Untitled Page

Los Angeles Clippers News

K-mart to sign with Clippers, meet Nuggets
February 4
Denver Post
 
"Well this could be weird. Imagine the Nuggets, needing a basket late in the game, but being stymied on the defensive end by Kenyon Martin. It could happen. Denver's longtime defensive stopper is going to join the Clippers as a free agent. Denver plays the Clippers in L.A. on Feb. 22 and at home April 18. The Martin signing is an important one for the Clippers as they try to establish themselves in unlikely territory — among the top teams in the Western Conference. The longtime Nuggets power forward returned from playing in China and chose the Clippers and close friend Chauncey Billups, a former teammate with Denver. The Nuggets weren't in contention to re-sign the unrestricted free agent."
Clippers ink Kenyon Martin to one-year deal
February 4
L.A. Daily News
 
"The Clippers filled a glaring need in the frontcourt Friday by agreeing to a contract with veteran free agent power forward Kenyon Martin. The one-year deal, believed to be worth the mini mid-level exception of $2.5 million, is pending Martin passing a physical. Martin had been playing with the Xinjiang Tigers in China but was allowed out of a season-long contract with the club when FIBA, which oversees international basketball, stepped in on his behalf. In doing so, the 6-9 forward was free to sign with any team in the NBA, and the Clippers, who need help behind center DeAndre Jordan and power forward Blake Griffin, immediately showed interest."
Clippers sign Kenyon Martin to one-year deal
February 4
Los Angeles Times
 
"The first call Kenyon Martin received came from former Denver Nuggets teammate Chauncey Billups, telling the 6-foot-9 power forward that the Clippers would be a nice fit. Then Clippers All-Star Chris Paul called Martin, reiterating that the Clippers would love to have his services. This all came around the same time Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro and vice president of basketball operations Neil Olshey had met with Martin to express the team's interest. Martin apparently was sold, because on Friday he signed a one-year, mini mid-level contract for $2.5 million to play for the Clippers. Del Negro said Martin will provide the Clippers with quality depth in the frontcourt off the bench to help"
Kendrick Perkins doesn't regret being on receiving end of Blake Griffin's dunk
February 3
The Oklahoman
 
"If Kendrick Perkins could do it over, he wouldn't change a thing. Despite winding up on the wrong end of what many have been deemed the 'Dunk of the Year," Perkins would challenge Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin again if he needed to. And again and again and again. "It happens. At the end of the day, if you're a shot blocker, you're going to get dunked on," Perkins said. "It was a great play that he made. Obviously, I wish I wasn't in it. But it was a great play that he made." Of course, what's flown under the radar from the play that is still being talked about four days later is that Perkins made one, too. But that's been overlooked in the millions of YouTube hits, countless"
Clippers' four-game winning streak ends with a thud against Nuggets
February 3
Los Angeles Times
 
"A wet blanket dousing a roaring fire — that's one way to describe the Clippers' 112-91 loss to Denver on Thursday. The Clippers had been in the midst of a season-high four-game winning streak, having achieved three of their most impressive wins yet, and their meeting with Denver came on a night of historically good news: Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were named starters for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star game, becoming the first Clippers to start an All-Star game in 32 years."
Calling All-Stars in Los Angeles
February 3
Los Angeles Times
 
"The Clippers were so nonchalant about Blake Griffin and Chris Paul being chosen to start for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star game that you'd almost think it happens every day. Public-address announcer David Courtney made a quick proclamation to the crowd before Thursday's 112-91 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center, drawing a swell of applause that was lost in the buildup to the opening tipoff."
Bryant, Bynum, Paul and Griffin lead All-Star picks
February 3
Los Angeles Times
 
"It's an L.A. All-Star team all right. The NBA announced today on TNT the starters for its All-Star game and the West squad is full of Lakers and Clippers. The West team's starting five, based on fan voting, are: guards Kobe Bryant (Lakers) and Chris Paul (Clippers), forwards Blake Griffin (Clippers) and Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City), and center Andrew Bynum (Lakers)."
Nuggets dominate in L.A. as Gallinari, Lawson lead the way
February 3
Denver Post
 
"Lob City was more like a library. In Thursday's fourth quarter, with the Clippers trailing by 20, they tried to pull out all the stops during a timeout — the pump-up music, the T-shirt tosses, the dance team jumping up and down — and the residents of said city were quiet, as if they were studying for finals. How about those Nuggets? Denver had lost two straight, including the first one to these very Clippers on Sunday, but on Thursday they slapped around the home team, 112-91, defeating Chris Paul and Blake Griffin on the day both were named all-star starters."
Kenyon Martin cleared to return to NBA
February 2
Yahoo! Sports
 
"In a surprising turn of events, the governing body of international basketball – FIBA – has granted free agent Kenyon Martin his letter of clearance to immediately return to the NBA, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Martin has visited with several teams interested in signing him, including Atlanta on Thursday, and will huddle with agent Andy Miller in New York over the weekend to reach a decision. The Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat are leaders for Martin, but the Hawks, Lakers, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs remain in pursuit of him. New York has faded from contention in recent weeks, sources said, because of more pressing guard needs."
Chris Paul slices and dices Jazz in 107-105 win
February 2
The Deseret News
 
"Where's Deron Williams when you need him? Wherever the New Jersey Nets are right now is the answer, of course. The Utah Jazz, who've fared fine without him this season, sure could have used the All-Star point guard on Wednesday night in a 107-105 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Two weeks after blowing out the Clippers with Chris Paul on the sideline injured, the Jazz got sliced and diced by elite playmaker who used to struggle mightily against D-Will."
Harrington hopes Nuggets have a sense of urgency beginning tonight vs. Clippers
February 2
Denver Post
 
"Al Harrington's voice — so deep, so smooth, so serious — makes Barry White sound like Betty White. When Harrington speaks, there's a resonance of importance. So, after the Nuggets lost Sunday's heartbreaker to the Los Angeles Clippers, Harrington's strong voice made his strong words echo. "I still feel," he said from the losing locker room, "that we're the better team." Better than the Clippers? Who have Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler, plus top sixth-man candidate Mo Williams and up-and-coming center DeAndre Jordan?"
Veteran Chauncey Billups is keeping up with young Clippers
February 2
Los Angeles Times
 columnist Bill Dwyre
"With his name, Chauncey Billups should be leading Parliament, not fastbreaks. It turns out there is no mystery to the very British-sounding label placed on him at birth. "My mom just liked the sound of it," he says. Clippers fans do too. This is already the season of their dreams, with continuing fulfillment appearing likely."
Clippers finally salt one away, 107-105
February 2
Los Angeles Times
 
"Stop that beat. The Clippers have finally won a game here, finally walking away with a smile instead of a frown, escaping with a 107-105 victory over the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutons Arena on Wednesday night. With Chris Paul playing the role of conductor, Blake Griffin providing the power, Mo Williams being the supersub and the team making free throws down the stretch, the Clippers won a game in Salt Lake City for the first time since Jan. 22, 2003. They had lost 16 in row here, including last month's 108-79 spanking."
Sources: Clippers are willing to offer Kenyon Martin mini mid-level exception of $2.5 million
February 2
Los Angeles Times
 
"Count the Clippers as one of the many teams still trying to get free-agent power forward Kenyon Martin, according to two people not authorized to speak publicly on the situation. Martin recently met with Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro and Neil Olshey, the team's vice president of basketball operations, to gauge his interest in playing for the team, both people said. The Clippers would be willing to offer Martin the mini mid-level exception of $2.5 million, though they haven't made him an offer yet, one person said."
Paul, Williams help Clippers earn rare win in Utah
February 2
The Deseret News
 
"The dandy little guard duo of Chris Paul and Mo Williams both missed the Los Angeles Clippers' last game against the Utah Jazz a couple of weeks ago with injuries. And the Clippers' outstanding young power forward, Blake Griffin, wound up taking a back seat that same night in his personal matchup with Utah counterpart Paul Millsap. That contest turned out to be no-contest at all, as the Jazz manhandled the Clippers in a 29-point beatdown, 108-79."
Kevin Durant disses Blake Griffin dunk
February 2
ESPN.com
 
"Not everyone is so fired up about Blake Griffin's dunk over Oklahoma City big man Kendrick Perkins on Monday. The Clippers star went down the lane, elevated, made contact with Perkins and then threw the ball down into the basket, the fingers on his outstretched hand grazing the rim. The play has been the talk of the league. "I have no appreciation for it at all," said Perkins' Thunder teammate Kevin Durant. "It was a layup, I think. He threw the ball in and got fouled and made his free throw, so it was three points at the end of the day, no matter how it happened, how it went in the basket. I really wasn't impressed. He finished it. So what? We've moved on.""
Utah awaits Blake Griffin, Pacific-leading Clippers
February 1
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"The Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin flew into Salt Lake City on Tuesday, presumably aboard an airplane. During a 112-100 win over Oklahoma City on Monday night, Griffin created a league-wide sensation with a high-flying monster dunk against the Thunder's Kendrick Perkins. What did Paul Millsap think of Griffin's dunk? "What everybody else thinks," he said, laughing. "It was amazing, the courage he showed to even try something like that.""
Blake Griffin's dunk launches larger Clippers' discussion
February 1
Los Angeles Times
 
"It was the stuff of legends, but then again Blake Griffin's dunking exploits already are legendary and they just continue to grow by leaps and bounds. Just ask Oklahoma City center Kendrick Perkins, who was on the receiving end of such a furious tomahawk dunk by Griffin during the Clippers-Thunder game Monday that it set the Twitter and YouTube world on a viral blaze. But before that dunk is analyzed, there is a burning question to ask: Are the Clippers that good?"
Kenyon Martin deciding which contender to join
February 1
Yahoo! Sports
 
"Kenyon Martin is expected to decide by this weekend which NBA team he'll join, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks have expressed interest in signing the veteran forward. Martin signed with Xinjiang Gyang Hui of the Chinese Basketball Association, but has since returned to the United States. He's not eligible to sign with an NBA team until Xinjiang's season ends, which could be as soon as Feb. 16. "He's a veteran guy who knows how to win at a high level and in a playoff environment," one NBA general manager said. "He also plays multiple positions. If you get him to a situation"
Clippers are exciting, Lakers make folks grouchy
January 31
Los Angeles Times
 columnist T.J. Simers
"I'll get to what all this has to do with the Clippers, Lakers and why you shouldn't get down on yourself for being critical of Page 2 in a moment. On Sunday we went to see "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close." Across the street there was a line of maybe a 100 or more waiting, and that's waiting, to get into a Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour in Brea. It might take that many to drag me inside."
It's Clippers who bring the noise in resounding win over Thunder
January 31
Los Angeles Times
 
"From the looks of things, the Clippers have accepted the challenge that this difficult week might bring. Day 2 of The Gauntlet on Monday night brought the Clippers a showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team with the best record in the NBA and two of the league's top young stars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. And it didn't turn out to be much of a problem for the Clippers, not with six of them scoring in double figures and Blake Griffin putting on another dunk show during their 112-100 victory over the Thunder at Staples Center."
Nuggets' six-game winning streak ended by Clippers
January 30
Denver Post
 
"The postgame L.A. Clippers locker room had an old Nuggets feel to it. There, in the center, was Chauncey Billups, always the man of the moment in the Mile High City. Around him were all of the familiar media faces peppering him with questions about another night, another big shot, another big victory. Only, this time, he left his old team with all the questions while he provided answers Sunday night. In his first game back since being traded, Billups was every bit Mr. Big Shot as he and Chris Paul took over in the fourth quarter to outlast the Nuggets 109-105 at the Pepsi Center."
Chauncey Billups still acts like a winner
January 30
Denver Post
 columnist Woody Paige
"The Nuggets needed a miracle in the final seconds Sunday night. But Chauncey Billups was playing for the other team. And Tim Tebow was sitting in the front row. Billups, Mr. Big Shot, wouldn't help the Nuggets in his comeback, and Mr. Big Play, Tebow, couldn't help the Nuggets come back. In his return home, Chauncey flopped. Literally. He should have majored in theater at George Washington High School. With time running down, the Nuggets, trailing the Clippers by two, got what seemed like the ideal situation — the 6-foot-11 Nene guarded by Billups, 8 inches shorter. The two old friends and new foes were isolated about 15 feet from the basket."
Clippers look game for the week with 109-105 victory at Denver
January 30
Los Angeles Times
 
"This is a week that could test the Clippers' resolve, demonstrating whether they are mentally and physically capable of playing five games in seven days and finding success. On the first night of this harrowing march, on a day when Chauncey Billups returned home to face a Denver team that has traded him twice, the Clippers stood tall in pulling out a 109-105 victory Sunday night at the Pepsi Center. They did so because Billups was outstanding in scoring a season-high 32 points, because Chris Paul had 13 of his 25 points and four of his seven assists in the fourth quarter, and because DeAndre Jordan made a clutch late-game free throw to go along with his 13 rebounds, five blocked shots and"
Clippers' Chauncey Billups gets warm welcome in Denver
January 30
Los Angeles Times
 
"Chauncey Billups was back home, back where he went to high school, in the same state where he went to college, at the University of Colorado, back facing the Denver Nuggets team that traded him twice. And he put on a show, scoring a season-high 32 points on 11-for-20 shooting, six for 12 from three-point range. Billups was a part of the Carmelo Anthony trade that sent them to the New York Knicks on Feb. 22, 2011, a deal that the 15-year veteran wasn't too happy about."
As Clippers visit Nuggets, finally time to give regards to Billups
January 29
Denver Post
 
"When Masai Ujiri was hired as the Nuggets' executive director of basketball operations in the summer of 2010, his first order of business was to connect with the player who had recently taught the team how to win big. Chauncey Billups. So Ujiri flew to Turkey, where Billups was playing as part of the U.S. team in the FIBA World Championship. "I got the job at that time," Ujiri said. "And he was the first person I went to see." And why not? One leader was going to spend time with another. Billups' return to the Nuggets in 2008 resulted in a run to the Western Conference finals as the former George Washington High and Colorado star provided the team the proper tools for success."
Chauncey Billups has reached out to Kenyon Martin
January 29
Los Angeles Times
 
"Kenyon Martin to the Clippers? Chauncey Billups would like to see that happen. In fact, the Clippers' veteran guard said Saturday that he has reached out to the free-agent forward, a former teammate of his in Denver, about signing with the Clippers. What are Martin's thoughts about doing so? "I'll let him tell y'all that," Billups said with a smile. Asked about reports that the Clippers are one of a handful of teams that have contacted Martin, Coach Vinny Del Negro declined to go into specifics. "Kenyon is an experienced guy that knows how to play, can play some [power forward], play some [center]," Del Negro said. "He brings a lot of athleticism …" Del Negro neither confirmed nor denied"
Chris Paul says hamstring 'feels great'
January 28
Los Angeles Times
 
"Sidelined with a strained left hamstring for five games this month, Chris Paul had plenty of time to observe the Clippers from their bench and perhaps see a new side of his team. What did the star guard's observations yield? Not much. "Just how bad I wanted to get back out there," Paul said Thursday after the team's 98-91 win against Memphis. Since returning, he's played in two games and said his hamstring "feels great." Paul, who had 18 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in 35 minutes against Memphis, also said he's working with the trainers to tend to that hamstring properly. "I don't want to miss anymore games," he said. He hasn't shot well in either of his two games back from"
Sources: 5 teams eye Kenyon Martin
January 28
ESPN.com
 
"The Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks are pursuing free-agent forward Kenyon Martin, according to league sources. Martin has spoken with executives from each of the clubs and is hoping to make his decision next week. The veteran of 11 NBA seasons will be eligible to sign and begin playing with a team as soon as the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers complete their season in the Chinese Basketball Association. Martin signed a $2.6 million deal with Xinjiang during the lockout, but left the team in late December in hopes of returning to the NBA. The CBA's rules, however, prohibit him from joining an NBA team until Xinjiang's season ends,"
Mo Williams makes the most of his time with Clippers
January 27
Los Angeles Times
 columnist Helene Elliott
"This isn't the way Clippers guard Mo Williams hoped his season would go, coming off the bench and being a sparkplug instead of a starter. But this is his role now, coming off the bench amid a glut of guards and seizing those moments with all of his considerable talent. He has been doing it well, biting his tongue and biding his time and excelling in a difficult situation. "I feel good. I always feel pretty good," he said Thursday before the Clippers' 98-91 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center. "If I play enough minutes I'll play well.""
The Clippers need to tone it down
January 27
Los Angeles Times
 columnist Bill Plaschke
"The Clippers need to chill. The Clippers need to stop acting like some young new movie star who feels it necessary to prove his street cred by trashing hotel rooms and tossing bouncers. So far this season, the Clippers are the best team in Los Angeles and one of the best teams in the NBA's Western Conference, a talented and energetic group, legitimate contenders who could play deep into spring. Now they need to start behaving like it. Now that they are in the process of erasing the traditional Clippers jinx off their resume, they need to lose the traditional Clippers chip off their shoulder and stop turning Lob City into Lob Alley."
Clippers hold off Grizzlies despite Rudy Gay's 24 points
January 27
Memphis Commercial Appeal
 
"Both teams were scrappy. Both teams exhibited all-out hustle. To borrow a phrase from retired NBA big man Rasheed Wallace, both teams played hard. The Grizzlies' 98-91 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night in Staples Center had a playoff feel. Or it was at least a show of two teams eager to carve out a place in an ultra-competitive Western Conference. There were 19 lead changes and 14 ties as the Griz dropped their second straight game after winning seven in a row. The Griz also suffered a third consecutive loss to the Clippers. Rudy Gay, who has averaged 21.1 points on 52.6-percent shooting in 15 games against the Clippers, led the Griz with 24 points; Marc Gasol had 18"
Clippers hold off Grizzlies despite Rudy Gay's 24 points
January 27
Memphis Commercial Appeal
 
"Both teams were scrappy. Both teams exhibited all-out hustle. To borrow a phrase from retired NBA big man Rasheed Wallace, both teams played hard. The Grizzlies' 98-91 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night in Staples Center had a playoff feel. Or it was at least a show of two teams eager to carve out a place in an ultra-competitive Western Conference. There were 19 lead changes and 14 ties as the Griz dropped their second straight game after winning seven in a row. The Griz also suffered a third consecutive loss to the Clippers."
Lakers and Clippers rivals now
January 26
ESPN.com
 
"The conversation didn't involve him. The game was long since over. Only the final score was in doubt. But Chris Paul wasn't about to walk away. Not without letting Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and whoever else was still watching the Lakers' 96-91 win over the Clippers on Wednesday night know that his team still had something to say. The Lakers may have won the second installment of what is clearly going to be a heated city rivalry for years to come, but this ain't over. It's not even tabled until the next time these two teams play April 4. It's just getting started. "They got us tonight," Paul said with a little wink. "But we'll get them again later." Paul isn't the first Clippers player to give"
Chris Paul and Pau Gasol trade barbs
January 26
ESPN.com
 
"If the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers didn't have a rivalry before Wednesday night, they certainly appear to have one now. After Clippers forward Blake Griffin fouled Lakers forward Pau Gasol with 1.1 seconds remaining in the Lakers' 96-91 win, Clippers guard Chris Paul tried to grab the ball from Gasol's hands as the two began jawing at one another. Gasol and Paul continued to talk while Lakers guard Kobe Bryant got in front of the two as Gasol walked to the free throw line. Before Gasol stepped to the line, he smiled and put his hand on top of Paul's head. Paul immediately shoved Gasol's hand away and tapped Gasol on his head. "He tried to touch the top of my head. I don't"
Memphis Grizzlies, L.A. Clippers no longer doormats
January 26
Memphis Commercial Appeal
 
"For a snapshot of just how this season already has the NBA turned upside down look no further than Staples Center. The Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers share the Hollywood arena but have always been miles apart in talent, expectations and success. But the Lakers' stronghold on the city is waning as the upstart Clippers have suddenly become the toast of the town. Consider this: Both teams met last night with the Clippers leading the Pacific Division while the Lakers sat outside the playoff standings."
In Lakers-Clippers rivalry, intense times come to L.A.
January 26
Los Angeles Times
 
"Lakers-Clippers rivalry? Are you kidding? This is now officially a street fight. It used to be all that mattered when the Clippers played the Lakers was whether Jack Nicholson bothered to show. No more. This one clearly mattered. By the final period, there threatened to be more technical fouls and near-fights than basketball plays. The basketball wasn't that bad, either. Spectacular, actually, if you are measuring intensity. The Lakers will measure it any way you want. Led by that old hand, Kobe Bryant, they prevailed in a rough and rugged fourth period to win, 96-91."
Lakers have the right attitude against Clippers
January 26
Los Angeles Times
 
"It was a funny time for a playoff feeling with a handful of days left in January, but the calendar was suddenly flipped several months ahead Wednesday at Staples Center. The Lakers pushed and pulled, defending the territory they worked so hard to build over the decades, suddenly dragged out of their season-long stupor by the Clippers. Then they won, 96-91, with unlikely heroes in Metta World Peace, Andrew Goudelock and, yes, the slumping Pau Gasol, who rediscovered his game."
Lakers rookie Andrew Goudelock contributes against the Clippers
January 26
Los Angeles Times
 
"Moving quickly from rookie to rookie, the Lakers' search for help at point guard took another turn Wednesday. Andrew Goudelock was in, Darius Morris was out. Goudelock looked as if he belonged, scoring 12 points through three quarters as a reserve against the Clippers at Staples Center. He finished with 14 points. He struggled a bit on defense, getting beaten a couple of times by veteran Mo Williams, but it was a solid night for a second-round selection from last year's draft. Goudelock had totaled 10 points in his previous 10 appearances."
Chris Paul is back on the court for Clippers
January 26
Los Angeles Times
 
"For Chris Paul and the Clippers, the wait was finally over, the speculation about when he would play coming to an end Wednesday night against the Lakers. Paul started at point guard, his first time playing after sitting out the last five games because of a strained left hamstring. Paul practiced Tuesday, then worked out at the team's shoot-around Wednesday morning and again at Staples Center a few hours before the game. Paul had wanted to play sooner, but Coach Vinny Del Negro didn't want to rush back the All-Star guard."
It's serious times for Lakers and Clippers
January 25
Los Angeles Times
 
"Pau Gasol said Tuesday the Clippers must be taken "very seriously." He wasn't joking. A month ago, there would have been a few chuckles. A year ago, people would have doubled over with laughter. Not any longer. The teams meet again Wednesday in a designated Lakers home game, with the Clippers atop the Pacific Division and the Lakers 10th in the Western Conference. It's far too premature to call this a rivalry. Or is it? "I think it was always a rivalry but now that they have opportunities to win games against us, it's, like, something else," Lakers center Andrew Bynum said."
Chris Paul's return to Clippers remains undetermined
January 24
Los Angeles Times
 
"The plan after the Clippers' game Sunday was for Coach Vinny Del Negro to work out point guard Chris Paul on Monday and test his strained left hamstring to determine when the All-Star might actually return. Plenty of signs point to Paul's coming back Wednesday night to face the Lakers in their designated home game at Staples Center. Del Negro wouldn't make any guarantees about Paul's return, and there was no practice Monday or a medical update on the Clippers star."
Raptors jump back into the fire
January 23
Toronto Sun
 
"If you're being honest with yourself, you can't say you didn't see this coming. The season is not quite a month old and the Raptors are in the midst of a six-game losing streak that could grow to 12 if the Raps don't catch a break or two. That's not criticism, that's the reality of the 2011-12 NBA season. Even to suggest the possibility of a 12-game skid is admittedly harsh, but it's not completely out of the realm of possibility in the Raptors' current circumstances."
Toronto Raptors lose eighth straight after falling 103-91 to Los Angeles Clippers
January 23
Toronto Star
 
"Dwane Casey had a flight to Phoenix during which to stew and think and he'll have a practice Monday afternoon to watch and listen. And if he continues to see things he detests in the actions of his Raptors, more change is afoot for a struggling team that has now lost eight straight games. "We've got to evaluate everything," the coach said in the wake of yet another disheartening capitulation, this one a 103-91 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers here on Sunday afternoon."
Rejuvenated Clippers textbook example of how to build winner
January 23
Toronto Star
 columnist Doug Smith
"One of the newest Los Angeles Clippers was sitting at his locker Sunday before his team went out and hammered the Raptors and the conversation got around, as it always does when the topic is the Clippers these days, to the rejuvenation of a moribund franchise. It was a comparison to the dark old days, when the team was a laughingstock and an afterthought, when the Clippers were very much the other team in the City of Angels."
CLIPPERS 103, TORONTO 91: Clippers show no signs of hangover from Timberwolves' defeat
January 23
L.A. Daily News
 
"L.A. shakes off bad loss, methodically takes care of Toronto enough to give key stars rest. Well, that's one way to avoid losing to an inferior team on a last-second shot. Less than 48 hours after gift-wrapping a win to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Clippers were back on the floor Sunday afternoon at Staples Center. Making quick work of the Toronto Raptors in a 103-91 win doesn't so much make up for Friday's loss as it does replace it in the Clippers' short-term memory bank. Instead of dwelling on an inability to put away a beatable team, the Clippers took satisfaction in methodically building a big lead against the Raptors and holding on to it."
Mo Williams leads the Clippers past Toronto, 103-91
January 23
Los Angeles Times
 
"The pain in Mo Williams' right foot surfaced toward the end of training camp last month, becoming more intense as the regular season progressed through January, finally forcing the Clippers guard to shut it down for three games. Since his return from a sore foot, Williams has been playing as if he has been possessed, seemingly making every shot he takes, making plays for the Clippers in the last three games that have been needed with Chris Paul sitting out his fifth consecutive game Sunday because of a strained left hamstring. Williams was at it again Sunday during the Clippers' 103-91 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center. He scored 26 points, his third straight game scoring"
Clippers are cautious with Chris Paul's injury
January 23
Los Angeles Times
 
"Chris Paul has been working out, doing a lot of drills, testing his strained left hamstring to see whether it is ready to cooperate. But Paul wasn't ready to play Sunday, sitting out his fifth consecutive game, this time against the Toronto Raptors. Coach Vinny Del Negro said Paul worked out Saturday at practice and that the All-Star guard "feels great." But Del Negro said the "smart, prudent thing to do" was to not rush Paul back."
Chris Paul may return from hamstring injury Sunday versus Raptors
January 22
Los Angeles Times
 
"Chris Paul's strained left hamstring has sidelined him for four games, but the guard could make his return Sunday when the Clippers play host to the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center. Coach Vinny Del Negro said after practice Saturday that Paul completed a battery of basketball-related activities, including shooting, conditioning, stretching and lifting weights, and that he looked good. Paul had completed many of the same drills Friday, and he performed well enough then that the Clippers upped his workload on Saturday and he performed even better, making it likely that he'll play Sunday. Still, the decision will be made during Sunday morning's workout, Del Negro said. "If he does [play],"