The Clippers shot 51.3% from the floor last night but it didn’t matter in the end.  The Bulls shot 50% from the floor and they outrebounded the Clippers 45-31 last night which helps explain the loss.  Blake Griffin had a monster night for the Clippers with 34 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.  Caron Butler (16 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists and 1 steal) and Chris Paul (15 points, 4 rebounds, 14 assists and 4 steals) also had solid games for the Clippers last night.  Mo Williams (13 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists) and DeAndre Jordan (12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocked shots) also pitched in for the Clippers last night.  The Clippers are now 1-2 on the year.

The Clippers were a mess last night as they only shot 39.2% from the floor while allowing the Spurs to shoot 56.3% from the floor.  The Clippers were also outrebounded 43-30 and they were down 96-71 after the first three quarters.  Blake Griffin led the way for the Clippers last night with 28 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists.  Caron Butler (12 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist), Mo Williams (12 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal), Chauncey Billups (11 points, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) and Chris Paul (10 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals) also pitched in for the Clippers last night.  The Clippers are now 1-1 on the year.

The Clippers really turned it on in the second half last night as they outscored the Warriors 64-43 to surge to a very impressive win.  The Clippers played very solid D in this game as they held the Warriors to 39% shooting from the floor.  Blake Griffin (22 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals), Chauncey Billups (22 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists) and Chris Paul (20 points, 2 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals) led the way for the Clippers last night.  Caro Butler was also very solid with 11 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.  The Clippers are now 1-0 on the season.

The Clippers have signed 31-year old power forward Reggie Evans to a 1-year, $1.3 million dollar deal.  Evans played in 30 games (18 starts) for the Raptors last year and he averaged 26.6 minutes, 4.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  He has now played in 572 games (289 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 19.5 minutes, 4.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  Evans will give the Clippers another relentless rebounder, as he will be a perfect fit off the bench!

The Clippers have acquired 26-year old point guard Chris Paul and two future 2nd round picks from the Hornets for 22-year old shooting guard Eric Gordon, 29-year old center Chris Kaman, 21-year old small forward Al-Farouq Aminu and the Timberwolves’ first round pick in 2012.  Chris Paul played in 80 games (all starts) for the Hornets last year and he averaged 36.0 minutes, 15.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 2.4 steals per game.  Paul has now played in 425 games (all starts) in his first six years in the NBA and he is averaging 37.1 minutes, 18.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 9.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game.  Paul will make all of his teammates better.  He has also opted in on his contract for 2012-13 to guarantee that he will be with the Clippers for two years.

Eric Gordon played in 56 games (all starts) for the Clippers last year and he averaged 37.7 minutes, 22.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  He played in 196 games (181 starts) in his three years with the Clippers and he averaged 35.8 minutes, 18.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  Chris Kaman played in 32 games (15 starts) for the Clippers last year and he averaged 26.2 minutes, 12.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game.  He played in 493 games (425 starts) for the Clippers in his 8 years with the team and he averaged 29.7 minutes, 11.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game.  Kaman finishes his career with the Clippers #5 in games played (493), #2 in rebounds (3,018), #3 in blocked shots (707) and #9 in points scored (5,813).  Al-Farouq Aminu played in 81 games (14 starts) as a rookie for the Clippers last year and he averaged 17.9 minutes, 5.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  He does have a nice upside.

The Clippers gave up a lot to get Chris Paul, but they could be better than the Lakers this year.  That’s because they will have a starting lineup of Chris Paul at point guard, Chauncey Billups at shooting guard, Caron Butler at small forward, Blake Griffin at power forward and DeAndre Jordan at center…..that is an impressive starting unit!

The Clippers have matched the 4-year, $43 million dollar offer sheet that the Golden State Warriors gave to 23-year old center DeAndre Jordan.  Jordan played in 80 games (66 starts) for the Clippers last year and he averaged 25.6 minutes, 7.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.8 blocked shots per game.  He has now played in 203 games (91 starts) in his first three years with the Clippers and he is averaging 19.5 minutes, 5.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game.  Jordan is likely going to bump Chris Kaman to the bench or out of town (in a trade) this year.

The Clippers have claimed 35-year old point guard Chauncey Billups off waivers from the Knicks.  Billups played in 72 games (all starts) for the Knicks & Nuggets last year and he averaged 32.1 minutes, 16.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Billups shot 40.2% from three point range last year and the Clippers could definitely use his long range shooting.  Billups has now played in 982 games (888 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 32.3 minutes, 15.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  This was a good move for the Clippers as Billups is expected to replace Mo Williams as the starting point guard in 2011-12.

The Clippers will be without 22-year old point guard Eric Bledsoe for at leas the next six weeks due to knee surgery.  Bledsoe played in 81 games (25 starts) as a rookie for the Clippers last year and he averaged 22.7 minutes, 6.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  Randy Foye will likely back up Mo Williams at point guard until Bledsoe is ready to return to action.

The Clippers have waived 28-year old forward Craig Smith.  Smith played in 48 games for the Clippers last year and he averaged 12.2 minutes, 5.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  He has now played in 356 games (49 starts) in his first five years in the NBA and he is averaging 17.9 minutes, 8.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  The Clippers might miss Smith a little bit as he is a very solid bench player.

The Clippers have waived 28-year old power forward Ike Diogu.  Diogu played in 36 games (0 starts) for the Clippers last year and he averaged 13.1 minutes, 5.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.  He has now played in 223 games (18 starts) in his NBA career so far and he is averaging 12.5 minutes, 6.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  The Clippers needed Diogu’s money to help pay for Caron Butler.