwards in the game, whose combined talents would leave almost nothing to criticize in a single player.

I'm going to take you through a few categories, both on and off the court, to see how Blake and K-Lo match up against each other. For the sake of keeping it fresh and interesting, I'm going to strictly talk about the 2011-2012 NBA season.

Clippers Alumni Update Part 2

Staff writer Adam Levine takes us through a quick "Where Are They Now?" of Clippers Alumni...


"Jumpin" James Singleton (2005-2007) was a member of the Clippers during their last playoff run. Whenever the team had an injury in the front court, Singleton would not only play, but he would play well. He became a Clipper Nation fan favorite with his aggressive rebounding, defense, and exciting dunks. After bouncing around the league, playing limited minutes in Dallas and Washington, he is finally appreciated in China where he is playing with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. 



Sam Cassell (2005-2008)  was the captain of the team at age 36, and the most clutch player during the playoff run in 2006. After fading away in Boston, Cassel is in his third season as the the Washington Wizards assistant coach. Cassell could be a head coach by the end of the season because the Wizards coach, Flip Saunders, has been fired by the Timberwolves and Pistons despite having stellar rosters (and now the Wizards...big surprise).



What's Baron Saying?

Foreword: Linsanity, as it is not Clipper-related, has been largely avoided on our blog. But, as he is a former Clipper, New York Knick Baron Davis is still fair game...

We've seen it a hundred times. Baron Davis is the type of player who likes to lead. He likes to pull guys aside, into little huddles, and whisper sweet somethings into their ears; possibly they are words of encouragement or strategy.

But with the way Baron's performance has been on the court over the last few years, we have to beg the obvious question: what could Baron possibly be saying in these little pow wows?

"Hey, Tyson, Landry... C'mere. You guys should come to my table tonight, two bottles of Grey Goose, the whole team is coming. You guys down?"


"Pssst.. Jeremy. Look, kid, you're doin' great out there. I'm thinkin' we make a movie out of this thing... Call it 'The Linpire Strikes Back' what do you think? I'm a producer ya know..."


"Look, D'Antoni, no more than 12 minutes tonight, k? I had a huge lunch."


"Allstar weekend is gonna be sick, guys... What? No, I'm not playing, I'm promoting at Pure and Hyde..."


"Guys you should see the contract Li-Ning gave me, y'all are trippin with Nike lol"


"Circle up, guys, circle up tight... Listen... I've only taken 9 shots this quarter. What's the deal fellas?"

China's Vice President Visits LA, Asks to see Clippers Game

This is certainly a sign of the current state of affairs. Yes, you read the title correctly: the Chinese VP has asked Timothy Geithner (of all people) to take him to a Clippers game while he was visiting Los Angeles. Surely the VP knows a bit about basketball, then.

http://www.neontommy.com/news/2012/02/chinas-vice-president-wants-see-clippers-game-settles-lakers-instead

Mark Cuban Doin Work

How does this even happen? Who's getting fired: The producer? The camera man? The reporter? All of the above?

The Best/Worst Game Ever

Saturday night's game against the Charlotte Bobcats wasn't exactly the pinnacle of competitive basketball, but the disparity between the teams made for some good highlights. Definitely worth watching.

Clipper Talk with Blue Chip Blog

Hip to Clipp's very own Adam Levine and Vince Robbins join Blue Chip Blog on their weekly podcast to talk about the Clippers. 

We come in around the 36 minute mark!

A Little Mo' Mo

Staff writer Vince Robbins responds to T.J. Simers' article "Mo Williams hurting himself and Clippers with selfish attitude."

It seems as though Mo Williams slept with T.J. Simers' girlfriend or kidnapped his dog. While this article definitely sheds light on an elephant in the room, I'm not sure that the elephant is quite as woolly, tusked, and dangerous as Simers makes it seem. T.J. is known for being Mr. Negative, and in usual form, for unknown reasons, he clearly has an ax to grind. 

Simers takes Mo's comment, "I just want to know where I stand with the Clippers," to mean that he is only thinking about himself when he should be basking in the fun-loving glory dream land that is the Lob City Clippers. 

"Here I am in the middle of a fairy tale, with the Clippers playing like champions, only to stumble across a stereotypical selfish athlete hell-bent on making a fool of himself."

Clippers with the Magic Touch

Clippers with the... Magic touch. Do you get it? No, but like... Do you get it? Hold on, be right back. We have to register the domain www.LameSportsPuns.com... Okay, back. Moving on...

Clipps added another big road win to their now 15-7 record with a 107-102 overtime victory over the not-too-shabby Orlando Magic. Chris Paul put up 29 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds, in the Clippers 6th win out of 7 games; their second in a row to start off a 6-game road trip. It wasn’t an easy one, as they trailed for most of the game, and had a tough time controlling Superman Howard who dropped 33 points and 14 rebounds. 

Chauncey contributed 18 points, but left the game in the 4th with an Achilles injury that may keep him sidelined for several games. Blake was 6-7 from the free-throw line, a refreshing, albeit atypical occurrence, on his way to a typical 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Admittedly, the Clippers didn’t look great, but a win’s a win, especially on the road. Oh, and especially when it snaps a nine-game losing streak against said opponent. It’s tough games on long road trips that are the downfall of a hot, young team like the “Lob City” Clippers, so this certainly bodes well as far as living up to the hype that they’ve garnered thus far. Apparently Kenyon Martin “joined” the Clippers tonight, but didn’t grace us with his presence on the court quite yet. We wait with bated breath!

Bonus Question: 

Who is the more charming big-man: Deandre or Dwight?

Kenyon Martin Adds Big Man Depth

Staff writer Vince Robbins shares his thoughts on the recent acquisition of forward Kenyon Martin.

"Hey Chauncey... Hey... Chauncey... I'm back."

Clippers, in an expected and highly anticipated move, have signed former All-Star forward Kenyon Martin, filling a glaring gap in their front court. Martin reached a buyout agreement that ended his short-lived semester abroad in China earlier this week, which allowed him to consider the Clippers mini-mid-level exception offer of $2.5 million, as well as offers from the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks. 


Alongside a slew of effective guards, Kenyon Martin brings much-needed backup for Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan. In 9 out of his 11 NBA seasons, and every season in which he's played over 50 games, K-Mart has averaged double-digit points and over 6 rebounds per game. He's also averaged 1+ blocks and 1+ steals in over half of his seasons in the league. To put it simple, the guy is just a solid big man, across the board.

Mr. Big Shot: Chauncey Billups' Alter Ego Scares Me, In a Good Way

Contributed by: Jhony Gutierrez, Writer, http://itcountsandthefoul.com

Billups on Christmas Day, where he made just 3 of 10 3-PT field goals

The standing ovation Chauncey Billups received in Denver appropriately underlined the proven capacity of a tried and true Mr. Big Shot.

Soon after, Billups proceeded to drop 32 points on his former team and hometown. More importantly, it was his consistent ability to hit shot after shot  down the stretch (and from downtown, to boot), in addition to drawing coy fouls, that led to a great Clippers win against a legit Western Conference opponent.

Over time, veterans develop or increase their innate basketball acumen. While practice is a crucial and essential aspect of improving one’s game, it is inherently limited by one's own capacity to understand the game. Michael Jordan, as he aged, continued his domination of opposite players by relying on IQ, instinct, and the combination of both which often led to the tiny exploits that gave him the edge over much younger competitors.

In Billups and Chris Paul we have two highly instinctual students of the game, one on the way to solidifying an all-star career and another in the twilight of such, but still with the ability to drill a dagger into the heart of your team. From downtown.