Clippers will stay with what they have
The Clippers took phone calls from other teams, made their own calls and listened to offers.
But in the end, the Clippers didn’t make a trade before Thursday’s noon deadline, preferring to stick with this team for the stretch run.
Coach Vinny Del Negro was asked why the team didn’t make any trades.
“Because there was no trade to be made,†Del Negro said. “There was nothing there.
“All these reports and all these talks and everything else, there’s things out there you can’t even do under the collective bargaining agreement that were reported and that weren’t even accurate.â€
Gary Sacks, the Clippers’ vice president of basketball operations, had told The Times on Saturday that he hadn’t called any teams about Eric Bledsoe or DeAndre Jordan despite reports that the two players were in trade discussions.
Sacks said teams had called the Clippers about Bledsoe and Jordan, but Del Negro had said the team wasn’t interested in making any moves.
“We’re always looking like any organization to make our team as strong as possible,†Del Negro said. “But we’re very comfortable. I’m very excited about our opportunity. I’m very excited about this team. I think there are areas we need to grow in, but there’s always areas I think we’re pretty good at.â€
Bledsoe said he wasn’t worried about the trade talks.
“Like I said, I was having a great season,†Bledsoe said. “So I pretty much wasn’t worried about anything “
The Clippers have had a healthy 13-man roster for only five games this season. That played a role in the team’s not doing anything.
“It’s the first time all season we’ve been healthy,†Del Negro said. “Hopefully we can stay there. We have to stay healthy and see exactly what this team can achieve like I’ve said from day one.â€
Odom feels better
Lamar Odom, whose left eye was scratched during the Feb. 14 game against the Lakers, tried to wear goggles for the injury during practice.
But Odom said he wouldn’t wear them during games.
“They scratched it pretty good,†Odom said. “But I’m good. And, no, I’m not going to wear the goggles because I can’t see like I want to with them. I’ll be good.â€
Etc.
The Clippers had a moment of silence before their game against the Spurs at Staples Center for Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who died Monday of cancer.
Twitter: @BA_Turner
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