The Clippers only shot 38.6% from the floor last night while the Warriors shot 53.1% so the final score shouldn’t be surprising to anyone. Eric Gordon only shot 6 of 17 from the floor but he still finished up with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Baron Davis was solid in running the offense with 16 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals. Blake Griffin had a solid second game of his NBA career last night with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. Chris Kaman pitched in with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot. The Clippers are now 0-2 on the year.

The Clippers were outscored 28-17 in the 4th quarter last night and they were outrebounded 51-41 which explains the loss last night. Eric Gordon led the way for the Clippers last night with 22 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. Blake Griffin had a very strong NBA debut as he finished up with 20 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal. Rasual Butler came off the bench to shoot 4 of 6 from three point range as he finished up with 16 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist. The Clippers are now 0-1 on the year.

The Clippers were 29-53 last season but they have really improved the roster and they have added a coach in Vinny Del Negro who is 2 for 2 on getting teams to the NBA Playoffs in his career. Optimism abounds in L.A. and I’m jumping on the bandwagon. I would take the over as far as Clippers’ wins this year as I think they have a legit shot at the playoffs in Blake Griffin’s rookie year. Even though I’m on the bandwagon I would pass on making a wager on the Clippers to win the NBA Championship (125-1).

The Clippers were only 29-53 last season but the additions of Blake Griffin, Randy Foye, Eric Bledsoe, Brian Cook, Ryan Gomes and Al-Farouq Aminu inject them with a lot of high end talent. That gives 44-year old new head coach Vinny Del Negro with a lot more talent then Clippers’ coaches usually have to work with. Del Negro was 41-41 (50%) with the Bulls last season and they were 1-4 (losing to the Cavs) in the first round of the playoffs. Del Negro has a career record during the regular season of 82-82 (50%) and he is 4-8 (33.3%) in the post season. It will be interesting if Del Negro can keep his playoff streak going with the Clippers this year.

28-year old Chris Kaman was outstanding last season as he seems to keep getting better every year. Kaman played in 76 games (all starts) for the Clippers last season and he averaged 34.3 minutes, 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 461 games (410 starts) in his 7 years with the Clippers and he has averaged 30.0 minutes, 11.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. The best is yet to come from Kaman.

22-year old DeAndre Jordan is a solid back up for Kaman. Jordan played in 70 games (12 starts) for the Clippers last year and he averaged 16.2 minutes, 4.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. He has now played in 123 games (25 starts) in his 2 years with the Clippers and he has averaged 15.5 minutes, 4.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CLIPPERS CENTERS IN 2010-11: A

21-year old power forward Blake Griffin broke his kneecap during the pre-season last year so he didn’t get to play in any games. The 6’10″, 251 pound Griffin will try to make up for lost time as a rookie this year for the Clippers. He is often compared to Karl Malone and the Clippers would be ecstatic if he can play anywhere near the Mailman’s level of play. Griffin played in 68 games in his two years at Oklahoma and he averaged 30.9 minutes, 18.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocked shot per game. Griffin shot an amazing 61.8% from the floor but only 58.9% from the free throw line in college.

26-year old Craig Smith is a solid back up power forward. He played in 75 games (2 starts) for the Clippers last season and he averaged 16.4 minutes, 7.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Smith has now played in 308 games (49 starts) in his four years in the NBA and he has averaged 18.8 minutes, 8.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Smith will do a solid job for the Clippers when on the floor this year.

29-year old Brian Cook is the rare power forward who can actually shoot the long ball. Cook has shot 39.1% from three point range in his NBA career which could give the Clippers matchup advantages when he’s on the court. Cook played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Rockets last season and he averaged 2.9 minutes, 1.4 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. He has now played in 349 games (74 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 14.1 minutes, 5.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CLIPPERS POWER FORWARDS IN 2010-11: B

31-year old Rasual Butler will likely be the starting small forward for the Clippers when the season starts but he’ll have to play good to keep the job. Butler played in 82 games (64 starts) for the Clippers last season and he averaged 33.0 minutes, 11.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He has now played in 557 games (247 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 24.6 minutes, 8.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Butler’s main asset is his 3-point shooting as he has hit 36.3% from that range in his NBA career.

28-year old Ryan Gomes is going to push Butler for P.T. this year. Gomes played in 76 games (64 starts) for the Timberwolves last season and he averaged 29.1 minutes, 10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He has now played in 374 games (307 starts) in his five years in the NBA and he has averaged 29.2 minutes, 11.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Gomes has a lot of experience so don’t be shocked if he bumps Butler to the bench at some point in 2010-11.

20-year old rookie Al-Farouq Aminu was a first round pick out of Wake Forest by the Clippers last June. Aminu played in 31 games for Wake Forest last season and he averaged 31.3 minutes, 15.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocked shots per game. He played in 62 games in his two years at Wake Forest and he averaged 30.1 minutes, 14.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Aminu is the Clippers’ starting small forward of the future but this season he’s likely going to sit and learn a lot.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CLIPPERS SMALL FORWARDS IN 2010-11: C

The Clippers have released 32-year old center Jake Voskuhl. Voskuhl has played in 450 games (93 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 14.3 minutes, 4.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. This shouldn’t hurt the Clippers too much as they have a lot of depth at both center and power forward for the 2010-11 season.

21-year old Eric Gordon’s game is all about putting the ball in the basket as he doesn’t like to rebound or pass very much. Gordon played in 62 games (60 starts) for the Clippers last season and he averaged 36.0 minutes, 16.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He has now played in 140 games (125 starts) in his two years with the Clippers and he has averaged 35.0 minutes, 16.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The Clippers hope that Gordon can stay healthy in 2010-11 because they need his offense.

27-year old Randy Foye will back-up Gordon at shooting guard this year. Foye played in 70 games (38 starts) for the Wizards last year and he averaged 23.8 minutes, 10.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He has now played in 261 games (142 starts) in his four years in the NBA and he has averaged 28.0 minutes, 12.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Foye gives the Clippers solid depth at both guard spots as he can also handle the point in a pinch.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CLIPPERS SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2010-11: B-