Chris Kaman

Eric Gordon eased his way into the Clippers' training facility Wednesday, his first day there since the NBA lifted the lockout and allowed players to work out at team sites. He talked about the high expectations the Clippers have and how he supports Mo Williams' and Blake Griffin's saying they will be in the playoffs this season. Gordon also talked about the business of basketball, specifically the contract extension he's seeking. The guard is in the final year of a contract that was supposed to pay him $3.8 million before the NBA shortened the season to 66 games.

A majority of the NBA's 450 players, plus a majority of the 30 team owners, still have to approve the proposed new labor deal. But after the 149-day lockout, their tweets sounded pretty upbeat about the news Saturday. Richard Hamilton, Detroit Pistons: "Yessirrrrrrrrrr. We are back in business. " Shane Battier, free agent: "Getting mad love from Grizz nation, Heat nation, Thunder nation and Rocket nation. Let free agency begin!!!" Jared Dudley, Phoenix Suns: "Can't wait to get back to phx Dec 9 for training camp.

The Clippers may have missed the playoffs again last season, as they finished with a 32-50 record and with the third-worst record in the Western Conference, but there is hope in Clipperland for the 2011-12 campaign. Why? Because they have an All-Star in Blake Griffin, a 6-foot-10 highlight and dunking machine who many think is on the verge of superstardom. The Clippers also have a solid shooting guard in Eric Gordon. They hope to get a healthier season from center Chris Kaman.

It could be the European getaway that never ended, or at least one that stretched into 2012. Pau Gasol and Chris Kaman were among a small army of NBA players who arrived in Lithuania this week for the 24-team European Basketball Championship, with no apparent need to hurry back. The NBA lockout is about to enter a third month and neither side has budged. That means the Lakers' Gasol, the Clippers' Kaman, et al., could be playing in Europe and other far-flung places next week . . . next month . . . next year.

Moving Day came and went and the longest-tenured Clipper was not required to pack up his things and head east. Or anywhere else. In other words, center Chris Kaman was still very much a Clipper. Most of the buzz , locally, leading up to the NBA draft Thursday had to do with Kaman's future, with his expiring contract a prime bargaining chip in trying to land a star small forward. Any such discussions were largely held before Thursday — and in fact, nothing truly ever got close — leaving Neil Olshey, the Clippers' vice president of basketball operations, and his staff to concentrate on the team's two second-round picks.

Recent Clippers history, a telling case study in trade rumors. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was said to be going on in the days leading up to the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 24. Then came a rush of phone calls, a puff of smoke from Cleveland and Baron Davis vanished and became a Cavalier. Just like that. This doesn't mean that Clippers' center Chris Kaman will be dealt Thursday — the day of the NBA draft — or that he won't be traded. It just illustrates that trade rumors often start circulating after a deal is dead.

Twelve men in search of a basketball court. Or something along those lines. With an expected NBA lockout looming, Clippers point guard Mo Williams was already planning for the future the other day, suggesting a solution for the (potentially) homeless NBAers He teased Neil Olshey, the Clippers' vice president of basketball operations, saying that they should just leave the door unlocked at the team's fancy Playa Vista headquarters. The players could sneak in under the cover of night, do their work and leave.

If, as nearly everyone expects, the NBA doors are padlocked July 1, the Clippers will have to reassemble elsewhere. In Indiana, hosted by Eric Gordon ? Houston, hosted by DeAndre Jordan ? The deep woods of western Michigan, hosted by that notable hunter Chris Kaman ? "Guys don't want to go there," said Kaman, who built an indoor court on his property the summer before last in Michigan. The Clippers finished their regular season Wednesday, conducted a team meeting Thursday morning and Coach Vinny Del Negro and his staff held individual exit interviews.

Blake Griffin managed to acknowledge the past, and the future, in one sweet sweep when he took the microphone and addressed the crowd before the Clippers' regular-season finale. Griffin, four quarters away from shedding his rookie status, thanked the Staples Center crowd for its support, adding: "It's been a fun year. We can't wait until next year. This is just the beginning. " Then the power forward scored the Clippers' first nine points in the first three minutes against the unmotivated-looking Memphis Grizzlies, leading the Clippers to a 110-103 victory on Wednesday night.

The Clippers' season practically started with an MRI exam, so it made complete sense that it would end that way with one game remaining. This time, it turned out to be injury-riddled center Chris Kaman, who is certainly well-acquainted with the MRI machine. Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro said Monday morning that Kaman was scheduled to have an MRI exam on his sprained right knee either later in the day or perhaps Tuesday. Kaman suffered the injury in the latter stages of Wednesday's loss at Oklahoma City, and did not play in the Clippers' final two road games, at Dallas and Houston, both losses.