California Sports Fan Blog

Hate is one of the most misused words in the English language. Sports fans and writers often express their emotions of displeasure of an athlete using this word. It’s almost like the word has been overused in everyday conversation that it has lost its core meaning. We use it in sports all of the time, like when people say, “I hate Lebron James for abandoning Cleveland.” Some people say it and actually mean it, such as in the political realm when people proclaim their hate for homosexuals or of a particular race. When one expresses true hate about someone to the point where they deface someone’s name and heritage publicly, there’s something wrong. That’s what happened to the Sacramento Kings’ Omri Casspi.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines hate as an intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or a sense of injury. That definition can fit the mold for some sports fans that adamantly and passionately dislike a certain athlete. Where this definition really rears its ugly head is in the hearts and minds of people who, in all honestly, have no place in this world, plan and simple.

Omri Casspi, the first Israeli born athlete to play in the NBA, has been the target for a hate crime not once, but twice. A mural of him with a swastika on his forehead was portrayed on September 8, 2010 and was promptly removed. The mural was redone a second time on September 16. The Anti-Defamation League and co-owner of the Kings Joe Maloof are offering $1,000 apiece for offering any helpful information leading to an arrest of the perpetrator(s).

It pains me to even begin thinking about all of the examples of pure, unfiltered, and unabashed hatred in all forms. I have trouble understanding the unwarranted hate being shown towards another when they have done nothing wrong. Why does someone have to deface the image of a young Jewish basketball player in Casspi coming to the United States for the first time? No wonder parts of the world hate America! If I were the type of person that harbors hate and lived in another country I would too! Frankly, I’m not sure living in another country would help in my position.

Hatred and racism is still very much alive in this country, unfortunately. It’s truly a sad thought. You can’t escape it, honestly. From sports broadcaster Don Imus’ comment about Rutgers women’s basketball team to ignorant jackasses defacing an innocent Jewish young man’s heritage, hate is here to stay. Heck, you can even hop onto Xbox Live and play a game of Halo and hear all of the disgusting things people have to say. It’s astounding to say the least. The best a sane person can do is to avoid these people like the plague and surround themselves with loving, caring, and clearheaded individuals.

So next time you say you “hate” someone, think twice. Words are more powerful then you think, even in a joking context. It is not meant to be thrown around, but rather respected. The world will be a much better place for it. But hey, by that logic, everything in the world would be hunky dory, and we can’t have that. There always has to be some kind of animosity and conflict. I guess I’m just flapping my gums on this issue. In the end, it comes down to the heart of the individual. The emotions stem from there. The question is, what emotions do you want to invoke?

By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

As NBA fans turn their attention to Los Angeles, where the Lakers are preparing to battle the Celtics for the second time in three years, it’s easy to overlook Los Angeles’ other franchise, the Clippers. For years, the Clippers have lived in the shadow of the Lakers, compiling losing seasons, and watching as their best players either left town or got hurt.

This past season was no different, as the Clippers limped to a 29-53 record. To make matters worse, Blake Griffin, the first pick of the 2009 draft and the player who was expected to lead the Clippers’ turnaround, was injured and was unable to play a single game. To make matters worse, the Clippers only received the 8th pick in the draft, where they are unlikely to land a game-changing player.

In many ways, the Clipper franchise appears to be cursed, as they have a record of bad luck and poor personnel decisions, in addition to one of the more controversial owners in sports, Donald Sterling. Why, then, might there be reason for optimism for Los Angeles’ 2nd team?

The primary reason for optimism amongst Clippers fans is an economic one. Next season, the Clippers only have 5 players under contract, and they have freed up enough money to offer a max contract to an established superstar. Despite the available money, however, is there a reason for a great player to head to leave their previous teams and head to a team without any prior track record of success.

Surprisingly, the answer might be yes. While the Clippers have been a doormat of the league for quite some time, they do have a talented roster that could lure a talented player to Los Angeles. First and foremost, the Clippers boast Eric Gordon, one of the most talented young shooting guards in the NBA. Although he is only finishing his second year, he has already established himself as one of the top jump-shooters in the league, and he has also shown solid athleticism. For a great player looking for a complimentary second player, they would be unlikely to find a better sidekick than Gordon.

In addition, the Clippers also boast a solid veteran presence in Chris Kaman and Baron Davis. Although Kaman is not regarded as an elite player, he provides a solid and dependable presence at the center position, which few other teams can offer. Like Kaman, Baron Davis also provides veteran leadership and solid production. Although Davis is no longer an elite point guard, he still has the ability to effectively distribue the basketball and control the tempo of a game.

With the presence of Blake Griffin, whose potential is considered to be nearly unlimited, it is fair to say that no other team could offer a better situation for a free agent looking to win and win immediately. Although Lebron James doesn’t appear likely to head to Los Angeles, there are a number of other talented players, such as Rudy Gay or Joe Johnson, who could contribute to the Clippers success for the 2010 season.  Although the Clippers must contend with decades of futility, there appears to be, for the first time, reasons for optimism in the future.

by Nathan Eagan at the Sports Fan Blog Network

The Los Angeles Clippers may not have won the NBA draft lottery for the second year in a row, but they are getting the No. 1 pick.

Blake Griffin, the Oklahoma star who missed all of his rookie season with a stress fracture in his left kneecap, has been fully cleared for all basketball activities.

“Right now Blake is working out with no restrictions, at full speed, 100 percent to the point where [strength coach] Rich Williams asked me to talk to Blake about dialing it back a little bit,” Clippers general manager Neil Olshey said.

“He’s working out in May like we were ready to tip off in October. The only guy I feel bad for is the first one of his teammates that shows up and wants to play one-on-one with him.”

Griffin injured his knee in the Clippers’ final preseason game on October 23. He rested for a few weeks and was hoping to return by the middle of the season. But the recovery process did not go as hoped and he was forced to have season-ending surgery.

Click here to read the full article – By Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com

The Los Angeles Lakers played more like they were trying to avoid a sweep rather than complete one.

The Lakers stormed out to a 22-point lead in the first half, then withstood a brief surge by Utah in the third quarter before regaining control in the fourth and winning 111-96 on Monday night, sweeping the second-round series and advancing to the Western Conference finals for the third straight year.

Pau Gasol added 33 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who are off until hosting the Phoenix Suns next Monday in Game 1 of the West finals.

The Lakers quickly ended Utah’s hopes of extending the series by dominating the second quarter both offensively and defensively, holding Utah to just 17 points in the period. Utah’s push in the third made it at least competitive and exciting for a little while, but the Jazz couldn’t sustain the comeback against the defending NBA champions.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Kobe Bryant sometimes thinks the Los Angeles Lakers are an orchestra in need of a conductor. He picked up the baton in Game 5, driving the lane aggressively and defending Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook with zeal.

The result was a businesslike blowout that showed exactly what Bryant meant when he said the upstart Thunder had captured the mighty Lakers’ attention.
Pau Gasol had 25 points and 11 rebounds, Andrew Bynum added 21 points and the Lakers vigorously rebounded from back-to-back losses with a 111-87 victory over Oklahoma City on Tuesday night, taking a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Gasol and Bynum followed Bryant’s no-nonsense lead, relentlessly scoring inside while giving up no easy buckets on the other end. Even Ron Artest shaved off his goofy blond dye job before playing another standout defensive game against Kevin Durant in support of Bryant, who volunteered to guard Westbrook.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Throughout the season, the Lakers’ bench has been the target of criticism. But Wednesday, coach Phil Jackson was generally complimentary of how his reserves performed over the first two games of their first-round matchup against Oklahoma City.

“I have to give them credit,” he said. “They’ve held their own against the Oklahoma bench. We’ve really survived that well.”

Still, heading into Ford Center for Thursday’s Game 3, Jackson believes he’ll need better play from his bench players, starting with the most prominent member of the group. “I think Lamar [Odom] has to give us an imprint in the ballgame,” he said.

Through the first two games, Odom has scored a total of 11 points on only 13 attempts. Jackson believes Odom can have a far greater impact.

“It’s an understanding of what the game is. Opportunities are going to be in shots and little things like that and probably little pockets he finds to make penetration,” Jackson said. “He found a couple in the second half [of Game 2], or one for sure in the second half that looked like he had established the kind of game he plays.”

Click here to read the full article – By Brian Kamenetzky and Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com

Kobe Bryant had been waiting for a breakout game, the kind of high-scoring effort he’s made his reputation on. He got it just in time.

Playing with a broken finger, sore knee and bum ankle, Bryant scored 39 points, carrying the Lakers in the fourth quarter when they lost the lead three times, and Los Angeles beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 95-92 on Tuesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference playoff series.

“What did Mark Twain say? Rumors of my demise or whatever,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who predicted before the game that Bryant would strongly return to form.
Bryant was 13 of 15 from the free throw line, but just 12 of 28 from the floor in front of his dad Joe, who sat next to the Lakers’ bench.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Andrew Bynum leaned over, his hands on his knees, his chest heaving from his first minutes of game action in nearly a month.

Other than being out of breath, Bynum displayed little rust in teaming with Pau Gasol to dominate the middle in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 87-79 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder in their playoff series opener Sunday.
Bynum ignited the Staples Center crowd with a monster one-handed dunk over a defenseless Nenad Krstic in the second quarter that pushed the Lakers’ lead to 17.
“It kind of got me going,” Bynum said. “It hyped the team up. That’s the kind of player I can be — exciting.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Tyreke Evans speaks so softly, sometimes you’re tempted to hand him a megaphone. He ran his 20-5-5 campaign from the basketball court, left the door-to-door lobbying to his friends and his relatives and his bosses. So while he would never say it, we will.

This is your Rookie of the Year.

This is the guy.

While the competition tightened in the closing weeks – Stephen Curry leading the Warriors’ mini-surge and Brandon Jennings directing the Bucks’ postseason venture – Evans distinguished himself with a season-long body of work that delivered bruises to the record books as well as to opponents.

The No. 4 overall draft pick a year ago, he averaged 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists, becoming the fourth player to reach the 20-5-5 mark in a rookie season. And as Kings coach Paul Westphal noted after Monday’s home finale: “I don’t think we need the numbers to validate what a great season Tyreke has had. He’s been the most consistent rookie I’ve ever been around.”

Click here to read the full article – By Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee

Considering the Los Angeles Lakers’ only remaining goal in the regular season is to avoid adding more players to their lengthy injury list, their final home victory wasn’t much of a success

And while Jordan Farmar could be a problem with his strained hamstring, Pau Gasol is just grateful he didn’t turn into another.

Gasol had 28 points and eight rebounds, Shannon Brown scored 24 points and Kobe Bryant rested as the Lakers hung on for a 106-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.
Sasha Vujacic scored 13 points for the Lakers, who lost six of nine before Gasol and the reserves pulled away in the second half of their sixth straight win over the Kings, their formerly fierce Pacific Division rivals.
Yet the Western Conference’s top playoff seed didn’t emerge unscathed from a meaningless game against the 14th-place team. Farmar, the backup guard who regularly plays key minutes, strained his left hamstring in the first half, and the Lakers don’t know the injury’s severity.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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