Depending on how you view it, the Clippers came out of their latest schedule challenge in relatively good shape. They also emerged Friday with a new player.
The Clippers survived a four-games-in-five-nights stretch with a 3-1 record, although the last game was a woeful 21-point loss Thursday night to the Denver Nuggets that was played on weary legs.
They have met virtually every tough confrontation so far, but now comes another: a six-game, 10-day Grammy road trip and a five-week torture in which they play 14 of 18 away from Staples Center.
At the very least, the Clippers will be buoyed by the addition of forward Kenyon Martin, who agreed to a mini-midlevel deal of $2.5 million after he was cleared to leave his team in China.
The addition of the 6-foot-9 Martin is another coup for the Clippers, who are looking to improve their rebounding and front-court presence. The Lakers were among several teams interested in Martin, but the Clippers' Chauncey Billups lobbied his former Nuggets teammate and friend to come aboard.
Martin, who has a home in Los Angeles, averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds in 48 games last season. Coach Vinny Del Negro said Martin will probably be the third big man on the team, behind starters Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
"He's a pro and I think he's going to fit in perfect for us," Del Negro told the Los Angeles Times on the team's flight to Washington. "I've talked to him a lot and kind of explained everything and he's very comfortable with the situation. Now we've just got to get him in here and figure things out as we go forward."
Martin, who is 34, arrives just as the team begins its trip with a game Saturday in Washington. Included are stops in Orlando, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Charlotte and Dallas. The Clippers returns home Feb. 15 to face the Wizards.
"The schedule is not just affecting us but everyone," Del Negro said. "We have to manage the practice time, the injuries, the schedule, so it's tough. But we just need to take it one game at a time."
They've done that pretty well so far. The loss to Denver marked the first time the Clippers have dropped the second game of back-to-backs this season; they're 3-1 in those games. They also won the first and third games of their only back-to-back-to-back this season.
Although much has been made of the fact the Clippers have played fewer games than any team in the league and enjoyed more off days, the fact is that they have also played the toughest schedule. But they're 9-6 against teams with winning records and have an overall winning percentage of .559 against those teams.
They've beaten the Mavericks, Heat, Lakers, Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz, all of whom are currently playoff teams. But they've also lost to the Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, Lakers, Jazz and Nuggets.
Admittedly, they were gassed on Thursday and played like it. After leading Denver by 13 points after one quarter, they were outscored by 32 points in the second and third quarters.
"We played hard for about a period and a half, and then the floodgates opened," Del Negro said.
Their only consolation on the trip is that they play just one back-to-back series, next weekend against the 76ers and Bobcats.
