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Philippine taekwondo then and now

source: The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) Chris Paul endured two weeks of sleepless nights, stressful days and at least one imploded trade before he found a new home with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Pacific Ocean looked awfully peaceful to the superstar point guard on Thursday when he finally left the New Orleans Hornets for life on the West Coast, and now CP3 can’t wait to start turning Staples Center’s longtime second-class citizens into the greatest show in Hollywood.

The Clippers’ bold new acquisition spent the day at their Playa Vista training complex, trying on his new No. 3 jersey after meeting with Blake Griffin and the rest of the players who can’t wait to catch the four-time All-Star’s passes.

”This is not my day, by the way. This is the Clippers’ day,” Paul told an overflowing media crowd. ”This is a humbling experience, and I’m so grateful and thankful to be here.”

A day earlier, the Clippers acquired Paul in a four-player trade with the Hornets, outmaneuvering the Lakers and several other suitors for the player widely considered the NBA’s best point guard. Paul, who averaged 18.7 points and 9.8 assists last season, realizes his move is a stunning endorsement of the long-struggling Clippers, who have been overshadowed by the 16-time champions for three decades in Southern California.

”I believe in this organization,” Paul said. ”I believe in the players here, and I want to win. I want to win now. I’m so tired of doing everything else. I want to play.”

What Paul doesn’t know about the Clippers doesn’t appear to hurt him. He repeatedly referred to the Clippers’ history as a selling point as he joined a 41-year-old franchise with no championships, no division titles, one winning season in the past 19 years and just one playoff series victory since 1976.

Yet Paul represents the Clippers’ shining future, not that dingy past. Even better for their long-suffering fans, Paul already realizes what side he’s taking in this painfully one-sided crosstown rivalry, and he’s ready to mix it up with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and whoever is left on the Lakers’ roster when they finally resolve a profoundly messy offseason.

Paul repeatedly refused to talk about the Lakers’ squashed trade for him – even refusing to say the Lakers’ name.

”The other team has won championships, and it’s about winning, but I think Blake has done an unbelievable job changing that (perception),” said Paul, who almost singlehandedly put a first-round playoff scare into the Lakers last spring with the Hornets. ”You can’t take anything away from him about how he has changed the culture here in L.A. I’m coming here to join and be a part of it, and hopefully we can grow together as basketball players and continue to change everything. That’s what we play for.”

Griffin is sad to lose teammates Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman and Al-Farouq Aminu in the deal, but the Rookie of the Year is looking forward to lining up with Paul and fellow newcomers Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups, called ”my big brother” by Paul.

Griffin’s first words about Paul’s arrival – ”Lob city!” he said gleefully to fellow high-flying teammate DeAndre Jordan on Wednesday – have already become a Twitter trending topic and a T-shirt in Los Angeles.

”We’ve got a lot or work to do,” Griffin said. ”The target has shifted a little bit, but the only thing I’m going to promise is that you’re going to get our best every night. And when you hear ‘The Clippers,’ it’s not going to be a joke anymore. I can guarantee you that.”

Paul has been intrigued by Griffin since they teamed up for the Western Conference last year at the All-Star game at Staples. He knows fans are already salivating at the prospect of Paul’s passes finding the acrobatic Griffin for all varieties of vicious dunks.

”That’s something that’s not going to happen overnight either,” Paul said. ”I’ve got to find the right height. It’s like Blake plays on a goal that’s lower than 10 foot or something. I’m excited for the opportunity to not only help him grow, but for him to help me to get to the next level.”

The Clippers clearly were proud of their own audacity, which surprised many who have only known this franchise for pinching pennies and providing minimal support to a long history of talented players. Clippers vice president of basketball operations Neil Olshey credited owner Donald Sterling and Paul’s agent, Leon Rose, for pushing through a trade that stalled at numerous points thanks to the Hornets’ ownership by the NBA.

The Clippers have been determined to change their culture ever since Olshey and coach Vinny Del Negro took over last year, and Paul’s arrival is a massive step in that direction.

”The perception here is not the reality, as you guys can see,” Olshey said, noting the Clippers’ recent improvements, including their gorgeous training complex and their enviable mix of talent and cap room. ”Going forward, all that ends, and it’s just about the future from now on.”

Paul has told the Clippers he’ll exercise his player option for next season, keeping him alongside Griffin, Jordan and their supporting cast for at least two years. The Clippers’ brain trust is confident they’ll win enough in that stretch to persuade the club’s core players to stick together – but they’ll get to work in earnest on that job Friday in Paul’s first full practice with his new team.

”He’s not just coming here to jump on a lily pad,” Olshey said. ”He’s coming here to be a long-term face of this franchise. He wanted to know there were going to be pieces here around him. … His commitment to wanting to be here is what inspired me to not give up. When it got to the point where both our goals met late (Wednesday) afternoon, we just got in a room and got on with Mr. Sterling and said, ‘If we’re going to take this quantum leap as a franchise, it’s going to have to be with a superstar, and that’s Chris.”’

source: Agence France-Presse

NEW YORK—NBA All-Stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony will headline a four-game US exhibition tour next month while the league remains shut down in a dispute over money.

The “Homecoming Tour” will open December 1 in James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio, continue December 4 at New Orleans and December 7 in Chicago before concluding on December 10 at East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Miami Heat superstars James and Wade, New Orleans Hornets guard Paul and New York Knicks standout Anthony will play in all four games on the tour, which will benefit charities such as food for the needy, clinics and education programs in the four host cities.

“I am so excited to have this opportunity to participate in this tour,” Anthony said. “To couple two of the things I love to do – play basketball and give back – is special.

“This is just the beginning of a movement to facilitate change in our communities and I am happy to be a part of a group of guys willing to lead the charge.”

James will spearhead efforts in Akron, including a youth education initiative and a basketball clinic in his hometown.

“I am really proud of the work we’re doing in Akron and know what this tour means for the community,” James said.

Paul will host events in New Orleans with Wade handling affairs in Chicago and Anthony doing so in New York.

“Being able to play the game I love alongside my friends (and) raising money for charity is a win-win situation,” Paul said.

Chris Bosh, a teammate of Wade and James with the Heat, is also expected to play in all four games.

The games might be as close to an NBA season as some NBA cities will have as talks have broken off and about one-quarter of the NBA schedule has already been called off by the league after being unable to reach a bargaining deal.

Team owners began the lockout on July 1, citing $300 million in losses last season among 22 of the NBA’s 30 clubs.

Players, who made 57 percent of basketball-related income under the old deal, offered givebacks in a new deal but could not make a deal.

As a result, both sides stand to lose half of about $4 billion in annual revenue if the entire season is lost.

source: The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — As NBA players and owners wait to see who will blink first, fans are stuck staring at a blank calendar.

NBA Commissioner David Stern canceled the rest of the November games Friday, saying there will not be a full NBA season “under any circumstances.”

The move came about after labor negotiations broke down again when both sides refused to budge on how to split the league’s revenues, the same issue that derailed talks last week.

Now, a full month of NBA games have been canceled, and Stern said there’s no way of getting them back.

“We held out that joint hope together, but in light of the breakdown of talks, there will not be a full NBA season under any circumstances,” he said.

“It’s not practical, possible or prudent to have a full season now,” added Stern, who previously canceled the first two weeks of the season.

And he repeated his warnings that the proposals might now get even harsher as the league tries to make up the hundreds of millions of dollars that will be lost as the lockout drags on.

“We’re going to have to recalculate how bad the damage is,” Stern said. “The next offer will reflect the extraordinary losses that are piling up now.”

Just a day earlier, Stern had said he would consider it a failure if the sides didn’t reach a deal in the next few days and vowed they would take “one heck of a shot” to get it done. The Associated Press

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