Clippers suspend Griffin over punching staffer
The Clippers suspended Blake Griffin four games without pay Tuesday for punching a team staff member.
“We have made it clear that this conduct has no place in the Clippers’ organization,” team owner Steve Ballmer and coach Doc Rivers said in a joint statement.
George Karl will continue as the Kings’ head coach, general manager Vlade Divic said after meeting with Karl in Philadelphia on Tuesday, just one day after Karl’s firing appeared imminent.
The meeting focused on how Karl can get the Kings to improve on three-point defense and transition defense, and an overall lack of energy on defense that has plagued the team.
The team is 21-31 and has slipped to 10th place in the Western Conference after a solid stretch had moved them into the eighth and final playoff spot.
The four-game road trip was seen as a chance to make strides before the All-Star break.
Chicago guard Jimmy Butler will miss the next three to four weeks with a strained left knee and will be replaced in this weekend’s All-Star Game by teammate Pau Gasol.