HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: What a waste of a poster job!

Yesterday, Los Angeles Clippers superstar Blake Griffin caught the ball off a pick-and-roll, elevated, and dunked on the Phoenix Suns’ Gortat, who, to his credit, was bravely providing help defense.

Hold off on the youtube clip.

The referees believed Gortat was set, so they called a charging foul on Griffin. The infraction was the Rookie of the Year candidate’s sixth, meaning he had fouled out the game.

Worst of all, it negated a facial of epic proportion.

To be fair, the play happened quickly; however, the zebras in black-and white missed that Gortat’s feet were inside the circle.

Translation: Gortat should’ve been called for a block, and Griffin’s highlight reel jam should’ve counted.

What do you think? Charge or block? Watch the clip and get at us in the comment box below with thoughts!   
 

--Oly Sandor.

Blake Griffin is concerned with the way Donald Sterling manages the Clippers and is monitoring the situation, according to sources.

Sterling recently testified in Elgin Baylor's lawsuit against the Clippers for wrongful termination and the owner also had a mishap related to an advertisement for Black History Month that was actually scheduled for March and included Griffin's picture.

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Instead of being the posterizer, he got posterized.

Yesterday, Blake Griffin, the Los Angeles Clippers’ star rookie and 2011 Slam Dunk Champion, finally got the facial treatment, courtesy of the Washington Wizards’ Javale McGee.

Of course, McGee was the runner-up to Griffin in last month’s Slam Dunk extravaganza.

Watch the video clip and get at us with thoughts in the comment box below.


--Oly Sandor.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: By now, you’ve seen it.

You’ve seen Kenny Smith pull a ‘Bundini’ and rep for Blake Griffin like he was former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali.

You’ve seen the choir pump up the Los Angeles crowd by belting out the R. Kelly classic ‘I believe I can fly’.

And you’ve seen Griffin leap the hood of a car, catch a Baron Davis alley-oop, and throw down a fierce two-handed jam, which won the Clippers superstar the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest.

However, Griffin didn’t invent the car leap. He simply mastered it.

A few years ago, Lakers great Kobe Bryant made news when he jumped an Aston Martin. ‘The Black Mamba’ didn’t dunk a basketball, but his aerial antics –despite reportedly being aided by special effects- impressed.

Watch the clips and tell us in the comment box below if Griffin or Bryant did the best job hurdling a car.

(Kenny `Bundini` Smith. The choir. And Griffin leaping a car.) 

(Kobe: `I got this.`) 

--Oly Sandor.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below. 

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Last night, there were two exceptional highlights worthy of Stuart Scott love on ESPN SportsCentre.

First, the Chicago Bulls` Ronnie Brewer dropped a two-handed post-job on Indiana Pacers four-man Josh McRoberts. Out west, Blake Griffin added to his Staples Center legend with a 360 degree lay-up against the Charlotte Bobcats.

Which highlight was better? Watch both clips and get at us with thoughts in the comment box below. 

( Yes, that is an official poster job!) 

(Blake Griffin drops another 360 degree lay-up. Remember his work against the Detroit Pistons?)

--Oly Sandor.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

The Lakers (30-12) were also outrebounded and outmuscled, part of the reason Odom grabbed Griffin's jersey after Griffin bulled into him while getting position after a free throw in the final seconds.

Griffin wasn't pleased with the jersey grab and neither was Baron Davis, who started jawing at Odom, which led to some seriously harsh words between Davis and Odom as four players got ejected (Griffin, Davis, Odom and, curiously, Artest, whose apparent crime was trying to pull Odom away from the fray).

Link

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: A rivalry is brewing.

Yesterday, the lowly Clippers beat the two-time world champion Lakers in the battle for The City of Angeles.

However, the Clippers’ 99-92 win was only one part of the story. Blake Griffin, the runaway favourite for Rookie of the Year, was involved in an end-of-game shoving match with the Lakers' Lamar Odom.

Mr. Khloe Kardashian took exception to Griffin trying to gain position on a missed free-throw when the game was decided. Then all hell broke loose.

Fortunately, the good folks at youtube have the highlight reel for your viewing pleasure. Click the link and get at us with thoughts in the comment box below. 

--Oly Sandor.
 

"It's tough because it's the nature of the business,'' Davis said in an interview with FanHouse before the Clippers' 108-103 win over Phoenix on Sunday about the trade rumors surrounding him. "But it's tough because I don't want to leave. I'm here. I came here for a reason. If I were to be traded, I just think that I just never really got a chance to do what I was signed here to do.''

Link

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Well, play like it.

Baron Davis has to play like he wants to stay with the Los Angeles Clippers. At this point, his words are meaningless.

Since signing with the Clippers as a free agent, Davis has made an award winning documentary film, become a spokesperson for Jenny Craig, lost a laptop, and made a classic skit with Steve Nash.

Off-the-court he’s been good. On-court is a different story.

For the better part of two years, Davis has been out of shape, apathetic, and a distraction. In short, he’s stolen money from owner Donald Sterling.

Of course, the NBA is a business. The Clippers have moved on. Davis has been replaced by young Eric Bledsoe in the starting line-up. And high-flying Blake Griffin is the new face of the franchise.

So the Clippers have no need for Davis. Neither do the other 29 teams in the league, who are reluctant to assume the final two years and $29 million on Davis’ contract.

Davis, to an extent, controls his fate, though. He must lose weight. He must start to care again. And he must resemble the player the Clippers signed as a free agent.

Then management may consider Davis’ wishes about staying. Right now, he's an afterthought. 

--Oly Sandor.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
 

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: It’s on.

The Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin and the Portland Trail Blazers’ LaMarcus Aldridge recently set the NBA ablaze with their alley-oops.

Our question is simple: who had the better catch-and-jam?

Do you prefer Blake-Zilla’s aerial antics against those miserable Minnesota Timberwolves? Or, did Aldridge’s poster-job of the Milwaukee Bucks catch your eye?

Watch both clips and get at us in the comment box below with thoughts?

(Blake-Zilla shows no mercy against the Wolves.)

(Aldridge soars against the Bucks.)

--Oly Sandor.

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: I can’t get enough of Blake Griffin. 

Even though this highlight clip is from the Clippers-Kings game on Thanksgiving, the powers that be at HoopsVibe News still had to post it. 

Griffin isn’t just a dunker. He can post, pass, score, rebound, and defend. After missing 2010 with micro fracture surgery, fans should give thanks for Blake-Zilla's recovery.

 So click the link and enjoy folks.

 Oly Sandor.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: There’s a new aerial assaulter in The City of Angeles.

He isn’t Shannon Brown. And he doesn’t sport the purple-and-gold of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Instead, he suits up for the city’s other team: the Clippers. He was the first overall pick of the 2009 draft. On November 20th, he committed acts against the New York Knicks which are illegal in 32 states, 18 republics, and 11 semi-autonomous territories.

Of course, we’re talking about Blake Griffin. Watch the highlight package below and get at HoopsVibe News with thoughts in the comment box below.

--Oly Sandor. 
 

"The Clippers recently offered Chris Kaman to the Denver Nuggets for Carmelo Anthony and got the same response."

Link

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: They couldn’t be more different.

Chris Kaman is from rural Michigan, looks like a dude you’d find at monster truck rally, and has a meat-and-potatoes, low-post game.

Carmelo Anthony was raised in West Baltimore, has a marketable personality, and makes fans drool with the ease in which he puts the ball in the basket.

So naturally Kaman and Anthony may be swapped as part of a deal between the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets.

(Kaman would be the key part of a Clippers’ package that would likely include draft picks and expiring contracts).

Kaman, if healthy, is a solid, low maintenance center. He posts 20-10 numbers and blocks shots, too. Denver, however, would be hoping Kaman stays on-court and off the injured list.

This may be too great a risk for the Nuggets, especially if they’re parting ways with Anthony, their franchise face. (Recent reports indicate this was why the Nuggets passed on the Clippers' offer.)

This deal would work for the Clippers' marketing department. Melo’s star power would give Donald Sterling’s crew more of a local, national, and international following. 

The on-court dynamic might be more of a struggle.

Anthony would surely tire of chubby, underachieving point guard Baron Davis, who seems more committed to producing movies than winning basketball games.

The other complication is Blake Griffin. Anthony and the 2009 first overall pick are both 3-4 ‘tweeners’. Would these two gel in the frontcourt? And would Anthony hurt Griffin’s development?

Still, Kaman for Anthony is an interesting thought. It's just not a fit for either team.  

--Oly Sandor.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

HoopsVibe`s Very Quick Call: Remember Blake Griffin?

Last year`s first overall pick in the NBA draft missed the entire season with an injured knee. However, Griffin is on the mend, and using some unconventional methods with his rehab.

In this video, the Clippers` future power forward works out with Jared the Subway dude and shares his thoughts with DimeTV on the upcoming season.

Check out the video and get at us with thoughts on Griffin`s future in the comment box below.  

Got thoughts?