Clipper update: Notes from the Midwest

Auburn Hills, Mich. -- Game 2, for Eric Gordon, will hopefully go a bit better and more smoothly than Game 1 did Wednesday night at Indiana against the Pacers.

His homecoming at Indianapolis also happened to be his first game back after missing eight games because of a strained left groin. He went two for seven from the field and had six points in 27-plus minutes.

"The main thing is I'm just trying to get my legs back together," Gordon said here on Friday, shortly before the Clippers played the Pistons.

Said Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy: "He looked really good in that one practice last week. But then he didn't play. I was hoping we would have gotten 10 to 15 minutes out of him in the game before he got to Indiana. The other part of it is coming home, adrenaline, family and friends."

Did Gordon feel winded in the second half? He took only two shots from the field.

Clippers after deadline

For those who think this was the worst shooting performance by the Clippers' Baron Davis this season,  think again.

Davis, who went 1 for 10 from the field against Minnesota on Monday night, had a similar dud, in terms of numbers in the season opener, going 1 for 10 against the Lakers.

His shooting woes, for once, did not cost the Clippers, who defeated the Timberwolves, 91-87. This, most definitely, would not have been the case last season in which the drop-off in terms of backup point guards was way more dramatic. Davis was limited to 8:48 in the second half and eventually scored in the final seconds.

Finally, the Clippers have a credible second option when Davis is having a truly horrible shooting night.

There was Sebastian Telfair, the former Timberwolf, who stepped up with a season-high 17 points and no turnovers.

"It means a lot," Telfair said. "I was traded for them to go get some new guards. I wanted to show them I could play. I don't want to say anybody made a mistake ... those guys are great players. I'm confident enough to know I'm just as good as those guys."

Ralph Lawler, Michael Smith say they 'deeply regret' offending any fans

 

Ralph Lawler opened up the broadcast of the Clippers game Monday night by saying he and broadcast partner Michael Smith "deeply regret" offending any Clippers fans after their end-of-game riff on Memphis center Hamed Haddadi, who is the only Iranian-born player in the NBA, caused a Clippers season-ticket holder to publicly complain last week.

"I'm Ralph Lawler, along with Mike Smith," Lawler said. "I want to get something out of the way. Both of us deeply regret anything we might have said that may have offended any good Clipper fan or anybody else in that ball game against Memphis last Wednesday night. We're glad to put that behind us and we're glad to be back."

Lawler then noted that the Clippers had beaten Denver last Friday when Michael Eaves and Don MacLean handled the television duties. Smith said, "I guess we missed a darn good game."

During the Clippers' pregame show Lawler and Smith did their usual quick comments and Eaves said, "Ralph, Michael, it's always good to see you and I'm looking forward to hearing your call coming up at the bottom of the hour."

Lawler got in his first "bingo," his signature call of a three-pointer, with 6:11 left in the first quarter when Minnesota's Corey Brewer hit a three-pointer. It was a very good "bingo" to hear. Even if it wasn't a Clipper doing the shooting. Welcome back, Ralph.

-- Diane Pucin

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Photo: Broadcasters Ralph Lawler and Michael Smith work a game between the Clippers and Grizzlies in 2006. Credit: Joe Murphy / NBAE / Getty Images

Sunday's poll: Should Ralph Lawler and Mike Smith have been suspended for their comments?

You can read what they said here. Clippers announcers Ralph Lawler and Mike Smith were suspended for one game for their comments about an Iranian player, Hamed Haddadi, on the Memphis Grizzlies during Wednesday's game. Was that the right thing to do? Vote in today's poll, then leave a comment letting us know why you voted the way you did.

-- Houston Mitchell

Ralph Lawler, Mike Smith suspended for tonight's Clippers telecast

 

Veteran play-by-play man Ralph Lawler and analyst Mike Smith (above, left and right) were suspended for tonight's Clippers telecast on Fox Sports Prime Ticket for comments made during Wednesday's telecast, according to sources with knowledge of the decision but not authorized to speak publicly.

Fox issued this statement at 5:03 p.m. today: "We regret the remarks made by Clippers announcers Michael Smith and Ralph Lawler during Wednesday's telecast. While we believe that Michael and Ralph did not intend their exchange to be offensive, the comments were inappropriate. We extend our apologies to Hamed Haddadi of the Memphis Grizzlies and to anyone who was offended. We have addressed the situation with Michael and Ralph and have taken appropriate action."

Wednesday's comments came near the end of a dreary Clippers loss, 106-91, in Memphis as rookie Haddadi, a 7-foot-2 center and the first Iranian player in the NBA, came into the game.

In a 40-second exchange Lawler and Smith began talking about Haddadi. A Clippers fan who watched Wednesday’s telecast complained about the verbal exchange and said he received an apology today from Fox Sports.

Here is the exchange:

Smith: “Look who’s in.”

Lawler: “Hamed Haddadi. Where’s he from?”

Smith: “He’s the first Iranian to play in the NBA.” (Smith pronounced Iranian as “Eye-ranian,” a pronunciation that offended the viewer who complained.)

Lawler: “There aren’t any Iranian players in the NBA,” repeating Smith’s mispronunciation.

Smith: “He’s the only one.”

Lawler: “He’s from Iran?”

Smith: “I guess so.”

Lawler: “That Iran?”

Smith: Yes.

Lawler: “The real Iran?”

Smith: “Yes.”

Lawler: “Wow. Haddadi – that’s H-A-D-D-A-D-I.”

Smith: “You’re sure it’s not Borat’s older brother?”

Smith: “If they ever make a movie about Haddadi, I’m going to get Sacha Baron Cohen to play the part.”

Lawler: “Here’s Haddadi. Nice little back-door pass. I guess those Iranians can pass the ball.”

Smith: “Especially the post players.

Lawler: “I don’t know about their guards.”

Stay tuned to latimes.com/sports for the full story.

-- Diane Pucin

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Photo credit: Joe Murphy / NBAE / Getty Images

Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy wants a chance to coach a complete lineup

With the Clippers sputtering to a 4-9 record and losing three of their last four games against teams not exactly among the NBA's elite, the chatter regarding the job security of Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy has been inevitable.

Though Dunleavy had maintained his team would be able to absorb injuries better this season because of the organization's off-season moves that included landing No. 1 draft pick Blake Griffin, Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith and Rasual Butler, Dunleavy says the team's current injuries are too large to ignore.

Dunleavy's main argument for keeping his job entailed giving him a chance to coach a complete lineup, which is without Griffin (stress fracture in left knee), Eric Gordon (strained left groin), Kareem Rush (season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury to his right knee) and Marcus Camby (lower-back bruise.

"When's the last time you ever saw an interim coach come in and the team be successful and make a playoff run?" Dunleavy said after Thursday's practice. "It's not happening. Nobody knows these guys better than I know them. Give a coach a chance to coach Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin. After that, fine. Let the chips fall where they may. Other than that, you just fall to pressure."

"I understand fans," Dunleavy continued. "I don't blame fans. They're not technically a lot of times savvy. They don't understand and they don't weigh issues the way that you weigh them. They know wins and losses. We've had an awful run with this, but my track record is I have not lost with my players. I have lost without my players, but I haven't lost with my players. From an ownership standpoint, I know there's always a lot of pressure. I'll live with whatever decision our owner makes. I'll live by it.

Clippers update: Chris Kaman sick

The Clippers' leading scorer, Chris Kaman, missed practice today because of a virus.

It is not the flu, team officials said, and they are hoping he will be able to play in Friday's game against the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center.

Kaman apparently didn't feel well on Wednesday and struggled in the latter stages of the Clippers' loss to Oklahoma City.

On Monday, Kaman, who is averaging 21.7 points, was named the league's Western Conference Player of the Week.

-- Lisa Dillman

Eric Gordon to miss a minimum of 10 more days

The Clippers announced that guard Eric Gordon would miss a minimum of 10 additional days with a sore left groin,  meaning he will be sidelined for at least six more games.

Gordon, who visited a specialist today, suffered the injury in the fourth quarter Sunday during the Clippers' 113-110 victory over Memphis. The second-year player was averaging 18.9 points, 4.0 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 38.4 minutes per game.

In their first game without Gordon, the Clippers were thumped by New Orleans, 112-84, on Monday at Staples Center.

Center Chris Kaman said the loss of Gordon was more devastating than the loss of rookie forward Blake Griffin, who has not played this season because of a stress fracture in his left kneecap.

"You lose someone like that, it's tough to know where to pick it up from," Kaman said of Gordon. "Guys aren't sure what to do or when to do it. It's going to be an adjustment process the next couple of games, guys figuring out what to do without Eric."

-- Ben Bolch

Photo: Eric Gordon drives the baseline against the Dallas Mavericks earlier this season. Credit: Stephen Dunn / Getty Images

Eric Gordon status update

Not a good sign when Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy wasn't using the term day-to-day to describe Eric Gordon's left groin injury.

(Who knew how true it could be when we wrote yesterday that things have a way of turning from day-to-day into week-to-week around here)

“Hopefully, we get him back as soon as possible," Dunleavy said before Monday's game against the Hornets. "Won't put a timetable on it, we just need the kid to get 100%. A groin is one of those injuries that can be lingering."

Lingering and indefinite are not good words with the Clippers already missing rookie power forward Blake Griffin, who is out with a stress fracture of his left kneecap. After tonight, they play at home against Oklahoma City (Wednesday) and Toronto (Friday) before leaving on a three-game trip to Oklahoma City, New Orleans and Memphis.

It is a pulled left groin and Gordon, the Clippers' second-leading scorer, is expected to visit the doctor again Tuesday.

-- Lisa Dillman

Eric Gordon sidelined for tonight's Clippers game

The Clippers' second-year guard Eric Gordon will miss tonight's game against New Orleans because of a pulled left groin, the team said.

Gordon started experiencing some soreness during the fourth quarter of Saturday's win over Memphis.

-- Lisa Dillman