In this city, the other guys are the toast of the town in basketball. Mobley could get 35 points three nights in a row and the callers to the talk shows and the letter-writers to the newspapers would be asking what Kobe had for breakfast. By the time the spotlight has shined on Kobe and Phil and Lamar and Derek and Pau and Andrew, as well as Mobley's own higher-profile teammates, there is little left for him.
In Los Angeles basketball, Sasha Vujacic's hair net gets more ink and airtime.
Still, those who know the game know that Mobley is a very good player. In 10 seasons in the NBA, the 33-year-old Mobley, a 6-foot-4 guard, has averaged 16.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists. More so, they know he defends -- he was the Clippers' most effective matchup last season against Dallas' 6-foot-11 Dirk Nowitzki. And he is a model of consistency across the categories.
Last season, Mobley reached double figures in scoring 56 times, scored 30 points or more twice and 20 or more seven times. He led the Clippers in scoring seven times, in assists 10 times, in steals 20 times and in blocked shots 10 times.
No records were kept on how many times he swept out the gym afterward.
Coach Mike Dunleavy likes Mobley because, like all coaches, he is one of those hard-to-find unselfish types. "He's one of those guys who is willing to give of himself to win," Dunleavy says.
Bill Dwrye, LA Times
Clippers rookie Mike Taylor shows he's a fast learner
There is the transition from the NBA's Development League to the parent league itself.
Then there's the gulf between rental prices in Milwaukee and Los Angeles.
The latter might be more daunting.
"It's so expensive to live out here," the Clippers' Mike Taylor said Friday. "There's a big difference between [L.A. and] back home in Milwaukee. Rent is extremely low. I mean, $600 a month, that's a reasonable price.
"That would be like a storage space over here."
The speedy 6-foot-2 rookie point guard was talking about transitions, a day after his impressive 20-point performance against the Lakers in his first NBA exhibition game. Of course, it's early, but Taylor has made a significant leap from his summer league performances and his turn last season in the D-League with the Idaho Stampede.
Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy said the team pondered taking him as high as the 35th pick in this year's draft but couldn't pass on DeAndre Jordan when he was there at that spot. The Clippers then acquired the 22-year-old Taylor from Portland in a draft-day deal.
"I fell in love with him," Dunleavy said. "I think a lot of people questioned whether he could play point guard or not. I thought he could do it. He came into summer league and he turned the ball over a lot. Then he came into camp and did a great job.
"As long as you have him understand spacing, he'll get better."
Lisa Dillman, LA Times
A few injury updates...
Camby hurt his heel in Friday's practice. Jordan has been battling shin splints and Paul Davis jammed his finger. He'll be having x-rays taken to make sure that no ligaments were torn.