Defenses Can't Find Holes in Clippers' Screens
It’s no secret that the Clippers love to run the pick-and-roll. And why shouldn’t they? They boast two starting big men, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, who are both quick to the basket and explosive finishers at the rim. Just as important, if not more, seven-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul is a precision passer, with possibly the best court vision in the league. In addition, Griffin’s enhanced midrange game this season gives the Clippers many more opportunities to pick and pop, effectively diversifying their screen offense and making the Clippers’ offense less predictable than it has been in years past.
The Clippers actually set fewer screens than the league average at 0.98 Set Screens per Chance, but when they do, the screens tend to be highly effective. Los Angeles is leading the league in both Set Screen Points per Chance with 0.20 (league average = 0.14), as well as Set Screen Outcome Efficiency at a rate of 17.77 (league average = 13.35). Set Screen Outcome Efficiency is a Vantage Stat that measures the percentage of set screens that result in a teammate score, a missed open shot, a shooting foul, or an Assist+. It should also be noted that the Clippers boast the league’s fourth-highest Solid Screen% at 76.01.
The Clippers’ best screen setters are easily DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin, and Glen “Big Baby” Davis. In fact, these three guys are among the best in the NBA at setting picks. Read more >>
Ben McLemore's Failure to Launch
Ben McLemore is certainly not in Kansas anymore. 
Precisely one year ago, the 20-year-old college freshman had just finished a spectacular regular-season campaign with the Kansas Jayhawks. He led the team in scoring, thanks to a sweet shooting stroke as well as an impressively athletic burst to the basket.
McLemore’s Jayhawks proceeded to sweep the Big 12 Tournament and as a result, earn a No. 1 seed heading into the NCAA Tournament. For the season, the St. Louis native averaged 15.9 points per game on 49.5 percent shooting and 42.0 percent from beyond the arc. He was money.
Now in Sacramento, the 2013 seventh overall pick’s shot seems to have deserted him. He shows occasional flashes as one would expect from such a high draft pick, but his play hasn’t been consistent. On back-to-back nights in late-January, McLemore strung together a combined 32 points, only to follow those performances with a six-game stretch of 5.5 points per game on 32.5 percent shooting.
While McLemore’s shot has regressed – at least statistically-speaking – every month from November through February, the hope remains that the promising shooting guard will rediscover what made him so successful in college. Read more >>
LA Artists Look To Crowdfunding Sites For Help
Crowdfunding refers to the “the collective effort of individuals who network and pool their resources, usually via the Internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations,” according to research conducted by Lucia Miceli and her associates for the Journal of Service Management.
Kickstarter, which was launched April 28, 2009, is currently the most visited crowdfunding website and has been named by Time Magazine as one of the “Best Inventions of 2010” and “Best Websites of 2011.” Indiegogo is a popular alternative.
These websites allows campaigns of many different varieties, but music campaigns tend to be especially common.
Lynette Skynyrd, a four-woman group that claims to be the “world’s one and only all-female Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band,” decided to launch a Kickstarter campaign in order to fund its debut album. “Lynette Skynyrd has a strong Facebook presence,” said the group’s lead singer, Laurie Es. “We get dozens of requests for recorded material (on there).”
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