Camby

A day after their coach acknowledged they were out of the playoffs, the Clippers on Tuesday traded veteran Marcus Camby to Portland for guard Steve Blake, forward Travis Outlaw and $1.5 million in cash. The Clippers were willing to part with one of the NBA's top rebounders and defenders, General Manager Mike Dunleavy said, so they could acquire two younger players while giving more minutes to forwards Craig Smith and DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers also waived reserve guard Ricky Davis to clear a roster spot.

Close-knit guys Sacramento's Omri Casspi on teammate Francisco Garcia , to the Sacramento Bee: "Cisco, man, we would be lost without Cisco. He's a brother to me. You can turn to him about anything, and he tells you straight. He has helped me with so many things, made me a better teammate. " MV-Whoever! Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, on New York fans' "MVP!" chant for Amare Stoudemire : "The home crowds chant MVP for anybody. They chant MVP for Earl Boykins in Milwaukee.

Quarterback and wide receiver. Yin and yang. Actually, Baron Davis and Chris Kaman are more like the guys on one of those ubiquitous political shows on cable TV, talking over each other and even yelling. And, yes, keeping it worth watching . . . for better or worse. On Wednesday night, it was for the better. Kaman and Davis combined for 36 points in the Clippers' 120-95 rout of the Timberwolves at the Target Center. Of course, there were many more dimensions to the 25-point victory.

When: 7:30. Where: Staples Center. On the air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 980. Records: Clippers 27-50, Trail Blazers 47-30. Record vs. Trail Blazers: 1-2. Update: Yes, there are a few things to look forward to, even at this late stage of a Clippers season marked by futility. One is the chance to welcome back former Clipper Marcus Camby, who was traded to Portland on Feb. 16 for Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw. Outlaw, by the way, is not expected to play tonight against his former team; he remains sidelined because of a strained right groin suffered Saturday at Denver.

Close-knit guys Sacramento's Omri Casspi on teammate Francisco Garcia , to the Sacramento Bee: "Cisco, man, we would be lost without Cisco. He's a brother to me. You can turn to him about anything, and he tells you straight. He has helped me with so many things, made me a better teammate. " MV-Whoever! Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, on New York fans' "MVP!" chant for Amare Stoudemire : "The home crowds chant MVP for anybody. They chant MVP for Earl Boykins in Milwaukee.

It's not exactly true that Marcus Camby is the Last Clipper Standing, although there aren't many of them. Of course, there are none like him, with the Clippers or anyone else. At 34, chained to a team that started the weekend 8-30, he has just moved ahead of 23-year-old Dwight Howard for the league lead in rebounds and is No. 2 to him in blocked shots.

A knife-wielding man took New York Knick forward Marcus Camby's mother and two sisters hostage Monday before surrendering peacefully in South Windsor, Conn. Troy Crooms was charged with burglary, sexual assault, kidnapping, assault, unlawful restraint and possession of a weapon after the nearly eight-hour standoff. Bail was set at $500,000 and he was scheduled for arraignment today. Police said the 28-year-old Hartford man was known to Camby's family.

Center Marcus Camby had a light workout Monday and will make a last-minute decision about whether he is ready to play for No. 1 Massachusetts Tuesday night, coach John Calipari said. The Minutemen (16-0) play a non-conference game at Pittsburgh. Calipari said Camby probably won't make his decision until just before the game starts at 9 p.m. The 6-foot-11, 220-pound junior missed three games after he fainting before a Jan. 14 game against St. Bonaventure. "He can play," Calipari said.

Marcus Camby, the second pick in the NBA draft who injured his right ankle in a scrimmage Sunday, will have an MRI examination on it to rule out any serious injury, the Toronto Raptors said. . . . An MRI examination revealed no serious damage to Jason Kidd's right knee, which became sore after Saturday's drills. He has not practiced since then. . . . Russ Granik, deputy commissioner of the NBA, was named president of USA Basketball for 1996-2000.

Marcus Camby was treated great by the fans in his return to Denver. Not by his former teammates. After getting a rousing ovation and a hug from a little girl sitting courtside who was wearing one of his old Nuggets jerseys, Camby watched Nene and Renaldo Balkman each post a double-double in Denver's 107-94 win over the Clippers on Saturday night.

A day after their coach acknowledged they were out of the playoffs, the Clippers on Tuesday traded veteran Marcus Camby to Portland for guard Steve Blake, forward Travis Outlaw and $1.5 million in cash. The Clippers were willing to part with one of the NBA's top rebounders and defenders, General Manager Mike Dunleavy said, so they could acquire two younger players while giving more minutes to forwards Craig Smith and DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers also waived reserve guard Ricky Davis to clear a roster spot.

The Clippers don't plan to stop here, unless their goal is to get into the NCAA tournament. They could be heard playfully whooping it up through their locker room door inside the Verizon Center on Sunday after a 92-78 triumph over the Washington Wizards gave them 20 victories, one more than they had all of last season. "We still have a chance to have a great season, a winning season, and that's the most important thing," said guard Baron Davis, who had 11 points and 11 assists and was one of six Clippers to score in double figures The aspirations have changed for a team that finished 44 games below .500 last season, though they're still somewhat modest with 39 games left in the regular season.

After the Clippers lost to injury-ravaged Portland last week, they got another chance only five days later. This time, the Clippers exploited the opportunity. Led by the offense of Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman, along with the defense of Marcus Camby, the Clippers beat the Trail Blazers, 105-95, Monday night at Staples Center. The victory in front of an announced crowd of 15,104 gave the Clippers (15-18) their first win of the new year, ended a string of four consecutive losses to Portland and gave the team a smidge of momentum heading into Wednesday's game against the Lakers.

His season was fast slipping away, getting lost in that dreaded status known as INACTIVE. Then, last week, two things happened to second-year center DeAndre Jordan . He had a chat with Mike Dunleavy , initiated by the Clippers' coach. Secondly, Marcus Camby had an ailing left knee, and sat out against the Boston Celtics last Sunday. Jordan came away with a better understanding of his role on the team, and Camby's temporary absence gave the high-spirited youngster an opportunity to emerge from the depths of the bunker.

The Clippers are entering a relatively appealing stretch of their NBA schedule that, among other things, should help injured players such as Marcus Camby get healthier. But it's an open question whether the Clippers (14-18) as a whole can find better form as well. The team plays only three games in the next nine days and all three are at Staples Center, starting Monday night against Portland. The Clippers play the Lakers on Wednesday night and then have three days to prepare for the Miami Heat on Jan. 10. "The schedule is definitely in our favor," said Camby, the veteran forward who is nursing a hyper-extended left knee even as he remains among the league leaders in rebounds and blocked shots.

Will the Clippers' Christmas Day invitation get lost in the mail next year? Why that might happen was easy to see, and painfully simple to figure out. Not that it needed great detective work to uncover why the Clippers were crushed by the Phoenix Suns, 124-93, Friday night. The host Suns, who have defeated the Clippers six consecutive times, had seven players score in double figures. Overall, it was the Clippers' third consecutive loss and they haven't won since a potential winning shot at the buzzer in overtime by Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala was waved off by officials.

Maybyner Rodney Hilario, also known as Nene, wasn't quite sure what to think when his former teammate and mentor Marcus Camby informed him that he was going to play Friday night. Wrong (pseudo) holiday. Nope, this wasn't April 1. "But he told me he was going to try and get out there a little bit, and I was like, 'Don't play, man. Don't play,' " said Nene, the Nuggets' center.

Center Marcus Camby of the New York Knicks was suspended for five games and will lose about $345,000 for throwing a wild sucker punch at Danny Ferry of the San Antonio Spurs. The punishment angered the Knicks, especially Coach Jeff Van Gundy, whose head collided with Camby's while he stepped between the players. Van Gundy needed more than a dozen stitches to close the cut over his left eye.