Ira Winderman

You ask, we (try to) answer.

Q: Will the Clippers fire coach Mike Dunleavy any time soon? The team has great players, even with the injuries in the last two, three seasons, but it has not been able to make it in the playoffs.
— Ryan, Manila, Philippines

A: Basically, if there was any question about Dunleavy's future, it was answered with the news that No. 1 overall 2009 NBA Draft pick Blake Griffin won't be able to suit up for even a single game this season because of his knee injury.

Before that devastating announcement, the Clippers were playing some of their best ball of the season and the heat was just about gone when it came to Dunleavy.

Dunleavy, in fact, appeared to be pushing many of the right buttons, including his insertion of Rasual Butler into the starting lineup.

Under Dunleavy, Chris Kaman has grown into one of the most efficient big men in the league and Eric Gordon has found his niche on both ends of the floor.

Heck, it appears Dunleavy even has made his peace with Baron Davis, which is no easy accomplishment. And considering he has to coach Ricky Davis, Dunleavy probably deserves some sort of medal.

Should Griffin be able to provide in 2010-11 what was expected in 2009-10, the Clippers well could establish themselves as a playoff threat for years to come based on the strides made this season.

Then again, when the owner is Donald Sterling, nothing is guaranteed.

Q: If gambling is rife among NBA players, is there a risk of purposefully losing games?
— Jeffrey, Colombia, Mo.

A: Gambling is as rife as in society in general, and, frankly, it seems rather foolish that there is a move to ban all card games on team flights, especially when you have teams such as the Nuggets playing for $5 limits.

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And no one is losing enough money in those games to risk such huge overall salaries by shaving points or rigging games.

No, if the NBA truly was concerned with players potentially losing massive amounts of money, then perhaps it is time to remove those casino advertisements inside the visitor's locker room at New Orleans Arena.

Yes, opposing players not only are greeted by casino advertisements as they walk into their locker room at the Hornets' arena, but they also find those advertisements plastered all over the locker room, itself.

Now, losing a million or two at the craps table just might make an NBA player consider doing the wrong thing, especially an impressionable young player on a rookie-scale salary.

Q: How can Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady be collecting All-Star votes over such other deserving players? Both have been excellent over the years, but these voting fans are clueless.
— Ted, Wichita Falls, Texas

A: That's what happens when you not only give the vote solely to fans, but open up the process to all kinds of internet chicanery.

On this count, I'm in agreement with those who favor more of a split vote, such as the NFL has with its Pro Bowl, where a certain percentage of the equation would include voting from players and perhaps other league personnel.

Better yet, there should be certain minimum-games or minimum-minutes requirements, just as is required to be listed among the league leaders in various statistical categories.

No, it will not be a good thing to have Iverson and McGrady lining up in All-Star backcourts alongside Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant.

But, fear not, the league usually has a way of making such things work out.

Figure on Iverson declining such an invitation amid his lingering injuries, and figure on Steve Nash or Chris Paul, or both, pushing past McGrady, if only because of the volumes of ballots that David Stern has been taking home from the office to punch every night.