CLIPPERS NOTEBOOK: BATISTE TRYING TO DEFY ODDS.Byline: Joe Stevens Staff Writer If anything was certain when the Clippers opened training camp, it was their roster. Fifteen players had guaranteed contracts, and with the team expected to keep 14 it appeared Bryant Stith Bryant Lamonica Stith (born December 10 1970 in Emporia, Virginia) is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. A 6'5" shooting guard, Bryant was selected from the University of Virginia with the 13th overall pick in 1992's NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets. might be the odd man out, considering his injured right knee. Enter Mike Batiste Michael Batiste was born in the city of Yonkers, in Westchester County, New York. He was formerly a semi-pro paintball player, but since 2004, he has been working at WXPK (107.1)The Peak, a radio station based in White Plains, New York. . As injuries have rocked the Clippers, Batiste ba·tiste n. A fine, plain-woven fabric made from various fibers and used especially for clothing. [French, from Old French, perhaps after Baptiste of Cambrai, 13th-century textile maker. has made the most of his extra playing time and has shown excellent offensive skills. He could make the team, though it's a long shot. ``This is where I want to be, obviously,'' Batiste said. ``I was born and raised in Long Beach. This is where I'm from, and who knows what their business decision will be?'' Batiste's statistics have made him noticed. He leads the Clippers in the exhibition with 20.7 points a game, tops among NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= rookies. On Sunday, Batiste led the Clippers with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting as they beat the Memphis Grizzlies This is an article about the National Basketball Association team; for the defunct World Football League team, see Memphis Southmen. The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. 106-96 at Staples Center This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. . In three of the Clippers' four exhibition games, he has led the team in scoring. ``You have a tendency to look at his scoring,'' Clippers coach Alvin Gentry Alvin Gentry is an American professional basketball coach, and college basketball player, who has led three different NBA teams. He served as an interim coach for the Miami Heat at the end of the 1995 season, and later coached the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Clippers. said, ``but he's come up with some big rebounds for us and defense, too.'' Batiste, 24, has played the past two seasons overseas. The 6-foot-8 forward played three years at Arizona State and is trying to keep a level head about his early success with the Clippers. ``I know it's a long shot,'' he said. ``But good things come to those who work hard and stay committed.'' --Maximum minus eight: The Clippers have the NBA-maximum 20 players on their exhibition roster, but only 12 were available Sunday because of injuries. Rookie Chris Wilcox, who has a strained right quadriceps, is expected to be the next Clipper available, but he was out again Sunday. After Wilcox, the next Clipper expected to return is Keyon Dooling, who had left ankle surgery in July. Dooling is expected to return in about a week. |
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