Nothing cleanses the mind and purifies the soul like a win. Sounds simple, but it’s the truth in the world of the National Basketball Association where all judgments are based on wins and losses.

The Clippers opened the season with four straight losses to some of the Western Conference’s top teams. But 0-4 is 0-4. The teams they lost to won an average of 52 games last season.

Well, what the schedule maker giveth, he also takes away.

The next seven games on the docket would be against teams that averaged only 29 wins last year. Coach Mike Dunleavy’s team jumped at the opportunity with back-to-back wins over Minnesota and on the road at Golden State. Now they dive into the season’s first prolonged homestand: a stretch of four games in seven days against Memphis, New Orleans, Oklahoma City and Toronto. The Raptors are the only team of the quartet to open the week with a winning record. If the Clippers can but win three of the four, they’d be back to .500 and it would be a solid recovery from that 0-4 start. A sweep would lift them to a winning record for the first time in the young season.

After Friday night’s 118-90 victory over Golden State in Oakland, all things seem possible. Veteran point guard Baron Davis remains the team’s catalyst. He is a force of nature when he plays with the determination and focus exhibited against his former team. Center Chris Kaman has started well in seasons past, but this is off the charts. Through the first two weeks of play he is averaging a whopping 22.5 points a game. That’s enough to rank him as the highest scoring center in the league. If Davis keeps playing like Baron and Kaman approximates anything close to this level of play, this is a very good Clipper team.

Eric Gordon is the other player worthy of special praise. The 20-year old from Indianapolis is a scoring machine. He consistently gets his team off to a good start. They’ve scored 30 or more points in the first quarter in four of their last five games. Gordon has averaged nine points a quarter in those opening periods. He went for 12 in the opening stanza of the back-to-back wins over the Timberwolves and the Warriors.

The team still needs to sort out the small forward position and find a way to reduce turnovers. The Clippers remain a work in progress but now we are starting to see the progress.

Every game in the homestand will be televised live in HD on PRIME TICKET. Stay in touch with me @ohmeomy or facebook.com/ralphlawler.

"Clippers Win, Clippers Win, Clippers Win!" It took five games and seven days, but I finally had a chance to say those cherished words on Monday night when the Clippers staggered past the Minnesota Timberwolves 93-90 at STAPLES Center.

It was not the team's most perfect night of basketball in the season's first week, but the desired result was finally there: a win.

Chris Kaman's start has been a surprising revelation. He's averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocked shots a game while making an incendiary 60% of his field goal attempts. The "M-V-P" chants may have been a little premature, but can you say "All-Star?" I guess it's a little early for those or any other awards, but the 27 year old center did have an amazing opening week of his seventh NBA season.

Coach Mike dunleavy made his first line-up change in preparing for the Minnesota game. He inserted Rasual Butler at small forward in place of Al Thornton. I like the move. Kaman is starting to receive consistent double and triple team defensives and Butler can help make opponents pay as a spot-up three-point specialist. Rasual knocked down 140 "3's" last season with New Orleans.

I think point guard Baron Davis deserves major credit for the Monday night victory, despite five turnovers and 2-for-10 shooting. The veteran point guard participated in three possibly game saving plays late in the game. He stole a pass as the lone defender in a crucial three-on-one Timberwolves fast break, he drilled a crucial three-pointer after an offensive rebound by Kaman, and then returned the favor by setting an amazing pick that kept not one, but two defenders away from Kaman allowing Chris to hammer home an emphatic and uncontested slam dunk. That was big-time leadership by example.

There are signs of hope as the Clippers get ready for Friday's meeting with the Golden state Warriors in Oakland. They must learn to limit turnovers. Their "take-away/giveaway" figure of -5 is not acceptable. The defense hasn't been bad, the offense looks promising (aside from the turnovers) and the team dominated the boards against Minnesota.

The schedule normalizes a bit now. Let's see if these guys can put together a string of wins. That's what it will take to make up for that 0-4 start.

We are at the halfway point of the Clippers eight-game NBA exhibition season.

Let's see what we have learned:

• The record is a solid 3-1. While wins and losses in the preseason carry little true value, the team's attitude, focus and style of play are certainly worth noting.

• Through the summer people kept wondering if coach Mike Dunleavy would really loosen the reigns and let this team run. So far, the answer is a resounding yes. They are averaging almost 104 points a game through their first four and shooting an eye-popping 50.8% from the field and 40.6% from three-point range. And get this, the Clippers are averaging 18 fast-break points a game. (That's Phoenix and Golden State territory).

• You can file 25 personal fouls and 19 turnovers a game and 70% free throw shooting in the "things to work on" category.

• It has not taken long to learn that rookie Blake Griffin is something special. He's even better than advertised and the ads were great.

• Kaman, Camby, Gordon and Jordan all came to camp in great shape and all seem poised for big seasons. Butler and Thornton are waging a spirited and productive battle for time at small forward. Baron Davis has grasped the leadership role with focus, comittment and enthusiasm while Sebastian Telfair looks to be a very able back up to Baron. All the while, Ricky Davis, Craig Smith, Steve Novak, Mardy Collins and Brian Skinner add unprecedented veteran depth and experience.

I felt good about this group coming into camp. I feel even better about them halfway through the preseason. This should be fun.

A good solid morning Training Camp session for Mike Dunleavy’s Clippers today. The best sight was seeing rookie Blake Griffin on the court for running and shooting drills. He’s been cleared for non-contact work and expects to participate fully by next Wednesday which would likely make him available to play in the second pre-season game at home against Portland on Friday, October 9th.

Coach gave his team the night off tonight and expects to work them hard tomorrow morning before departing Saturday afternoon for Oakland, where they’ll play the Golden State Warriors Sunday night at 6pm (KFWB-AM980).

Second year shooting guard Eric Gordon continues to sparkle in team scrimmages. He’s slimmed down a little which has given him added quickness and it shows. He has spent some time at the point guard position and is growing more comfortable there. He was a point guard throughout high school and did not move over to the shooting guard position until college at Indiana. Sebastian Telfair (ankle) will not make the trip to Oakland, so Gordon can be expected to get some minutes at the point in the pre-season opener against the Warriors. Griffin will make the trip but will not play Sunday.

So far so good in week one of camp. The work resumes tomorrow morning at 9:00 am.

Coach Mike Dunleavy sent his squad through a series of energetic scrimmages today at the team’s Playa Vista Training Center. It marked the first formal scrimmages during the team’s training camp, which opened Tuesday.

Kareem Rush knocked down a buzzer-beater to lead the white team to a come-from-behind victory in the first eight minute game. DeAndre Jordan dominated the boards throughout the three scrimmages where-in the blue team won two of three.

Among the stand-outs: inside play by Craig Smith, out-side shooting by Ricky Davis, Rasual Butler and Steve Novak and active scoring from Al Thornton.

The downside, back-up point guard Sebastian Telfair suffered a left ankle sprain minutes into the morning drills.

Telfair sprained his left Ankle early in Thursday AM practice. He spent the rest of the morning getting treatment. It is not believed to be serious as he is listed as day-to-day.

The guys lace ‘em up again this evening.

An uneventful day two at the Clippers' training camp. Young camp hopeful Taj Gray sat out the morning session. He was stationed on the sidelines next to fellow former Oklahoma star Blake Griffin, who is recovering from a bruised knee. Gray was sitting out with a sore right knee. Neither injury is serious.

Now you understand why they added four players to the team’s 14-man roster last week. Head Coach and General Manager Mike Dunleavy was still able to field three full five-man teams in spirited end-to-end action.

In a reversal from past years, the contact work is done in the longer morning session with the evening part of the two-a-days limited to non-contact work and largely to the repeating and repeating of the pages in the team’s play book. That work is done 5-on-0.

You certainly note the presence of new assistant coach John Lucas. The highly respected three-time NBA head coach fills the gym with his energy and enthusiasm. He and Tony Brown appear to be excellent additions to the Dunleavy staff that includes returnees Kim Hughes and Fred Vinson.

Add another player who has been making shots early on – Ricky Davis has been red hot in both half court and full court drills. He could be a bit of an X-factor this season. He’s a versatile wing player who has averaged as many as 20-points a game in a season during his 11-year NBA career. He seems to have his legs beneath him again this year and a resilient season from him would give the coach an unexpected added lethal weapon off a potentially very deep bench. Keep an eye on Ricky Davis, who is coming off the worst season of his career. He battled knee problems from start to finish last year and says he feels better now than he has in a long, long time.

Round two of the two-a-day regime begins at 6:00 pm.

The Clippers 2009 Training camp opened Tuesday morning at their training center in Playa Vista.

17 players went through a series of conditioning and basketball drills under the watchful eyes of Head Coach and General Manager Mike Dunleavy and his staff. All things were good except for the fact that rookie gem Blake Griffin was sidelined with a minor knee bruise suffered in a pick-up game last week. He is listed as "day-to-day." Griffin spent his time on an elliptical machine and then went through some strenuous stretching exercises displaying truly extraordinary flexibility for a man his size.

Dunleavy seemed pleased with the opening session as he saw a better level of conditioning than he’d witnessed at camp a year earlier. He cited center Chris Kaman and shooting guard Eric Gordon as players who came to camp in top-notch shape.

There was a "buzz" among the players over the inspirational talk given them by veteran point guard Baron Davis at the camp’s tip-off dinner a night earlier. Baron really put it all on the line in promising a renewed commitment to winning. If Davis plays close to the top-15 NBA talent he possesses, there’s no telling how good this Clippers team could be. He knows there is a lot of weight on his shoulders and he seems fully ready to accept it.

It was clear on opening day that there are some shooters on this roster. Rasual Butler, Eric Gordon, Kareem Rush, Anthony Roberson and Steve Novak were knocking down shot after shot all morning long.

It’s good to be undefeated and full of hope. That’s what the opening of camp is all about. The guys will be back in the gym at 6:00 pm.

A big turnout Monday for the Clippers' 2009-10 Media Day at STAPLES Center in downtown Los Angeles.

The 18 players went through the obligatory picture taking, autograph signing and media schmoozing between 12 noon and about 3:00 pm. Local TV trucks were lined up outside the building and mic-toting reporters were everywhere.

Much of the attention, of course was centered on Blake Griffin, the college player of the year from Oklahoma who the Clippers tabbed as the first player chosen in the June NBA Draft. The personable 20-year-old rookie says he "Loves L.A." He noted that it was a "little bit bigger than Oklahoma City." I added, it’s a little bit bigger than Oklahoma!

Other tidbits: Coach Mike Dunleavy expressed pleasure at the players' overall level of conditioning. He really thinks that a healthy Clippers team can be in the playoff mix. The believes at least two of the eight spots in the West will be up for grabs this season.

New Assistant coach John Lucas is thrilled to be back in the league. He is especially high on what he’s seen of veteran point guard Baron Davis and 7-foot center Chris Kaman. Both Dunleavy and Lucas feel they can better utilize Baron’s enormous talent.

Davis himself looked more fit than he was at anytime last season. He claims total focus on the task at hand which is an absolute reversal of last season’s disaster.

Kaman has been in town for two months getting ready to rebound from last year, a season in which he missed 48-games because of injury. Chris is so happy to have access to the team’s new training center where he’s been scrimmaging 5-on-5 for the past two weeks. He says incoming power forward Craig Smith has been sensational in these scrimmages. Kaman thinks Smith and sweet shooting Rasual Butler were key off-season acquisitions.

I had brief "hellos" with returnees DeAndre Jordan, Marcus Camby, Al Thornton and Steve Novak. All are almost giddy in their excitement about the coming season.

Oh, and Craig Smith, who grew up in L.A., reminded me that he’s been listening to me since he was a little kid. Oh well, aside from that, it was a darn nice day.

Camp opens in Playa Vista with two-a-days on Tuesday.

Well, 2009 will certainly go down in Clipper annals as a "Summer to Remember." It was good enough that it could well make 2009-10 an NBA "Season to Remember" for the team’s legion of faithful fans.

Let’s take a look at the remarkable 2009 Summer time-line:

May 19, 2009 - Team President Andy Roeser represents the Clippers as the team stunningly wins the 2009 NBA Draft Lottery.

June 6, 2009 - Essentially ending any possible speculation, the Clippers conducted an unprecedented open workout for presumptive No. 1 Draft Pick Blake Griffin, the consensus College Player of the Year from Oklahoma. The gala event was staged at the team's Training Center in Playa Vista and viewed by assorted season guests and members of the media.

June 25, 2009 - The Clippers opened the 2009 NBA Draft by choosing Griffin with the No. 1 overall pick.

July 12, 2009 - The team signs former Clipper Tony Brown as an Assistant Coach on Mike Dunleavy’s Staff. He is a veteran of 11 seasons as an NBA Assistant. He is a valuable addition to the team’s basketball staff.

July 13, 2009 - Blake Griffin made his Clippers debut in the Las Vegas Summer League. He scored the teams first seven points, including a 3-pointer, in the opening 90-seconds of play. He made his first eight shots on the way to scoring 27 points and pulling down a dozen rebounds as the Clips opened with a win over the Lakers. Commisioner David Stern was on hand to watch the young star’s dazzling opening night. Griffin went on to be named the Summer League’s Most Outstanding Player.

July 17, 2009 - It was quickly apparent that the team needed to clear the runway for the Rookie’s NBA takeoff and they did just that by unloading Zach Randolph to Memphis in exchange for former local favorite Quentin Richardson.

July 20, 2009 - Q wasn’t around long; three days after the Memphis deal was made official, the Clippers shipped him to Minnesota for three respected role players: point guard Sebastian Telfair, energetic power forward Craig Smith and former Laker, Mark Madsen. GM / Coach Mike Dunleavy was pleased to be able to beef up his team’s bench.

August 12, 2009 - The work was not yet done. The Clippers were able to acquire veteran swingman Rasual Butler from the New Orleans Hornets. The 3-point specialist filled a glaring team need. I remember a game in which he knocked down seven 3-pointers against the Clippers. Welcome Rasual.

August 13, 2009 - The business side of the club was busy as well. On this date they announced a long-term agreement with storied Los Angeles radio station KFWB NEWS TALK 980. Fans no longer need to wonder where to find Clippers games on the radio. They’ll be right there on 980 AM each and every night.

September 11, 2009 - Sniper Steve Novak re-signed with the Clippers after knocking down 119 "3’s" with the team last season.

September 16, 2009 - Veteran big man Brian Skinner completed the roster by signing on for another season. It will be Skinner’s 12th season in the NBA and his fifth overall with the Clippers. His signing brought the roster to 14.

September 17, 2009 - Weeks after the Clippers and PRIME TICKET announced an exclusive multi-year agreement, PRIME TICKET unveiled it’s 2009-10 Clippers TV schedule. For the first time in Clippers Franchise History, every regular season game will be televised. PRIME TICKET will serve up two pre-season games and 79 regular season contests. Add on the three TNT exclusive national telecasts and Clipper fans will be able to watch them all this season.

September 18, 2009 - Mike Dunleavy completes his coaching staff by signing the highly respected John Lucas. The former head coach at Cleveland, San Antonio and Philadelphia joins newcomer Tony Brown and hold-overs Kim Hughes and Fred Vinson on the revamped staff.

I guess there’s no such thing as a good schedule versus a bad schedule because every NBA team plays 82 games – 41 at home and 41 on the road. Still, each year’s slate is anxiously awaited and then studied as if the cure to cancer were to be found. I always check first to see when the team will be in my favorite cities: New York (theatre), Chicago (roots), Miami (nightlife), Portland (family) and San Antonio (Riverwalk). That done, it’s time to pick out the Clippers' Top 10 Games this season:

1. Tuesday, Oct. 27 - Opening Night against the Lakers on the Defending Champs' home court (TNT)

2. Wednesday, Oct. 28 - The Clippers' Home Opener vs. Phoenix

3. Friday, Dec. 25 - a Christmas evening game @ Phoenix (ESPN)

4. Sunday, Dec. 27 - a Sunday home against the Boston Celtics

5. Thursday, Dec. 31 - the annual New Year's Eve home game will see the Clippers clash with Elton Brand and the Philadelphia 76ers for the second year in a row (TNT)

6. Wednesday, Jan. 6 - the Clipps' first home game against the Lakers (ESPN)

7. Saturday, Jan. 16 - LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal and the Cleveland Cavaliers come to STAPLES Center

8. Monday, Jan. 25 - the Clippers head to Beantown to take on the Celtics

9. Tuesday, Mar. 9 - the Clipps head to Orlando and face the defending Eastern Conference Champion Magic

10. Wednesday, Apr. 14 - the Clippers will close the regular season with a home game against the Lakers

I’m even looking forward to the exhibition season. Let’s get it going!

I’ve escaped the heat of Las Vegas for the cooler banks of the Deschutes River in Central Oregon. A few observations after four days at the very well-run Las Vegas Summer League: Warren LeGarie and his staff are to be congratulated on the job they’ve done in making this the premier NBA event of the summer. They started in Las Vegas in 2004 with only six teams in tow. It’s grown to 22 teams while summer events in Long Beach and the Rocky Mountain Review in Utah have fallen to the wayside. Two side-by-side gyms on the campus of UNLV buzz with basketball activity for 10-straight days. Coaches, general managers, scouts, team owners and international basketball execs devour hours of hoops each day. It is a very special off-season adventure.

It was quickly obvious that Blake Griffin is the marquee player in the event this year. He’s an absolute sensation and the biggest star to hit the Summer League since its Las Vegas inception. He is the reason that the Clippers are the prime time game at the bigger Thomas & Mack Center each night. Fans from all over the country are clamoring to see the former Oklahoma star play. He’s going to be a real star in this league and a hugely popular player in Los Angeles.

I also enjoyed seeing a collection of former Clipper players competing in the Summer League. Shaun Livingston, not yet 24 years old, is continuing his come back attempt with the Oklahoma City Thunder. His contract for the 2009-10 season is not guaranteed so he’s using this event to show he can regain sufficient form to back-up young Russell Westbrook at the point in Oklahoma. He shows flashes of his once promising skills, but still lacks the explosive moves stolen from him by that tragic knee injury in February of 2007. We wish Shaun the best of luck. Other former Clippers spotted on summer league rosters include Luke Jackson with Dallas, Will Conroy with Houston, Daniel Ewing with Memphis, Paul Davis with Toronto and Yaroslav Korolev with the New York Knicks.

The Clippers return to Action tonight in the feature 7:30 pm (PDT) game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Editor's note: Watch tonight's game by subscribing to NBA Broadband. Watch all Summer League games live or on demand for only $14.99!

This is officially an "off day" for the Clippers' Las Vegas Summer League team; however, they will stay hard at work, meeting for a mid-day practice at Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV.

The Clippers' "G-Men" - rookie Blake Griffin and second year guard Eric Gordon - will get a full dose of the dry desert heat this month. They will stay on the Vegas strip well after their week of work for the Clippers during the Summer League. Each has been chosen to participate on the USA Select team that will be working out here from July 22-25. Griffin, Gordon and 23 other young pros will be participating in the 2009 USA Basketball Men’s National Team mini-camp. It’s a worthy honor and both are looking forward to it.

First things first, though. The Clips still have three games to play during the sixth Summer League to be played in Las Vegas. Their record is 2-0 with Memphis up next on Thursday night.

I’ll heading back to Oregon later today. It’s been a worthwhile few days here in Vegas. I was fortunate to see two games and two full practices. It’s an impressive group that Head Coach and General Manager Mike Dunleavy and Assistant General Manager Neil Olshey have put together. They’ve all worked hard under the guidance of summer league coach Kim Hughes and Assistants Tony Brown and Fred Vinson. We wish them well the rest of the way.

The Clippers' second Las Vegas Summer League game didn’t have quite the sizzle that a game one victory over the Lakers had, but they are nonetheless 2-0 for the summer after a hard-fought 88-86 win over the New Orleans Hornets at the Thomas & Mack Center Tuesday night.

Three young Clippers again had big games: Blake Griffin (16 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists), DeAndre Jordan (21 Points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks) and guard Eric Gordon (22 points, 10-10 FTM-A). It is also worth noting that young Kyle McAlarney from Notre Dame sparked a late surge with seven fourth quarter points with the game on the line.

The young Clippers club was plagued with turnovers all night long, giving up the ball 21 times in a 40 minute game. When the game was over, I asked Head Coach and General Manager Mike Dunleavy what he thought and he quickly responded, "I like Blake Griffin."

And what’s not to like? The 20-year-old power forward from Oklahoma has knocked down 18-of-26 shots in his two Summer League games. The Clippers are now one of the three of the 22 teams in Vegas to remain unbeaten.

Griffin is clearly the Summer League’s number one attraction. The team has brought in extra security to help him deal with sometimes overzealous fans who just want a maybe a glimpse, a touch or perhaps an autograph. Everywhere I go in the city, after people notice the Clipper logo on my shirt, the questions have a common theme and that’s Blake Griffin.

Game three is set for Thursday night, with the Clippers and Grizzlies in the feature game at 7:30 pm (PDT).

Another opening, another show... and what a show it was.

20-year-old Blake Griffin made quite a splash in his pro debut. The No. 1 draft pick from Oklahoma wowed the crowd in his Las Vegas summer league debut last night. Cell phones were snapping his picture throughout the Thomas & Mack Center all night long. He is clearly the main attraction of this 22-team event.

When the team returned to their hotel after their rousing win over the Lakers, the rookie was mobbed by adoring fans. He signed as many autographs as possible before hotel security came in to ease his path through the casino and to the elevator. The young man was miked during the game by Fox Sports and cameras have been following his every move.

There is no doubt that there is a new star in town. Welcome to Blake Griffin!

Game two is tonight against New Orleans at 7:30 pm.

Talk about an opening act.

The NBA's No. 1 draft pick, Blake Griffin, scored on his first three touches in the Los Angeles Clippers' Las Vegas Summer League opener against the Lakers. The 20-year-old from Oklahoma finished with a game-high 27 points in leading the Clips to a wire-to-wire 93-82 victory.

Eric Gordon added 21 and DeAndre Jordan scored an active 16.

It was a sweet opening for the Kim Hughes coached Clippers Summer League team that plays again tomorrow against New Orleans. Head Coach and General Manager Mike Dunleavy was impressed with his prize rookie's opening showing. He was particularly pleased wirh Griffin's poise.

The crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center was very Clippers partisan. Among the faces in the crowd: veteran center Marcus Camby, former Clippers guard Sam Cassell, NBA Commisioner David Stern and team owner Donald T. Sterling.

How good was Griffin? 27 points in 29 minutes, made 11 of 15 shots including an early three pointer and grabbed 12 rebounds.

It's a great start, especially over the Lakers who had won their first two games of the summer.

The Los Angeles Clippers held a purposeful workout at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas this morning in preparation for tonight’s Summer League opener against the Los Angeles Lakers. Summer league Head Coach Kim Hughes put the Clips through their paces with able assistance from Fred Vinson and authoritative new hire Tony Brown.

Early observations: Top draft pick Blake Griffin is getting high marks from players and coaches alike. He is a coaching and PR Director’s dream. Griffin is a hard worker who is devoted to staying in shape and improving his game. The Training staff marvels at the 20 year old’s professional approach to being ready.

The expected starting lineup for tonight would appear to be: Mike Taylor and Eric Gordon in the back-court, a bigger, stronger DeAndre Jordan at center with Griffin at power forward and Maryland lefty Nik Caner-Medley at small forward. Jordan was a revelation. He’s added 15 pounds of muscle to his angular frame and says he now checks in around 280 lbs. He looked a little like a young Shaq.

As the Clippers left the court following their one hour shoot-around, the Sacramento Kings took the floor and I had a chance to say hello to their new head coach and former Fox Sports colleague, Paul Westphal. He’s excited to be back on the sidelines and is enjoying working with the young Sacramento team.

As we boarded the bus, the Lakers were arriving for a workout at the adjacent Cox Arena. The Lakers are undefeated in their two summer league games with Adam Morrison putting on a torrid show of shooting. Tip-off tonight is at 5:30 pm (PDT).

The Clippers will be center stage throughout the Summer League, playing all their games and displaying Griffin, the draft’s top pick, each night at the larger Thomas & Mack Center.

Veteran Marcus Camby is in town and point guard Baron Davis is due to arrive later in the week.

I’ll get back to you after the game tonight.

Editor's note: Watch all of the Clippers' Summer League games by subscribing to NBA Broadband. Watch all Summer League games live or on demand for only $14.99!

The Clippers took wing to Las Vegas today with an optimistic eye on the important Vegas Summer League that is now underway.

The team departed from LAX early in the afternoon and their five game Summer League schedule opens tomorrow at 5:30 pm against the Lakers' Summer League entry. It will be the first game of the summer for the Clippers and the third for the Lakers.

The Clips have been working out together since Friday at their training center in Playa Vista under the watchful eye of Summer League coach Kim Hughes.

Much of the anticipation for the games center around consensus college player of the year Blake Griffin of Oklahoma, who the Clippers grabbed with the first overall pick in the June draft. He will be joined by three second-year Clippers: Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan and Mike Taylor.

Sweet Jo and I made the three hour drive to Portland from our summer digs in Bend, Oregon on Sunday morning. As we prepared to board our early afternoon flight to Las Vegas, we ran into a contingent from the Portland Trailblazer summer league team. Last year’s summer league MVP, Jerryd Bayless, will put the Blazers under the microscope this summer as coach Nate McMillan wants to give him big minutes at the point guard position.

Meanwhile, the Blazers are anxiously awaiting word from Salt Lake City where the Utah Jazz have until Friday to match Portland’s offer for power forward Paul Milsap. Several in their traveling party expressed surprise that the offer had gone to Milsap rather than Lakers Free Agent, Lamar Odom.

Time will sort that out.

It’s a busy and significant week for the 20+ teams participating in the Vegas event. I’ll be around for the Clippers first two practices and games on Monday and Tuesday and will be posting here as well as on Twitter (@ohmeomy) and Facebook.com/ralphlawler. Let the games begin!

Today marked the third in the Clippers' 25 years in Los Angeles that the team owned the first overall pick in the NBA Draft. There was no hesitation, no consternation, no deliberation this time. They didn’t need the league allowed five minutes to decide. Head Coach and General Manager Mike Dunleavy immediately barked into the hot-line phone to New York : "BLAKE GRIFFIN."

It took the league the full five minutes to announce the pick to a nationwide TV audience, but the local draft room was filled with smiles and handshakes.

When Commissioner David Stern announced the pick on ESPN, the Clipper Draft room erupted in happy applause. The coach immediately went on the air on ESPN and then moved downstairs to address the local media. He was clearly anxious to get back upstairs where he hoped his day’s work was not over.

The team would love to acquire a later pick in the first round. It was clear the ballclub was not in a "Salary Dump" mode. They turned down more than one opportunity to give up a salary without getting substantial basketball help in return.

But this is now official, the consensus College Player of the Year from Oklahoma will be a Clipper. No. 1 in the land has reason to be surprised. Some say this is a one-man draft. While that may be something of an over statement, but Griffin is the one sure thing in the 2009 Draft.

Blake Griffin will be in Los Angeles on Monday to greet the media.

The team was headquartered in the sparkling new Training Center in Playa Vista. A large throng of media was clustered downstairs on the basketball court while the upstairs conference room was packed with the team’s brain-trust headed by team President Andy Roeser, Dunleavy, his top aide Neil Olshey and his full basketball staff. Club owner Donald T. Sterling and his family were on hand in addition to the Clipper training and medical staff.

The TV cameras were whining away when it was time for Dunleavy to announce his pick. It is a vision that will serve this team well for many years to come.

A truly amazing, never before seen Scene at the Los Angeles Clippers Training Center in Playa Vista on Saturday afternoon. It had to be the first time in league history that the presumptive number one pick in the June NBA Draft was invited in for an "open" work-out. These things are usually done secretly behind closed doors.

College Player of the Year Blake Griffin of Oklahoma was the object of everyone’s attention. The workout was a formality. He’s number one and everybody knows it. The Clippers lucked into the top pick in last month’s Draft Lottery. Now, they are reaping the benefits. A giant throng of media attended at the team’s sparkling new training center. Selected sponsors and season ticket holders were also on hand. It’s a vast departure of times past.

The Clippers owned the first pick in the 1988 Draft. It was correctly presumed that Danny Manning of the NCAA Champion Kansas Jayhawks would be the first pick. Manny was represented by agent Ron Grinker and they were reluctant to be chosen by the Clippers because of the team’s loaded front court: Benoit Benjamin, Michael Cage, Ken Norman and Joe Wolf. It was not a romance made in heaven. Manning did not even work-out with the team. Contract negotiations were bitter and protracted after he was drafted. He did go on to become a two-time All-Star with the team but injuries kept him from ever reaching his extraordinary potential.

Fast forward to 1998 when again the Clippers owned the top pick in the NBA draft. The choice was not as clear-cut then as it was 10 years earlier or than it is currently. University of Pacific big man Michael Olowokandi was a once a generation physical specimen from London. He was seven feet tall, weighed 270 pounds and had an unheard of wingspan of 7-feet, 8-inches! He was bright and athletic. Young Mike Bibby, a point guard from Arizona, was the other possible choice. Each worked out separately for the Clippers at a dusky old gym on the campus of the University of Southern California. Bibby worked out against assistant coach Rex Kalamian. Rex asked me what I thought about Bibby after the work-out and I said: “Well, he’s better than you.” Olowokandi worked out in absolute seclusion in the same gym. No media, no season ticket holders, no sponsors in sight. General Manager Elgin Baylor was impressed. The big man’s physical gifts were extraordinary and with little fanfare, he was the team’s number one pick.

There’s plenty of fanfare now. Blake Griffin is looking forward to the prospect of being a Clipper. He is undaunted by the team’s depth in the front-court. He handled the gaggle of media, sponsors and fans with extraordinary aplomb. Blake said he knows Eric Gordon and DeAndre Jordan from their days playing AAU ball. He met Baron Davis earlier today and feels great about the prospect of moving to L.A. and playing with the Clippers.

Griffin had dinner with the coaching staff Friday night after going over to ABC to tape a video skit for an upcoming Jimmy Kimmel show. He smiled broadly at the thought of this Oklahoma boy getting accustomed to life in the big city.

This is the most attention the Clippers have ever attracted in the month of June. It might also be an indication that they can be playing in June one of the years in the very near future.