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Day One of Training Camp - Post Game Report
- When they opened up practice, they were running a three-team, five-on-five, winner's outs sort of thing. If your team scored, you took the ball back the other way at the third team - if you got scored on, you waited on the defensive end until a team came back at you. So you had to get a stop to get the ball, and as long as you kept scoring, you kept playing. Fun.

With Blake Griffin resting his 'sore patellar tendon'

the first unit consisted of Baron, EJ, Thornton, Camby and Kaman; the second unit was Telfair, Butler, Ricky Davis, Smith and DJ; the third unit was everyone else - Collins, Anthony Roberson, Jerel McNeal, Kareem Rush, Novak, Taj Gray and Skinner.

- Lucas went into 'NBA training guru' mode after the practice proper had ended, running all of the threes (Collins, Thornton, Novak, Smith, Butler) through a series of drills. Shoot from this cone, dribble to this cone, pull up shoot, reverse pivot, post up, that sort of thing. As we've said before, he looks like a great addition to the staff.

Steve Perrin, Clips Nation

Training Camp Notes — Day 1
-The Clippers have a 15th roster spot if they’re wowed by Anthony Roberson, Kareem Rush, Taj Gray and Jerel McNeal, the non-roster invitees in camp. “You’re always looking for shooting,” Dunleavy said. If the Clippers do add a 15th player — improbable but not impossible — it would likely be a 2 guard who can fill it up from the outside. Roberson certainly fits that description. The problem with him is that he’s useless once you chase him off the line.

-The staff is bullish on Chris Kaman. “He looks great,” said Dunleavy. “[Clippers assistant coach] John Lucas just said to me, ‘Wow! That guy is really good. He can shoot hooks, jump hooks, left hand, right hand, 18-foot jump shots.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I know. He’s got all the tools.’” For Dunleavy, the challenge with Chris hasn’t changed much since the center’s first day in the league: [1] “One dribble, then make your move.” [2] Reads on the double-team, and the ability to make the pass.

Kevin Arnovitz, ClipperBlog

scratch21 wrote:Gordan and Kaman are in the best shape of anyone??

GuyverX wrote:Dunleavy is not going to risk creating bad chemistry right out the gate by demoting a veteran in either Kaman or Camby and start a rookie day 1. Griffin is on a team that is stacked at that position even with Randolph gone. It'll happen eventually but not until after at least a few games.

Lawler's Law: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 @ 1:15 pm

The Clippers 2009 Training camp opened Tuesday morning at their training center in Playa Vista.

17 players went through a series of conditioning and basketball drills under the watchful eyes of Head Coach and General Manager Mike Dunleavy and his staff. All things were good except for the fact that rookie gem Blake Griffin was sidelined with a minor knee bruise suffered in a pick-up game last week. He is listed as "day-to-day." Griffin spent his time on an elliptical machine and then went through some strenuous stretching exercises displaying truly extraordinary flexibility for a man his size.

Dunleavy seemed pleased with the opening session as he saw a better level of conditioning than he’d witnessed at camp a year earlier. He cited center Chris Kaman and shooting guard Eric Gordon as players who came to camp in top-notch shape.



There was a "buzz" among the players over the inspirational talk given them by veteran point guard Baron Davis at the camp’s tip-off dinner a night earlier. Baron really put it all on the line in promising a renewed commitment to winning. If Davis plays close to the top-15 NBA talent he possesses, there’s no telling how good this Clippers team could be. He knows there is a lot of weight on his shoulders and he seems fully ready to accept it.

It was clear on opening day that there are some shooters on this roster. Rasual Butler, Eric Gordon, Kareem Rush, Anthony Roberson and Steve Novak were knocking down shot after shot all morning long.

It’s good to be undefeated and full of hope. That’s what the opening of camp is all about. The guys will be back in the gym at 6:00 pm

Ralph Lawler, Clippers.com

Lawler's Law: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 @ 3:19 pm
An uneventful day two at the Clippers' training camp. Young camp hopeful Taj Gray sat out the morning session. He was stationed on the sidelines next to fellow former Oklahoma star Blake Griffin, who is recovering from a bruised knee. Gray was sitting out with a sore right knee. Neither injury is serious.

Now you understand why they added four players to the team’s 14-man roster last week. Head Coach and General Manager Mike Dunleavy was still able to field three full five-man teams in spirited end-to-end action.

In a reversal from past years, the contact work is done in the longer morning session with the evening part of the two-a-days limited to non-contact work and largely to the repeating and repeating of the pages in the team’s play book. That work is done 5-on-0.

You certainly note the presence of new assistant coach John Lucas. The highly respected three-time NBA head coach fills the gym with his energy and enthusiasm. He and Tony Brown appear to be excellent additions to the Dunleavy staff that includes returnees Kim Hughes and Fred Vinson.



Add another player who has been making shots early on – Ricky Davis has been red hot in both half court and full court drills. He could be a bit of an X-factor this season. He’s a versatile wing player who has averaged as many as 20-points a game in a season during his 11-year NBA career. He seems to have his legs beneath him again this year and a resilient season from him would give the coach an unexpected added lethal weapon off a potentially very deep bench. Keep an eye on Ricky Davis, who is coming off the worst season of his career. He battled knee problems from start to finish last year and says he feels better now than he has in a long, long time.

Round two of the two-a-day regime begins at 6:00 pm.
Ralph Lawler, Clippers.com

scratch21 wrote:no pix of them praticing yet?

mkwest wrote:

scratch21 wrote:no pix of them praticing yet?

Other teams have had video streams and stuff. I'm not expecting any visuals, but if I find any, I'll definitely post them.

Lawler's Law - Thursday, October 1, 2009 @ 12:53 pm
Coach Mike Dunleavy sent his squad through a series of energetic scrimmages today at the team’s Playa Vista Training Center. It marked the first formal scrimmages during the team’s training camp, which opened Tuesday.

Kareem Rush knocked down a buzzer-beater to lead the white team to a come-from-behind victory in the first eight minute game. DeAndre Jordan dominated the boards throughout the three scrimmages where-in the blue team won two of three.



Among the stand-outs: inside play by Craig Smith, out-side shooting by Ricky Davis, Rasual Butler and Steve Novak and active scoring from Al Thornton.

The downside, back-up point guard Sebastian Telfair suffered a left ankle sprain minutes into the morning drills.

Telfair sprained his left Ankle early in Thursday AM practice. He spent the rest of the morning getting treatment. It is not believed to be serious as he is listed as day-to-day.

The guys lace ‘em up again this evening.

Ralph Lawler, Clippers.com

Det the Threat wrote:

mkwest wrote:

scratch21 wrote:no pix of them praticing yet?

Other teams have had video streams and stuff. I'm not expecting any visuals, but if I find any, I'll definitely post them.

There's something called 2K Sports NBA Real Training Camp, but the Clippers aren't futured in it.

I guess we'll have to settle for some pics and interviews till the preseason starts.

BTW: What's up with the League Pass Broadband(and Broad Band International) site? It's always down when i'm clicking on it.
I really hope that there'll be League Pass Broadband International again, cause we've got no TV Station covering the NBA(and if that one decides to cover it, it only broadcasts 2 games per week and none of the are Clipperes games) over here in Germany since 2008.

The Clippers morning practice session was a little shorter than usual today. It wasn't just a matter of coach MDsr giving the guys some time off for working hard so far. It also had to do with the simple math of having fewer players practicing. Blake Griffin continues to rest his bruised knee, and Taj Gray sat out for a second day in a row. But near the start of today's session, during a fast break drill, Sebastian Telfair stepped on someone's foot and rolled his ankle. It was wrapped and elevated when I first saw him, and although he was walking on it after practice (a good sign), he was doing so quite gingerly (not so good a sign).

One irony of the Dunleavy era in LA is that the team has always shot so poorly. Over the last few days, coach has ragaled us with stories of devising a statistic specifically to point out the value of the three point shot, and how John Lucas dismantled him on the tennis court in order to exact his revenge for losing two years worth of shooting games to Dunleavy. The guy could shoot the ball. And he loves shooters. Three of the four guys he invited to camp (Anthony Roberson, Jerel McNeal and Kareem Rush) are hanging around the NBA for pretty much one reason - because they can shoot. And yet, the Clippers have been at or near the bottom of the league in three pointers attempted, and three point percentage, and most any other three point category, for most of the time that MDsr has been the coach.

Last season, with the addition of Eric Gordon and Steve Novak, there was an uptick in those stats. And when asked who looked good in practice today, CMDsr focused on shooting, singling out Novak, Gordon and Ricky Davis for lighting it up. (He also praised DeAndre Jordan for the second day in a row and gave props to Chris Kaman.)

At the mention of Novak, I asked the coach where he thought his shooting specialist could get sustained minutes this season - at the 3 or the 4. His response validated what I've said before here at Clips Nation. Novak's minutes will likely be situational and opportunistic. He's an incredible weapon on the offensive end, but the limitations in the rest of his game make it a challenge to keep him on the floor. Expect CMDsr to use Novak when he feels there's a matchup that allows him to get away with it - whether that matchup is at the three or the four. Most of those opportunities came at the four last season. It remains to be seen with the number of quality bigs on the Clippers roster (barring injuries) if Novak can get even those opportunities this season.