Los Angeles Clippers VS San Antonio Spurs
Where: Palacio de los Deportes en Mexico City, Mexico
When: Tuesday, October 12th, 2010 @ 6:30PM
TV:
Radio: KFWB News Talk 980
Los Clippers Starting 5
Davis - Gordon - Gomes - Griffin - Kaman
Reserves
Guards
Foye - Butler - Bledsoe - Warren
Forwards
Aminu - Blakely - Cook
Centers
Jordan - Collins
Inactive
Smith
Los Spurs Starting 5
Parker - Ginobili - Jefferson - Blair - Duncan
Inactive List:
Los Angeles Clippers - Craig Smith (Resting) is out.
San Antonio Spurs- Antonio McDyess (Resting) & Tiaggo Splitter (Strained Plantaris Muscle) are out.
Griffin taking advantage of second-chance rookie season"No doubts at all," he said of the certainty of remaining every bit the player before the injury. "You'll see as the season goes on, with every game. Honestly, I don't think I've lost a step or explosiveness and all that. Obviously there was a year-long period when I wasn't playing, so I have to catch up in that aspect.""It's not about the power and explosion you see on television," said Neil Olshey, the Clippers vice president of basketball operations. "It's the quickness factor. That's what really separates him. There are great north-south vertical athletes that jump out of the gym, great bodies, run the floor. With him it's how quick he moves laterally. His ability to play out on the perimeter. You're going to see a unique guy that has the body and the athleticism to play above the rim and then defend guys in the low post. But his ability to go out on the perimeter and guard is really unique."
And he still has that.
"Oh, God yeah," Olshey said.
Griffin moves so well on the wings that his coach for the start of the scheduled rookie season, Mike Dunleavy, was prepared to deploy him at small forward. It would have been a way to generate more minutes on a team that already had the established Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman at power forward and center, but Dunleavy felt Griffin could handle defending the quicker players.
That's not in the Del Negro plans. With Camby in Portland, Griffin is the power forward and Kaman is the center, and that's that. It's time to get on with the success already.
Scott Howard-Cooper, NBA.com
Both the Clippers and the Spurs have recently participated in a basketball clinic for children with Down's Syndrome in Mexico City. You can footage of the players teaching the children as well as the team's arrival here.
Finally, the Clippers have a televised preseason game. We're able to get our first glance of the team, new coach and new uniforms in action. The Clippers have 5 games left to prepare for the regular season, work on their rotations and decide on final roster cuts if any at all. We'll be able to see most of that play out with 3-4 of our 5 games being televised on Fox Sports or NBATV. In this game, Blake Griffin makes his return to national television and gives the world an opportunity to see what the buzz is all about. Baron Davis and Willie Warren have both missed all games so far, but are looking to make their debuts this week. With Baron suited up, our projected starting line-up will have their first chance to get in some reps and develop their on-court in-game chemistry.
