Several Clippers players said the frustration from games from miao1234's blog
Jason Collins is the NBAs only openly gay athlete and he also happens to be an unemployed free agent. Mike Adams . Coincidence? When Collins shared his sexuality with the world six months ago, he was hailed as a trailblazer and applauded for his courage. But Collins is a decade removed from anchoring the New Jersey Nets on back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals, and even the causal basketball fan knew he was on the downside of his career. Collins isnt Jackie Robinson, a young undeniable force poised to break down barriers, so when his name wasnt on an NBA roster on opening night, few were surprised. Collins sexuality wasnt what was holding him back from being in the league, but his talent. The 34 year-old centre had lost a step over the years and was always limited offensively, to the tune of 3.6 points per game for his career. But Collins strength is his ability to provide interior defence, rebound and supply relief minutes off the bench. His age also works in his favour as a veteran who acts accordingly, and as a solid locker room presence. However, those are costly positives at the NBA veterans minimum of $1.4 million, as teams are wary of entering the luxury tax. Collins absence in the league can be reasonably chalked up to one of the best blanket explanations in all of sports: "basketball decisions." According to Ric Bucher at Bleacher Report, several general managers said in October the apprehension of signing Collins didnt stem from concern about the locker room and his teammates, but the non-stop media hype that would come from it. "If it were just an initial blast and you knew it would settle down after that, it would be one thing," said one executive. "But you know this is something that he and his teammates are going to be asked about everywhere they go, all season long, and all it takes is one guy to say something a little off and it could really blow up. Hes still good enough to play in the league, but when you throw in the ongoing media frenzy, most teams are going to decide its just not worth it." Already this season, three starting centres (Tyson Chandler, JaVale McGee, Larry Sanders), have suffered injuries that will keep them off the court for 5-6 weeks or more. In the quest for back-up support, Collins was again overlooked. When Golden State Warriors reserve Jermaine ONeal went down with a knee injury last week, the Warriors braintrust, "entertained the idea of asking assistant coach Brian Scalabrine to come out of retirement to fill the void." Scalabrine would also be entitled to the veterans minimum and ironically came into the league with Collins as rookie teammates on the Nets. The Warriors subsequently called up rookie Dewayne Dedmon from their D-League affiliate. While the notion of going with a younger, cheaper player is just smart business, the idea that there is a not-worth-the-hassle notion amongst general managers when it comes to Collins shows that his sexuality is an issue. Jason Collins isnt as talented as Jackie Robinson; he is a serviceable NBA player on the fringe. But if opportunities exist and teams continue to look past him due to concerns over the media fallout of his sexuality, he is being discriminated against just the same as Robinson was in 1947. This isnt a basketball decision and no one, not even Collins wants to be in the league because hes gay; he just wants to play and feels he can contribute. This isnt a situation of players acting ignorant or insensitive, but shortsighted gatekeepers, of which one wouldve likely signed Collins this season, if they were unaware of his sexuality, and thats a bigger problem. Kayvon Webster . Commissioner Roger Goodell also appointed Dave Gardi to senior vice-president of football operations. The moves were announced Wednesday. Britton Colquitt . Midway through the first round Barao dropped Faber with a hard right hand and pounced on his wounded opponent. As Barao began to unleash a flurry of strikes, Faber turtled on his hands and knees and tucked his arm against the side of his head to protect himself. Dean stopped the fight at 3:42 of the opening round after Barao landed more than a dozen blows to the shoulder, forearm and neck area of the huddled Faber.MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Los Angeles Clippers tightened their defence waiting for the offence to come around. The result was a second-half burst with a strong push from the reserves to lead Los Angeles to a 101-81 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night. "I looked up at one point, and we were shooting like 28 per cent," Clippers forward Blake Griffin said. "Our defence was keeping us there, then we finally took the game over when we started hitting shots. Thats a good lesson for us." Reserves Darren Collison and Jamal Crawford scored 15 points each to lead the Clippers. Chris Paul also had 15 points and eight assists as Los Angeles snapped a two-game losing streak. Griffin added 14 points and nine rebounds, while DeAndre Jordan had 10 points and 14 boards. The performance was a reversal from the previous night when the Clippers lost 107-97 at Atlanta -- an effort coach Doc Rivers called "awful." Rivers credited Griffin and Jordan with stopping the Memphis frontline, particularly Zach Randolph, who was returning from missing two games after ingrown toenail surgery. "I thought those two guys fought hard down low," said Rivers, who recorded his 600th win. "I just thought their leadership defensively was why we won the game." Kosta Koufos led Memphis with 17 points, while Mike Conley had 16 on 6-for-8 shooting. Quincy Pondexter scored 15, and Randolph had 12 points and 12 rebounds, but made only four of his 13 shots. The Clippers shot 13 for 20 in the fourth quarter as Paul and Griffin sat on the bench, leaving the game to the backups. "The Clippers played real well defensively," Koufos said. "They established themselves early in the second half. They hit some tough shots." The Clippers trailed 42-40 at the break before outscoring Memphis 61-39 in the second half while shooting 56 per cent. Los Angeles reserves ended the night outscoring their Memphis counterparts 50-31. "That team has a lot of good players," Randolph said. "They have a lot oof good bench players that could be starting. Ryan Clady. quot; As is the case when the two get together, it was chippy from the start. After meeting in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs the last two years, a rivalry has developed. Early in third, Jerryd Bayless shoved Griffin for a flagrant 1. Then Randolph started mouthing with anyone in a Clippers uniform. And the lobbying for calls from both teams led official Danny Crawford to warn the coaches he had heard enough complaining. In the meantime, the Clippers turned up the defence, enabling them to click off a 21-7 run to open the quarter for a double-digit lead. "I thought the way we responded was good," Griffin said. "There are challenges mentally and physically, and I think that was a mental challenge for us. We were mentally tough in that situation." The rally helped the Clipper outscore Memphis 24-11 in the frame and carry a 64-53 lead into the final quarter. Los Angeles connected on 10 of its first 14 shots in the fourth, continuing to build the lead to as many as 24. Several Clippers players said the frustration from games like the one at Atlanta is they believe in their ability to play good defence. "It would be one thing if we knew were werent capable of it, and we didnt have the bodies and the people to execute it, but we do," Paul said. "We have myself, young, athletic guys that know what were capable of. I may not be athletic, but I am young." NOTES: The road team has won the last five games in the series. Memphis last regular season home win over the Clippers was April 9, 2012. ... Los Angeles now holds a 36-35 edge in the all-time series. ... Memphis G Tony Allen sat out with a bruised hip suffered in the Grizzlies victory over Phoenix on Monday. ... The Clippers are on a seven-game road trip that opened with a 107-97 loss at Atlanta on Wednesday. They have one other seven-game swing in mid-January. ... Counting the first-round playoff games the last two seasons, the Grizzlies and Clippers have played 22 times since Jan. 26, 2012. ' ' '
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