Magic (16-4) vs. Clippers (9-11)
Time/TV: 10:30 p.m./Sun Sports
Top Scorers: Vince Carter (19.7 PPG)/Chris Kaman (18.9 PPG)
-We are one week away from the date teams can change newly acquire players and re-signed free agents (December 15) and Otis Smith says he has no plans to trade Brandon Bass or Marcin Gortat. Also, Stan Van Gundy says Jameer Nelson will be back in the starting lineup once he returns.
-Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel, in the first part of a three-part series, talks about life on the road as an NBA player. It is more mundane than you think.
-Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel’s Magic BasketBlog ranks the Magic at the top of his power poll ahead of the Lakers (keeping with the theme, the Clippers are 16th). Maybe some home cooking there. The Magic are second in Marc Stein’s power rankings on ESPN.com and third in John Hollinger’s power rankings. Not that those rankings matter at this point of the year.
–Chris Kaman started the season on a tear for the young Clippers, but has recently become “listless.” Well, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times says the team has discovered Kaman had a Vitamin D deficiency causing him to lose energy on the court. The big man from Central Michigan has not missed any time and is hoping to regain his early season form.
-In case you are too lazy to scroll down a few times, Zach reviewed some statistics of the underloved and underappreciated Anthony Johnson.
-Eddy Rivera of 3rd Quarter Collapse talks with ClipperBlog’s Kevin Arnovitz to preview tonight’s game.
-Today is Dwight Howard’s birthday! And Ben Q Rock of 3rd Quarter Collapse certainly appreciates the big fella.
-Kevin Arnovitz of ClipperBlog goes further into Kaman’s struggles. He says Kaman has been slowly moving away from the basket and relying on his jumper too much — especially since teams are focusing even more on defending him.
-Swamigusto of Clips Nation reviews Baron Davis’ performance after 20 games and is somewhat surprised the numbers do not back up the improvement he has seen.
-All Dwight Howard wants for his birthday, according to John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com, is a championship. And despite criticism from the outside, Otis Smith says he is seeing continual improvement from the now 24-year-old center.
-Looks like that Doug Christie reality TV show is finally getting off the ground, albeit without Doug Christie. Royce Reed, the mother of Dwight Howard’s two-year-old son, will be featured in the show although Howard will not be specifically mentioned because of a court-ordered injunction.
-On the player blog circuit, Rashard Lewis lands in an L.A. he is not used to — rainy and cold. And Dwight Howard is running around with a photo shoot for Men’s Health.
