[1-1] Da Clip Show | @ Rockets (Good God That Sucked!)

Hell yeah, good win over the better LA team. Don't be too rude to Thornton, he just wanted to hit a miracle shot. It's like you still don't know whom to trust and who not. That takes some time. Good steal by Davis to end the game. Did you try to foul? That's what I do usually because I simply shit myself when Kobe gets the ball on the perimeter or even worse gets off a shot.

Great win. Al Thornton should really cut down on those threes though.
I really love your pics, because they tell the story of the game all by themselves already. Baron complains, ref calls foul, Kobe not liking it.

So you're going to start Griffin at the 5 and Butler at the 4? Can't wait to see how you'll do with a smaller lineup.
.. Looking it up, not that small, actually.. Good luck either way.

Wow. Beating the Lakers at home. Oh wait, it's their home too. Impressive win nevertheless. Butler was great and Thornton is back on form.

Can't believe the Clippers have acquired Camby and Butler for pointless 2nd round picks. Especially the Butler one, which was in like 2014?

Sit, Valor, Glad at least some Lakers fans are gracious in defeat. Hope they don't beat me by 40 next game...

hova-, Often times, the ball ends up in Thornton's hands at the end of the possession and I jack it up with him. He's a decent rebounder, defender and slasher, and though he's awful in real life (and posting a single digit PER here), I actually kind of like using him. Can't say he isn't being shopped though. I always try to steal a couple times before going for the intentional foul, and miraculously, he knocked the ball loose. I felt a mixture of relief and disappointment.

buzzy, Updated the lineup page for all to enjoy. I'm starting Griffin and Butler at the 4 and 3, with Camby, Gordon and Baron retaining their positions. Glad you like the pics. Some batches are better than others, but I included an extra two for this game because I had so many. The TV makes all the difference. (compared to my Flying High In The ATL pics...)

Martti., Their owner is seen as a cheapskate, but he bought two players in what were essentially salary dumps. I'm not complaining. Camby's a great role player (though he is dogshit on offense), and Butler is fantastic in this game.

Been busy with school all week, but I hope to play the Blazers game soon.

I guess Chris Webber was right, all he has is that statue of liberty dunk, even in the video game!

CLIPPERS LOSE
The #16 Clippers blog on the Web! (The Clippers of Clippers Blogs)

(Click to enlarge)
Los Angeles Clippers (6-7) @ Portland Trailblazers (14-3)
Clippers Lose Despite Gordon's Season High 34
Blazers 104, Clippers 96

January 28, 2010 - Everybody knew we were going to lose this one. That win against the Lakers was amazing, but its a common fact that things like that don't happen twice in a row for the paperclips. Nevertheless, it was a far better game than I expected, as we gave the league's best team a run for their money on their home court.

It didn't look like it would be a good game at first. Portland dominated the first quarter, exploding out of the gate to an early double digit lead before finishing the period up by eight points. The momentum continued for them in the second. Despite Baron, Eric Gordon and even Al Thornton (who is now 1-21 on the year from downtown!) beginning to find their range, the Trailblazers held a 12 point lead at the half. The period finished with a spectacular block by Greg Oden (one of his eventual 6) on a shot by Bassy.

Martell Webster open the second half with a trey, but after that, things started to look up for us. Eric Gordon scored 12 of his 32 in the third quarter, and we made a run to get the score within 7. That's when LaMarcus Aldridge got angry. After being hacked on a no-call, the perennial fringe all-star began to score at will, dominating the slower Blake Griffin and Marcus Camby. Some dumb turnovers by Steve Blake and our continued dominance from beyond the arc kept Portland from getting away, but Portland remained up ten going into the final period.

Most of the fourth quarter was futility. Chris Kaman and Camby were playing like turds, and Portland's lead got as high as 17 points. This was looking like the Miami game all over again. Then Gordon sunk yet another three, and newly anointed starter Rasual Butler was inserted into an unconventional big lineup of Gordon, him, Griffin, Camby and Kaman. This got us back in the game, and had us within 6 with two minutes remaining. Unfortunately, that was as close as we would get. Roy would score a huge 3-point play, and though some of our late-game desperation shots fell, the home team sunk their free throws, and ended up winning 104-96.

Though we lead the league in field goal percentage, that did not show tonight. We shot just 43% to Portland's 54%. However, we are also second-to-last in three-point percentage, and yet we shot 47% (to Portland's 37%). What arguable lost us the game, however, was rebounding. Portland was +12 in that department, and +5 in offensive boards. If we can't get more consistent effort on the boards, we will never come close to contention.

Blake Griffin and Rasual Butler were decent in their starting roles. Griffin had 8 and 7 rebounds, and Butler scored 11 points (though on subpar 4-11 shooting). Thornton still played the most minutes out of any of our forwards, but he looked good off the bench, with 12 of our 22 bench points. If Thornton continued this kind of production, then this lineup change could end up being a smart one. (What.)

Baron had a standard Baron game. 20 points, 7 assists and 4 turnovers on 40% shooting. Eric Gordon had a season-high 34 points, his third straight big scoring night. He fell seven points short of his career high 41. Our center tandem combined for 4 points 7 rebounds, 3 turnovers and 9 fouls (yes, Camby and Kaman combined for a Voskuhl).

With the loss, we fall to 6-7, and decimal points behind the 8-9 Hornets for the 8th seed. (We own the tiebreaker) This was the first of a seven game road trip. Next stop" Memphis. The Trailblazers meanwhile, bolster their record to 14-3, retaining their #1 team status. Their next game will be against the 13-4 Lakers, and should be a good one to watch.


Al Thornton was actually decent off the bench. | Roy abused tweener Eric Gordon in the post.

Greg Oden had his game face on. | Our 3pt shooting kept us in it.

Oden's backup gets fuckin' posterized! | Aldridge likes playing the Clippers
21 21 28 26 96
29 25 26 24 104

JORDAN Player Of The Game: Brandon Roy (Blazers): 28 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 9-18 FG, 10-12 FT (37 minutes)
Brandon Roy slowly, but surely had a huge game. Scoring a team-high 28 points (pretty efficiently at that) and filling up the rest of the stat sheet. While he had a hard time containing Eric Gordon, Roy often played the role of quasi-point guard, and showed that he was the catalyst of the league's most efficient offense. Don't look now, but Roy's name could be popping up in MVP conversations.
MCDWYANE Shitass Of The Game: Sebastian Telfair (Clippers): 2 points, 3 assists, 3 turnovers, 1-5 FG (12 minutes)
Sebastian Telfair has had a couple very good performances this season, but this was not one of them. Posting a -11 in a dozen minutes of action, Bassy turned it over and threw up bricks at will. He managed to dish three assists, but he had as many turnovers, and seemed to be trying to do too much. He is beginning to seem like a likely trade candidate.

Other Noteworthy Performances

LaMarcus Aldridge: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 11-17 FG (36 minutes)
Greg Oden: 10 points, 9 rebounds, 6 blocks, 5-7 FG (27 minutes)
Andre Miller: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists (33 minutes)
Martell Webster: 14 points, 6 rebounds (30 minutes)

Eric Gordon: 34 points, 4 assists, 11-21 FG, 5-7 3pt, 7-7 FT (41 minutes)
Baron Davis: 20 points, 7 assists, 4 turnovers, 8-20 FG, 3-6 3pt (37 minutes)
Al Thornton: 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4-6 FG (33 minutes)
Blake Griffin: 8 points, 7 rebounds (30 minutes)

CLIPPERS LOSE
The #18 Clippers blog on the Web! (The Clippers of Clippers Blogs)
January 2010 Review: Part 1

February 1, 2010 - January was our second consecutive .500 month, and somehow, we're still in the playoff picture! With the Spurs, Jazz and Hornets all suffering disappointing seasons, we would make the playoffs as the eighth seed if they started today. Though we lost, we didn't look so bad in potential playoff preview. However, we have played nine of our thirteen games at home this season, and this seven game road trip we are currently on (0-1 so far) will be both a measuring stick, and the decider of our playoff fate.

Blake Griffin also made his return. While he wasn't a world-beater, he faired pretty well considering his first three games were against the top three in the Western Conference. After just two games, he was inserted into the starting lineup, along with surprising third leading scorer Rasual Butler. Our team has established itself as a fast-paced, high-octane team, after being just 13th in pace last season. Not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, its fun to watch, and we have our best team in four years, but on the other hand, it hasn't been a common championship template in the past. However, the Clippers haven't been a common championship team in the past...

Western Conference Standings:

Pacific---------------------Northwest-----------------Southwest
14-4------------------- 14-3------------------- 13-3
11-8------------------- 12-6------------------ 9-9
9-8-------------------- 8-10------------------- 8-10
6-7-------------------- 6-10------------------- 8-10
5-8-------------------- 5-9--------------------- 7-13

Eastern Conference Standings:

Atlantic-------------------Central--------------------Southeast
12-4------------------- 9-5-------------------- 13-4
11-4------------------- 8-5-------------------- 10-5
7-11------------------- 9-6-------------------- 6-10
5-13------------------- 6-9-------------------- 5-10
4-13------------------- 6-13------------------- 3-19

Team Statistics:
Record: 6-7 (3-3) | Home: 5-4 (3-2) | Away: 1-3 (0-2) | 4th Pacific, 8th West | On Pace For: 13 wins (pro-rated: 38 wins)
Points For: 102.2 (7th); Points Against: 105.7 (28th); Differential: -3.5 (22nd)

Click for better readability.

Players Of The Month
West Player: Dirk Nowitzki (26.0 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 3.2 APG, 25.6 PER, TS: .569%; Mavericks 13-3: [6-0])
Dirk wins player of the month honors for the second time this season, the only player to do so thus far. Dirk's Mavs have jumped out to a surprise 13-3 record (second best in the league), and Nowitzki is enjoying career highs in scoring and rebounding. The 31 year old seven-footer is at the top of his game, and should be in the running for his second MVP award.
East Player: LeBron James (30.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 7.3 APG, 2.9 SPG, 28.1 PER, TS: .552%; Cavaliers: 9-6 [4-1])
With the Cavaliers enjoying a 4-1 month, LeBron has re-surfaced in the MVP race. While his efficiency is slightly down from the year before (I blame Shaq), James is still putting up mind-numbing stats, and is reminding us who the best player in the league is. The King stepped it up in January, averaging 31 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds.
West Rookie: James Harden (13.7 PPG, 4.2 APG, 3.4 RPG, 17.3 PER, TS: .572%; Thunder: 5-9 [2-3])
With Tyreke playing just three January games (which were not some of his better performances), Harden has taken West rookie of the month honors. Since earning a starting spot, Harden has averaged 16 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds per game on efficient shooting. The former Sun Devil looks to be a key cog in the Thunder rotation for years to come, and has garnered comparisons to the Blazers' Brandon Roy.
East Rookie: Brandon Jennings (21.8 PPG, 5.4 APG, 2.7 RPG, 22.2 PER, TS: .545%; Bucks: 6-13 [2-6])
The runaway pick for Rookie of the Year. Brandon Jennings is having an all-star season, hampered only by his team's shoddy record (6-13). Jennings leads rookies in scoring and PER by a wide margin, and has been compared to Allen Iverson. Considering how good he is now at the ripe age of 20, imagine how good he will be five years down the road.

League Leaders
Points Per Game: LeBron James: 30.8; Kobe Bryant: 30.3; Kevin Durant: 29.7; Danny Granger: 28.9; Chris Bosh: 28.1
Rebounds Per Game: Dwight Howard: 13.1; Emeka Okafor: 12.8; David Lee: 12.4; Gerald Wallace: 11.5; Joakim Noah: 11.3
Assists Per Game: Steve Nash: 12.4; Deron Williams: 11.5; Jason Kidd: 11.1; Rajon Rando: 9.0; Chris Paul: 8.6
Steals Per Game: Rajon Rondo: 3.1; LeBron James: 2.9; Josh Smith: 2.5; Chris Paul: 2.4; Gerald Wallace: 2.3
Blocks Per Game: Josh Smith: 4.1; Dwight Howard: 3.4; Andrew Bynum: 3.0; Emeka Okafor: 2.9; Ben Wallace: 2.8
Field Goal %: Shaquille O'Neal: .612%; Amar'e Stoudemire: .601%; Dwight Howard: .578%; Anthony Randolph: .563%; Pau Gasol: .561%
Three Point %: Rashard Lewis: .480%; Maurice Evans: .475%; Paul Pierce: .466%; Jordan Farmar: .460%; Kevin Martin: .441%
Free Throw %: Ray Allen: .946%; Jose Calderon: .940%; Steve Nash: .935%; Jamal Crawford: .933%; Kevin Martin: .916%
Player Efficiency Rating: Chris Paul: 28.1; LeBron James: 28.0; Dwyane Wade: 27.8; Chris Bosh: 26.7; Kevin Durant: 25.8
True Shooting %: Chauncey Billups: .662%; Amar'e Stoudemire: .655%; Paul Pierce: .650%; Rashard Lewis: .644%; Mickael Pietrus: .642%

DO NOT - I repeat - DO NOT TRADE BASSY!!

The Blazers are also 14-3 in my Kings story. They playing huge..

There is a good chance I trade Bassy. Camby's on the trade block, and Bassy could be part of the deal. (especially if it is with New York) I was offered David West (!) for Marcus Camby today, but I declined, May take them up on it if Blake goes down before the all-star break.

League news and rumors in the next update, followed by player evaluations in the last mid-season recap.

West for Camby is not too unrealistic I guess since the Hornets really try to save money. The 7 game road trip will really show how good your team is. What I find quite bad on 29 games is the fact that you have 13 games played whilst the Wizards have 22 games played already (or is it a typo?)

Good to see Dirk playing that well, in the end the MVP will go to LeBron anyway (just like in RL)

CLIPPERS LOSE
The #18 Clippers blog on the Web! (The Clippers of Clippers Blogs)
January 2010 Review: Part 2 (Player Evaluations)

February 1, 2010 - We reach the mid-point of the season a game behind the .500 mark. We have seem some pleasant surprises and some disappointments, with our backcourt looking far stronger than our frontcourt. Here I will assess our guys' play this season. If you haven't caught a lot of Clippers games recently, the results may surprise you.

Baron Davis: 21.7 PPG | 2.9 RPG | 6.9 APG | 2.2 SPG | 0.2 BPG | TS: .552% | PER: 20.6 | 35.5 MPG | 13 games
Baron may have taken last season off, but he has picked up from where he left off in the 2007-08 season and then some. Baron is putting up career highs in scoring, and shooting efficiency, and is a potential all-star. Davis, who turns 31 in January, says he is "loving every minute" of this season. We're loving it too. His assist totals are at its lowest since the 2002-03 season, and his free throw shooting has been problematic to say the least, but B-Diddy has been our best player this year, and one of the main reasons for our success.
Grade: A
Eric Gordon: 17.4 PPG | 2.8 RPG | 3.5 APG | 1.2 SPG | 0.4 BPG | TS: .570% | PER: 14.7 | 35.7 MPG | 13 games
Eric Gordon was very erratic to start the season, and in the first couple months his stats were down from his rookie season. However, the 6'3 shooting guard has come on strong as of late, posting big scoring numbers, and combining with Baron to made a very potent backcourt. Gordon has established himself as one of the team's core building blocks, and could make an all-star bid next season.
Grade: B+
Rasual Butler: 14.8 PPG | 3.1 RPG | 2.1 APG | 1.3 SPG | 0.3 BPG | TS: .590% | PER: 18.4 | 27.8 MPG | 12 games
Rasual Butler has been an extremely pleasant surprise. The journeyman three-point specialist broke out with a 27 point performance in the home opener against Detroit, and has since been a fan favorite and major staple in the rotation. Butler has enjoyed a surprising career renaissance of sorts, upping his scoring average to just under 15, but doing so with amazing efficiency. However, Butler has been criticized for his lack of defense and tendency to occasionally disappear during games. All in all, he was worth that 2014 second rounder.
Grade: A-
Blake Griffin: 11.7 PPG | 6.7 RPG | 0.3 APG | 0.7 SPG | 1 BPG | TS: .512% | PER: 13.6 | 29 MPG | 3 games
Blake Griffin has looked solid, and shown potential in his first three games. However, his minutes have been slightly limited, and he hasn't gelled with the rest of the team yet. His numbers are decent, if pedestrian, but I'll reserve judgment until we've at least seen him play a dozen games. (considering our luck, he'll tear his ACL after playing his eleventh...)
Grade: Incomplete
Chris Kaman: 11.1 PPG | 8.5 RPG | 1.9 APG | 1.1 SPG | 1.8 BPG | TS: .567% | PER: 13.7 | 32.8 MPG | 13 games
Chris Kaman has been a big of a disappointment this season. He has served his purpose and been a necessary cog in our rotation, but his numbers leave something to be desired. As solid as he's been, he hasn't been living up to his 2008 career season (in which he averaged 15.7 and 12.7). He's been playing better than Tayshaun Prince (9.2 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 7.8 PER), but he's barely worth his contract.
Grade: C
Al Thornton: 10.9 PPG | 5.6 RPG | 2.2 APG | 1.2 SPG | 0.7 BPG | TS: .505% | PER: 10.3 | 34.3 MPG | 13 games
Here's a tough one. Despite all of his bad shots and moronic turnovers, I've enjoyed watching Thornton play this year. His stats have been unimpressive (to say the least), but he has shown signs of brilliance. Hopefully being moved to the second unit will help him get his head on straight and be more consistent. (and hopefully Dumbleavy won't play him 34 minutes a game any more...) Thornton hasn't been very good, but I'll be a little sad if he's dealt.
Grade: D+
Marcus Camby: 5.1 PPG | 9.2 RPG | 1.7 APG | 0.6 SPG | 2.1 BPG | TS: .486% | PER: 9.9 | 32.3 MPG | 13 games
A big disappointment. Camby's been atrocious on offense, and has lost a step or two on D. The 35 year old still provides the rebounding and blocks, but not as much as he used to. MC23 was arguably our best player last year, but he has been slow and unmotivated here. He and his expiring contract will either be bought out or dealt before the deadline.
Grade: D
Sebastian Telfair: 7.6 PPG | 4.8 APG | 0.4 RPG | 0 BPG | 1 SPG | TS: .541% | PER: 16.8 | 17.7 MPG | 13 games
Would be our point guard of the future if he could only defend. Telfair has improved his shot, and has proven a fairly reliable backup. Bassy has had a couple of bad games, but also a few great ones. He won't threaten Baron for the starting spot, but Telfair is likely a keeper.
Grade: B+
Ricky Davis: 6.9 PPG | 1.1 RPG | 1 APG | 0.3 SPG | 0.3 BPG | TS: .633% | PER: 16.6 | 14.2 MPG | 13 games
Ricky Davis has been a great spark plug off the bench, providing quick, efficient scoring. I'm not sure whether Ricky Davis fits into our future plans, or if this is simply a contract year phenomenon, but I'll take it. Keep it up Ricky!
Grade: A
Craig Smith: 3.7 PPG | 3 RPG | 0.9 APG | 0.5 SPG | 0.8 BPG | TS: .452% | PER: 10.2 | 15.1 MPG | 11 games
Hasn't played the last two games. Smith has fallen out of the rotation with the return of Blake Griffin, and the reason is obvious: he isn't very good. After a few good seasons as a backup big man in Minnesota, Smith has struggled off the bench here, seemingly posting below average game after below average game.
Grade: D
DeAndre Jordan: 2.3 PPG | 2.6 RPG | 0.3 APG | 0.1 SPG | 0.4 BPG | TS: .480% | PER: 13.3 | 7.5 MPG | 7 games
Hasn't seen playing time recently, but Dunleavy insists he hasn't given up on his project Center. DJ has been decent in garbage minutes, but with a clogged frontcourt, Jordan could see some time in the D-League.
Grade: C-
Mardy Collins: 1.3 PPG | 0.7 RPG | 1.3 APG | 0.3 SPG | 0 BPG | TS: .666% | PER: 26 | 5 MPG | 3 games
Has a PER of 81 after his first game, but in his two following appearances, he has fallen off slightly. He never plays meaningful minutes, but according to Hollinger, he is our best player.
Grade: Incomplete
Steve Novak: 1.6 PPG | 0.8 RPG | 0 APG | 0 SPG | 0 BPG | TS: .680% | PER: 16.2 | 3.8 MPG | 5 games
He's played 19 minutes of garbage time. While those minutes have been productive for the tall white scrub, Novak simply doesn't have the appeal of a Scalabrine, and has been relegated to the injury reserve.
Grade: Incomplete

I hate to throw a temper tantrum like Thierry did the other day about not getting replies, but are people still following this? Perhaps pretty much all of the marquee dynasties (hov's cats, X's bucks and now ALIB 2) ending hurt the activity of this section, but it seems that most people gave stopped following this. (if they even were, and weren't just making courtesy posts) This association was made because I enjoyed the team and wanted to learn how to play 2K10. With my best friend recently getting XBL, I've had to clear the cache after each game.

To the point, I'm making this post to beg the question: Do you think this dynasty is a keeper, or should I move on using another team without player roles?

Well I like this dynasty but I like Nellieball much better

This is a keeper. I want you to keep going on with this one!

Yeah, that seems to be the general belief, since the presentation in that was far more involved, and the team was generally more likable. I lost interest in that though because I hated my team, and I just can't put in that much time to recap mostly simmed games. Some things you liked about Nellieball would be great input though.

Yeah, that seems to be the general belief, since the presentation in that was far more involved, and the team was generally more likable. I lost interest in that though because I hated my team, and I just can't put in that much time to recap mostly simmed games. Some things you liked about Nellieball would be great input though.

I really don't have any qualms with Da Clip Show or Nellieball. I enjoyed both reads. When/If I think of any criticism, I will be sure to let you know!

What I like about the Nellieball is the story and the roster especially the Meal Ticket

Yes. The Meal Ticket. He and Nash were my favorites on that team. I thought the big trades were big mistakes though as far as realism and longevity is concerned. The story was infrequently updated, and IMO, not very good. If you like my stories though, then you'd probably like my Hawks dynasty from two years ago.

For the record, I'm thinking about a Blazers dynasty. I've been avoiding them because they are pretty much stacked (with players I really like no less), but they are my favorite team. With this as a stop gap, I might try another ambitious dynasty.

So, I'm not the only one. When you don't get replies, it really kills your optimism away and you don't really want to continue much longer

I like both but I always liked Nellieball better. If you take the Blazers I will follow it for sure.

With the patch killing two major dynasties, I felt like I needed to pick up the slack or something by keeping this up. The lack of recent replies simply justifies it. The patch and my friend getting XBL would be to blame for this retirement. The next one would be a bit more like Nellieball (82 game season, more likable team, maybe story... what else was better about Nellieball that I missed?).

The reason I keep saying "would" is that I'm not 100% sure I want to retire this. I like the format I was using, I was extremely lucky with the sim engine, and I had plans for the roster. Not using a team I particularly liked, and doing a 29 game season hurt its potential. Then the whole patch fiasco just makes it difficult.

If I were to start a Blazers dynasty, I would either begin from the current part of the season, or start from the offseason like Nellieball.

If I were to start a Blazers dynasty, I would either begin from the current part of the season, or start from the offseason like Nellieball.

Sim Nellieball and in the offseason resign and take the Blazers with the same save file.

Actually a decent enough idea. Nellieball is in NBA 2K9 but I ported the rosters to 2K10, so I could take the Blazers. The caveat is that Greg Oden was traded with two of my other favorite Blazers (Webster and Batum) for Danny Granger.

The caveat is that Greg Oden was traded with two of my other favorite Blazers (Webster and Batum) for Danny Granger.

Put trade override on and acquire them back

Now you gave me a headache, I don't know what I'll do with the Kings. I never got less replies. I know you will all say replies aren't everything but it's really frustrating to me. I might start another one.

Maybe you'd get more replies if you didn't quit your dynasties after a dozen games. There is a reason for the decline in replies after each newly made dynasty. People give up on you. If you start another one, you'll get even less. (Of course, complaining about lack of replies and threatening retirement is good to fill half a page - see this dynasty and yours) My Blazers and Warriors associations from 2K7, while poorly done, were enjoyable to me. They got very few replies (Probably 3-2 replies-posts for the Blazers and 2-1 for the Warriors), but I kept them going because I enjoyed doing it, and playing the game.

I'm pondering retirement because the Blazers are my favorite team and there is a glitch that makes playing my dynasty a huge inconvenience. The lack of followers simply makes it more justifiable.