Drew Gooden has been outstanding for the Clippers since coming over in a trade with the Wizards. Gooden has played in 16 games (15 starts) for the Clippers so far this season and he is averaging 30.9 minutes, 14.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. He also has been showing a nice shooting touch hitting 48.8% from the floor. Gooden looks like a keeper for the Clippers but will they spend the money to sign him over the summer? Only time will tell.

The Clippers are happy with the play of backup forward Craig Smith this season. He has played in 48 games (0 starts) for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 15.9 minutes, 7.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Smith is shooting a very robust 58.2% from the floor this season. If the Clippers trade Marcus Camby or he gets hurt then Smith would likely move into the starting lineup at power forward. Until them he will just be a solid sub for the Clippers.

The Los Angeles Clippers are a disapointing 20-27 so far this season, but you can’t put any of the blame on C Chris Kaman.  Kaman has been putting up All-Star numbers and you could make a strong argument that Kaman got snubbed and should be in this year’s All-Star game.  He is averaging 20.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 50% from the field and playing 36.4 minutes per game.  Unfortunately Kaman sprained his ankle recently and has missed that past two games (both losses).  He will likely be out tomorrow night against a very hot Chicago Bulls team, so it looks like the Clippers are on their way to their fifth straight loss.  The Clippers do have a very talented line-up, so I wouldn’t count them out yet.  They need Kaman back in the line-up as soon as possible though, because without him they have no chance of turning their season around.  He is only listed as “questionable” though, so I expect to see Kaman back within a game or two.

Veteran point guard Baron Davis is one of the reasons the Clippers are better than usual this season. He has played in 42 games (41 starts) this season and he is averaging 34.2 minutes, 16.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game. The Clippers need Davis to stay healthy as he has been outstanding in keeping everyone involved in the offense.

21-year old center DeAndre Jordan has stepped up lately with Chris Kaman missing a few games. In his last 5 games, Jordan is averaging 23.8 minutes, 9.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots per game. Overall this season, Jordan has played in 30 games (5 starts) in which he is averaging 12.3 minutes, 3.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. He is shooting 65.3% from the floor but only 36.7% from the free throw line so Jordan has something to work on. But, he is showing signs of being a pretty good basketball player and that make the Clippers happy.

Starting power forward Marcus Camby seemed like a player the Clippers didn’t want anymore before the season started. As soon as the Clippers drafted Blake Griffin the rumors swirled that Camby was on his way out of town. Boy were the Clippers smart not to trade Camby with Griffin now down for the year without even scoring a point or playing a minute. Camby has played in 36 games (all starts) for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 31.6 minutes, 8.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.1 blocked shots per game. Camby has been kind of injury prone in his NBA career to date so the Clippers will be keeping their fingers crossed hoping for his continued health.

The 21-year-old Eric Gordon made an immediate impact for the Los Angeles Clippers last season as a rookie, averaging 16.1 points, 2.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steals while shooting 46% from the field and 39% from three.  Gordon has always been a hard-worker, dating back to his high school days as a phenom at North Central High School in Indianapolis and his one-and-done year at Indiana University.  He has a professional approach to his game and it is paying off.  Gordon has missed 9 games this season, but he is a strong player and I am not worried about Gordon having an injury plagued career.  Despite missing some games this season due to injury, Gordon has improved in almost every statistical category.  He is averaging 17.3 points, 3.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals while shooting 47% from the field and 40% from three point land.  Gordon has a great approach for such a young player, and there are a lot of older NBA players that could learn from the youngster.  The Clippers should hold on to this guy, as he will be a top guard in this league for a while.

Center Chris Kaman has turned into a outstanding player for the Clippers. All he needed was health to prove how good he really is and he is the reason the Clippers are playing well this year. He has played in 32 games (all starts) for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 36.8 minutes, 20.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. With Kaman playing as well as he is and rookie Blake Griffin almost ready to make his debut look for the Clippers to make a run at the playoffs this season.

Back-up forward Craig Smith has a lot of game but the Clippers aren’t letting him have the needed time to show it. Smith has played in 29 games (0 starts) for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 13.9 minutes, 5.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Craig Smith is shooting 57.3% from the floor this season as he has a nice touch around the basket. If the Clippers are making a playoff run they might consider trading Smith to get whatever they might need because his playing time is going to go down even more when Blake Griffin is ready to return from his broken kneecap.

It will be interesting to see how the Clippers divvy up the minutes when Blake Griffin returns from injury. Marcus Camby is the player most likely to lose minutes but he has really played well so far this year. Camby has played in 27 games (all starts) for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 32.9 minutes, 8.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.2 blocked shots per game. Camby doesn’t deserve to lose minutes but getting Griffin back will make the Clippers’ front line better and deeper.