Jan. 14--The Clippers are acquiring a young player who has spent all three seasons of his NBA career with the New Orleans Pelicans, but it isn't Austin Rivers.
Small forward Darius Miller was on the verge of joining the Clippers on Tuesday because the team intended to sign him to a 10-day contract, according to a source close to the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Miller, 24, appeared in only five games this season for the Pelicans, averaging 0.4 points and 0.2 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game. The former second-round pick of the Pelicans has career averages of 3.1 points and 1.3 rebounds in 102 games while shooting 42.0%.
Miller represents the Clippers' latest attempt to find a reliable backup to starting small forward Matt Barnes. Second-year forward Reggie Bullock and veteran Chris Douglas-Roberts have had a negligible impact, though Douglas-Roberts missed more than a month because of a strained Achilles' tendon.
The Clippers have been trying to acquire Rivers, the son of Clippers Coach Doc Rivers who was recently traded from the Pelicans to the Boston Celtics, but those efforts hinge in part on the willingness of a third team to take on the $1.8 million in salary the Clippers would need to unload to complete such a trade.
Another option to bolster the Clippers' backcourt could be point guard Nate Robinson, who was reportedly in buyout discussions with Boston after the Celtics acquired him in a trade with the Denver Nuggets.
Audible discomfort
Center DeAndre Jordan called the Clippers' 104-90 loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday a "road" game because of continual "Let's go, Heat!" chants resonating inside Staples Center.
"It would have been nice to get two victories in Miami this year," Jordan said after the game, alluding to the Clippers' November triumph over the Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena, "but whatever. It didn't happen."
It wasn't the first time this season the Clippers felt like visitors on their home court. There were widespread "Let's go, Bulls!" chants inside Staples Center in November during the Chicago Bulls' victory over the Clippers.
"Obviously, you'd prefer it to be the other way around," Clippers forward-center Spencer Hawes said, "but you're in L.A., it's a city of a lot of transplants. There are a lot of people from everywhere here that come out and support their team."
Same but different
The Clippers have the same 25-13 record they had at this point last season on the way to a franchise-record 57 victories. So why does their season feel like a disappointment to many observers?
"I guess it's expectations now," point guard Chris Paul said. "I think we're probably a lot more concerned too, because we expect a lot out of ourselves. We don't expect to lose any" games.
CLIPPERS AT PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
When: 7:30.
Where: Moda Center.
On the air: TV: Prime Ticket, ESPN; Radio: 980, 1330.
Records: Clippers 25-13; Trail Blazers 30-8.
Record vs. Trail Blazers: 1-0.
Update: Portland was the first NBA team to notch 30 victories this season, in large part because of a league-leading defense that is allowing only 96.4 points per game. "Last year, they were a great offensive team and they struggled defensively," Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said. "This year, they're a great offensive team and they're very, very good defensively, so they've improved from within. They looked at their team, they didn't make a lot of big changes and decided, 'Guys, if we want to win, we have to be better in this,' and they've done it." The Trail Blazers have continued to win even with center Robin Lopez sidelined because of a broken right hand.
