I don’t think it would be unfair to say the Clippers have underachieved this year, and while LA’s less glammy squad is engaged in a dogfight for the 8th spot out West with Golden State and New Orleans, Dunleavy Sr.’s charges put some distance between themselves and the former with today’s 103-90 dispatch of the Warriors.
Elton Brand (above) tied his career high with 8 blocks, while scoring 31 points and hauling in 12 rebounds, showing signs of the dominance he displayed all too often last season. Von Wafer, who’d previously been tearing up the D-League, celebrated taking Doug Christie’s spot on the Clippers roster with a DNP.
Though Vince Carter was on hand last night for Jason Kidd’s 84th career triple double (22 points, 10 assists, 13 rebounds) in Jersey’s 109-96 win over Sacramento, the New York Post’s Marc Berman suggests a sign and trade resulting in Carter moving across the Hudson might be possible in the offseason.
It’s clear Nets brass Rod Thorn and Ed Stefanski have the hots for Channing Frye, whom the Knicks deem expendable because of the emergence of David Lee. And there’s been indications they also like rookie Renaldo Balkman, who was not available during their recent talks.
(There’s a sense the Nets would rather let Carter go to Orlando for nothing than trade him across the river. The last Nets-Knicks deal was 25 years ago in the Len Elmore compensation package.)