The Los Angeles D-Fenders, a D-League team, have hired Luke Walton as a player development coach, it was announced today by team President/CEO Joey Buss.

“We are very excited to add Luke to our staff,” said Buss. “His championship experience will help build upon the winning culture that has been established with the D-Fenders. His extensive and successful NBA career will allow him to instill the work ethic it requires for our players to reach the NBA.”

“Luke has been a consummate professional throughout his career,” said D-Fenders General Manager Nick Mazzella. “Having played on two Lakers championship teams, Luke is aware of the hard work and type of culture required to win. He will be a valuable mentor to our players and will dedicate himself to improving their basketball skills and advancing their careers. We couldn’t be happier to have him join our talented coaching staff.”

Walton has spent the last 11 seasons playing in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Most recently, he appeared in 50 games with the Cavaliers during the 2012-13 season. The University of Arizona alumnus was selected with the 32nd overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Lakers and helped lead the team to back-to-back NBA Championships in 2009 and 2010. Walton has appeared in 564 career regular season games (138 starts), posting averages of 4.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 17.2 minutes. Walton also served as an assistant coach on the University of Memphis basketball staff during the 2011 NBA lockout.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to the Lakers family,” said Walton. “I’m looking forward to working with the staff to develop young talent that can benefit the D-Fenders and the NBA. The D-Fenders have a proven record of developing top-flight players, and I plan to continue that tradition.”

Walton, a San Diego native, begins his first season as a player development coach. He is the third addition to Head Coach Bob MacKinnon’s staff, joining assistant coaches Casey Owens and Thomas Scott.

Look, people. Chris Kaman appreciates some basic communication. Is that too much to ask? Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News (Blog):

The Clippers acquired Chris Paul by trading Kaman along with Eric Gordon, Al-Faroug Aminu and a 2012 first-round pick, a move that instantly brought credibility to the organization and improved the team’s culture. And though Kaman hardly takes offense toward the Clippers shedding ties with him, he still sounded disturbed on how they handled it.

“I didn’t think they were respectful about it,” Kaman said. “After playing eight years, at least they could’ve told me what was going on. I wasn’t going to fight it. I understand it. Who wouldn’t want to make a trade to get Chris Paul. Look what it’s done for the organization. But just tell me. I would’ve appreciated if someone told me instead of finding out on ESPN.”

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have waived forward Lou Amundson. The Clippers roster now stands at 14 players.

Amundson appeared in seven preseason games (one start) for the Clippers, averaging 1.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 9.9 minutes of action.

Amundson has appeared in 327 career games (seven starts) for the Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Hornets. The 6”9”, 225-pound forward finished last season with the Hornets, averaging 2.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 18 games.

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have waived forward Brandon Davies. The Clippers roster now stands at 15 players.

Davies appeared in five preseason games for the Clippers, averaging 3.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.2 minutes of action.

Davies, 22, was a member of the Clippers 2013 Summer League team in Las Vegas, averaging 5.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15.8 minutes of play over five games. He was undrafted out of BYU in the 2013 NBA Draft.

Clippers Coach Doc Rivers had the Lakers’ championship banners covered and had his players’ banners draped over them instead at Staples Center.

Rivers said it will be done whenever it’s the Clippers’ home game in the arena they share with the Lakers.

The Lakers have 12 championship banners — Minneapolis has its five titles on one banner — and 10 retired jerseys, including Chick Hearn’s microphone retired jersey.

“Well, I didn’t look at it as the banner thing,” Rivers maintained. “I just look at it as putting our guys up.”

Rivers had the banners of Jamal Crawford, Blake Griffin, J.J. Redick, DeAndre Jordan, Jared Dudley, Chris Paul and Matt Barnes all put up on the wall.

Reported by Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times

Despite a 17-point outburst in the fourth quarter from Darren Collison, the Clippers couldn’t rally and fell, 94-84, to Portland Friday night in their Staples Center preseason opener.

Collison finished with 31 points and had six assists and two steals for the Clippers (3-2), who will play Denver Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Playing without J.J. Redick, Matt Barnes and Maalik Wayns and Willie Green, Collison took advantage of the 34 minutes Coach Doc Rivers gave him and made 8 of 16 shots from the field and 15 of 16 from the free-throw line.

Reported by Phil Collin of the Los Angeles Daily News (Blog)

When Clippers forward Blake Griffin went down clutching his left knee in a scrimmage Wednesday night, he said he “absolutely” feared the worst because he’s had experience with knee injuries before.

But an MRI exam revealed that Griffin had a bone bruise and no structural damage. After team doctors spent time working on his knee, the Clippers’ star realized the injury was “not even really that bad,” Griffin said Friday.

The team said Griffin participated in the full practice Friday after missing practice the day before. He said he hopes to play in the Clippers’ exhibition Saturday night at Utah.

Reported by Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have waived Mustapha Farrakhan and JaMychal Green. The Clippers roster now stands at 16 players.

Farrakhan played seven minutes in last night’s 89-81 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, while Green had three rebounds in four minutes of action.

Farrakhan has spent the last two seasons in the NBA D-League with the Bakersfield Jam, Idaho Stampede, Sioux Falls Sky Force and Iowa Energy. In 72 career games (20 starts), he has averaged 8.0 points, 2.5 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 18.3 minutes. Farrakhan started the 2012-13 season with the Milwaukee Bucks, appearing in three preseason games for the Bucks before being released prior to the start of the regular season. He was the 13th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Development League by the Jam.

The 6’4” 175-pound guard played collegiately at the University of Virginia for four seasons. He averaged 13.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 31 games his senior season.

Green was a member of the Clippers 2013 Summer League team in Las Vegas. In four games (all starts), he averaged 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 21.3 minutes of action. The Montgomery, Ala. native participated in training camp with the San Antonio Spurs prior to the 2012-13 season. The 6’8”, 240-pound forward spent all of last season with the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League, averaging 12.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 40 games (25 starts).

An undrafted forward out of Alabama, Green averaged 14.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks his final season for the Crimson Tide en route to being named All-SEC First Team.

The Los Angeles Clippers today signed free agents Lou Amundson, Mustapha Farrakhan and JaMychal Green to complete their training camp roster.

Amundson has appeared in 327 career games (seven starts) for the Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Hornets. The 6”9”, 225-pound forward finished last season with the Hornets, averaging 2.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 18 games.

An undrafted forward out of UNLV, Amundson was named the 2006-07 NBA D-League Rookie of the Year after averaging 11.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.48 blocks in 25 games. In college, he averaged 7.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 120 career games (68 starts) for the Runnin’ Rebels.

Farrakhan has spent the last two seasons in the NBA D-League with the Bakersfield Jam, Idaho Stampede, Sioux Falls Sky Force and Iowa Energy. In 72 career games (20 starts), he has averaged 8.0 points, 2.5 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 18.3 minutes of action. Farrakhan started the 2012-13 season with the Milwaukee Bucks, appearing in three preseason games for the Bucks before being released prior to the start of the regular season. He was the 13th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Development League by the Jam.

The 6’4” 175-pound guard played collegiately at the University of Virginia for four seasons. He averaged 13.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 31 games his senior season.

Green was a member of the Clippers 2013 Summer League team in Las Vegas. In four games (all starts), he averaged 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 21.3 minutes of action. The Montgomery, Ala. native participated in training camp with the San Antonio Spurs prior to the 2012-13 season. The 6’8”, 240-pound forward spent all of last season with the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League, averaging 12.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 40 games (25 starts).

An undrafted forward out of Alabama, Green averaged 14.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks his final season for the Crimson Tide en route to being named All-SEC First Team.

The Clippers’ training camp roster currently stands at 18 players.

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that the organization has named Brendan O’Connor as an assistant coach on the staff of Head Coach and Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Doc Rivers.

It was also announced that Dave Severns and Howard Eisley will return as Assistant Player Skills Coaches and Bob Thate will return for his second season as shooting coach.

Additionally, the Clippers have named Dave Wohl as Director of Pro Scouting and Jack Nolan as an Advance Scout.

O’Connor, Severns, Eisely and Thate round out Rivers’ coaching staff, which includes Associate Head Coach Alvin Gentry, Assistant Coaches Armond Hill, Kevin Eastman and Tyronn Lue, and Assistant Player Skills Coach J.P. Clark.

O’Connor comes to Los Angeles as an assistant coach after spending last season as an advance scout for the Brooklyn Nets. With more than 10 years of NBA coaching and scouting experience, O’Connor, a New Hampshire native, began his NBA career with the Detroit Pistons as an advance scout in 2000, and was promoted to assistant coach/advance scout in July 2001. He was a member of the Pistons’ coaching staff in 2004 and 2005 on Detroit’s NBA Championship team and Eastern Conference Championship squad, respectively. He has also worked as an assistant coach for the Kings and Knicks. Prior to joining the Pistons, O’Connor coached in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), United States Basketball League (USBL), and International Basketball League (IBL). He was an assistant coach/director of player personnel with both the Grand Rapids Hoops (1997-99) of the CBA and Richmond Rhythm (1999-2000) of the IBL.

Severns returns to the Clippers for a fourth season. He served as an assistant coach for player development with the Chicago Bulls from 2008-2010 before coming to Los Angeles. Prior to his time with the Bulls, Severns spent 13 years in player development with Nike, working with college players at the All-American Camp, All-Asia Camp, Nike Skills Academies and Jordan Flight School. He also worked at Attack Athletics in Chicago under Tim Grover from 2005-08.

Eisley joined the Clippers prior to the 2010-11 season after a 12-year playing career in the NBA. He averaged 6.5 points, 3.5 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 786 games with Minnesota, San Antonio, Utah, Dallas, New York, Phoenix, Clippers and Denver. In 2005-06, he played in 13 games for the Clippers, averaging 0.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

Thate enters his second season with the Clippers as shooting coach. Previously, he spent the 2005-08 seasons with the New Jersey Nets in the same capacity. A 1970 NBA Draft selection of the Los Angeles Lakers, Thate began a four-year professional career in France (where he still holds the league’s season scoring record) before embarking on a college coaching career that included stops at Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, University of California-Irvine and Long Beach State.

Wohl begins his first season as Director of Pro Scouting for the Clippers. He brings more than four decades of NBA experience to Los Angeles, including most recently working as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2009-2011. Wohl was also the assistant general manager of the Boston Celtics for two seasons (2007-2009), including the team’s 2008 NBA Championship run, and has served in a variety of capacities with Orlando, Miami, Sacramento, the Lakers and a season with Clippers (1993-94). As an assistant coach under Pat Riley, Wohl was a member of the Lakers’ 1985 NBA Championship team. Wohl was the head coach of the New Jersey Nets for two-plus seasons (1985-88), leading the team to the NBA Playoffs in the 1985-86 season. He was selected in the third round of the 1971 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and appeared in more than 400 games in seven NBA seasons as a player.

Nolan joins the Clippers as an advance scout after one season in the same position with the Boston Celtics. He started in the NBA in 1988 as a scout with the Atlanta Hawks and has worked with a number of teams in scouting and coaching capacities, including Vancouver, New York, Cleveland and Dallas.

Lamar Odom’s crack cocaine addiction had reached such dangerous levels … even his dealer thought the NBA star had gone over the edge, and cut off his supply last week, TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the dealer tell us, the crack slinger had delivered the drug to Lamar all summer, but last week, Lamar was insatiable … calling incessantly and demanding more and more crack. His go-to dealer apparently got scared enough to cut Lamar off.

Reported by TMZ.com

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have signed forward Brandon Davies.

“We really liked Brandon in Summer League,” Clippers Head Coach and Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Doc Rivers said. “We like his ability to play multiple positions and he fits with our team. He understands team basketball and has been in here all summer working on his game.”

Davies, 22, was a member of the Clippers 2013 Summer League team in Las Vegas, averaging 5.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15.8 minutes of play over five games. He was undrafted out of BYU in the 2013 NBA Draft.

The forward averaged 12.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 24.1 minutes over his four-year collegiate career for the Cougars. As a senior, he averaged 17.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 blocks in 36 games played (all starts). He was named to the All-West Coast Conference First Team as a junior and senior.

A star at Provo High School in Utah, Davies led his high school team to state titles his sophomore and junior seasons, plus a runner-up finish his senior year.

Free agent forward Louis Amundson has sparked interest from several teams, including the Lakers and Clippers, according to his agent, Mark Bartelstein.

Bartelstein said in an interview with the Los Angeles Newspaper Group that his client plans to finalize a deal with a team within the week, though he wouldn’t go into exact specifics what role and terms would best suit Amundson.

Amundson had meetings with the Lakers and Clippers and even worked out at the team’s respective facilities in recent weeks, but it remains unclear if he winds up playing in Los Angeles.

Reported by Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (Blog)

Basketball star Lamar Odom was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence early Friday after a California Highway Patrol officer saw his white Mercedes-Benz traveling erratically on a San Fernando Valley Freeway.

The husband of reality TV star Khloe Kardashian was stopped shortly before 4 a.m. and was arrested after a field sobriety test.

The CHP said Odom’s car was observed traveling in a ‘’serpentine manner” before he pulled off the freeway.

”Mr. Odom showed objective signs of intoxication and was unable to perform field sobriety tests,” the CHP said in a report. Authorities said he later declined to take a chemical test.

Reported by the Associated Press

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have signed free agent forward Antawn Jamison.

Jamison is well past his prime and at this point is strictly backup material. That said, he’s a fantastic addition to any team’s frontcourt, as a supporting cast veteran.

Jamison, 37, is a two-time NBA All-Star (2005, 2008) and was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2003-04 while with the Dallas Mavericks. Jamison brings career averages of 18.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 1,061 career games (864 starts) to the Clippers.

A veteran of 15 NBA seasons with Golden State, Dallas, Washington, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers, Jamison appeared in 76 games (six starts) with the Lakers last season and averaged 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds. Jamison enters the 2013-14 season ranked ninth among active players with 19,958 career points and eighth in total rebounds with 8,102.

Originally drafted by the Toronto Raptors with the fourth overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft before being traded to the Warriors on Draft Night in exchange for college teammate Vince Carter, Jamison averaged 19.0 points and 9.9 rebounds in three seasons at the University of North Carolina. In his final collegiate season, Jamison was named the Naismith College Player of the Year and earned AP Player of the Year and the John R. Wooden Award after averaging 22.2 points and 10.5 rebounds.

Born in Shreveport, LA, Jamison was named to the 1998-99 All-Rookie Second Team and was a member of the USA National Team at the 2006 FIBA World Championships.

This hardly seems to be the episode Lamar Odom wants aired out on reality television.

Amid reports that Odom has suffered from drug addiction, it appears fewer and fewer teams are less interested in his services. After planning to officially sign veteran forward Antawn Jamison Wednesday at the veteran’s minimum worth $1.4 million, the Clippers no longer are interested in resigning Odom, according to a league source familiar with the team’s thought process.

Once Jamison’s signing becomes official, the Clippers will have 14 players under contract, one player shy of the NBA’s imposed maximum number of players allowed on a roster. But the Clippers plan to fill out the last roster spot at some point during training camp, which begins in late September, according to a source. The Clippers would welcome Odom to training camp, though it remains unclear if he’d be interested in just that. Odom’s agent, Jeff Schwartz, hasn’t responded to numerous requests for comment regarding his client in recent days.

Reported by Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (Blog)

Prosecutors have slapped down allegations that retired hoopster Scottie Pippen assaulted an autograph seeker outside a Malibu restaurant last June.

The Los Angeles District Attorney said Tuesday it will not press charges against the former Chicago Bull because the man who claims he was roughed up was legally drunk at the time, may have been the aggressor and did not have injuries consistent with the beatdown he claimed he suffered.

An investigator also found that while alleged victim Camran Shafighi complained of severe pain to his ankle and demanded a splint after the incident, staff at UCLA Medical Center later saw him walk without a limp.

The emergency room staff also said Shafighi faked seizures that would mysteriously disappear when a doctor ordered him to “stop it,” a DA filing obtained by the Daily News states.

Reported by Nancy Dillon of the New York Daily News

Antawn Jamison may have improved his odds of winning a first NBA title by moving to a team with zero championships.

The veteran free agent agreed to a one-year contract with the Clippers on Monday for the veteran’s minimum of about $1.4 million, bolstering a bench that last season was among the best in the league.

“Happy to stay in LA. But with the @LAClippers!” Jamison tweeted.

Jamison, a 15-year veteran who spent last season with the Lakers on another minimum deal, has stated his desire to play for a title contender at this point in his career. He has never reached the conference finals in previous stints with the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers and Lakers.

Reported by Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times

TMZ are one of the world’s leading kings of gossip. They have extremely good sources, and a long period of time have proven themselves to be right far more often than they are wrong.

That said, we at InsideHoops.com hope that the following report about Lamar Odom is inaccurate:

The marriage of Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom is in crisis, and TMZ has learned … the core reason is hardcore drug abuse.

Multiple sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ … Lamar has had a problem for 2 years. It got so bad, last August Khloe pressured Lamar to go to rehab. Lamar went to a facility in San Diego, but he was so resistant Khloe hired private investigators to secretly stand guard at the rehab place to make sure he didn’t leave. The P.I.s stood guard 24/7.

Our sources say Lamar constantly threatened to leave and Khloe made several visits to prevail upon him to stay. We’re told after 3 weeks, Lamar left for good.

Reported by TMZ.com

We wish the best for Odom, and will keep an eye on this story if anything additional develops. 

Chris Paul has already seemingly done the impossible by turning the long-languishing Los Angeles Clippers into a force in the Western Conference. Now he’s taken on another big task - rebuilding the reeling NBA players’ association.

Paul was elected president of the players’ union Wednesday, replacing Derek Fisher and giving an organization cloaked in turmoil some much-needed star power at the top.

The vote by NBA player representatives came six months after the union fired Billy Hunter as executive director, a position that remains vacant and follows about 18 months of in-fighting and drama that occurred during the negotiations for the latest collective bargaining agreement. Hunter countered with a wrongful-termination lawsuit in May, accusing Fisher of conspiring with NBA officials during the 2011 lockout.

”It’s not about me as president or the first vice president, it’s about the players as a whole,” Paul said in a conference call Wednesday night.

Reported by W.G. Ramirez of the Associated Press