Chris Paul has been sent to the LA Clippers, while the New Orleans Hornets will receive Chris Kaman, Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Minnesota’s 2012 unprotected first-round draft pick, and two 2015 second-round picks from the Clips.

So now what?

Image source: FBasketballBlog.com

The New New Orleans Hornets

After numerous rejections by the league, which included a trade between Houston, the LA Lakers, and New Orleans, and a previous deal between the Clippers and Hornets, the third try was a success. Some might not like the fact that David Stern has been playing GM for the Hornets, but at the end of the day he has every right; the NBA owns the team.

And I have to admit that Stern gets an A for the deal.

The Hornets get a veteran big man in Chris Kaman who should be a strong leader in a locker room that will be very fresh and new. They also get a future All Star, at least I believe so, in Eric Gordon. The 2-guard has one of the better 3-point shots in the league, is a solid defender, and can only get better. Then they also get a solid piece for the future in Aminu. Being the 8th overall pick in the 2010 draft, Aminu still has a lot of upside in his 6-9 frame and should have a lot of room to grow in a young Hornets roster. Then the unprotected 2012 first-round pick from Minny should speak for itself.

The Paul-Griffin Clippers

And then there are the LA Clippers, whom I believe also have struck gold in this deal. But who doesn’t?

While I do believe they downgraded their bench and their size, they secured a very important piece in building a championship contender: one of, if not the best PG in the league, a guy with unmatched court-vision, a great ability to create his own shot, and a very strong defensive presence on the wing.

Can you just imagine the oops we’re going to see from Chris Paul to Blake Griffin? Even DeAndre Jordan?

Speaking of the two, check out their reaction to the CP3 deal:

As for Chris Paul, it was 425 strong games with the Hornets, but not one season was New Orleans ever in strong contention to win an NBA title. While the Clippers might not have been Paul’s first choice, he can’t be upset with what he has alongside him now; do we have a possible Malone-Stockton in Griffin-Paul??

Perhaps.

Now don’t get me wrong, I still don’t believe the Clippers have the roster to be able to take down the Lakers or Mavs out West, but I do believe they jumped up quite a bit. They essentially went from a lower lottery team to a definite playoff contender with this trade. With acquisitions this offseason like Caron Butler, Chauncey Billups and now Chris Paul, the Clippers are now in a threatening position for the next two years.

Also, don’t expect this to be the last deal for the Clippers, as they are VERY deep with guards and need an extra big man or two.

As I mentioned, the Clippers are now in a threatening position and from what I see they are one more key player away from being a title contender.

Could we be witnessing a new ‘Big Three’ forming before our very eyes?

Maybe, maybe not.

What I do know is that now there is one more team to watch for out in Los Angeles.

Fortunately, I have one, and only one, shot at redemption, which is the hope that while most Americans were watching the NFL kickoff its season, I could possibly write about something that most people missed:

Team USA against Turkey in the World Championship Final.

In case you have been living under a rock for the past three weeks, Team USA hasn’t won a World Championship since 1994. Of course, with the potential for failure looming over their heads, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Carmelo Anthony all chose not to play. Instead, a “B Team,” led by Kevin Durant and all of his buddies, chose to represent their country, and have overachieved to this point.

In the Gold Medal game, Team USA played the hometown favorites, Turkey, which had beaten all odds and ridden their crowd’s backs to the championship game. The atmosphere in the arena could be described as a cross between Fenway (when the Rocket returned), Cameron Indoor (on homecoming), and Philadephia (anytime).

All this is to say that the young Americans were definitely up against it.

Here is my running diary of the Gold medal game, which picks up halfway through the first quarter (thank you Bill Simmons for allowing me to blatantly rip off this idea).

3:06 left in 1st
The good guys are losing 17-14. I am immediately struck at how loud it is. It feels like a World Cup game without the annoying trumpets.

2:44 left in 1st
The Durantula hits a three from the Hellespont. I wish I wasn’t in love with the Pacers…how awesome must it feel to be a Thunder fan…well, besides the whole “We stole Seattle’s team from them” part.

1:50 left in 1st
Durant hustles back to block a fast break layup (very reminiscent of Tayshaun Prince…I will now go hang myself in the bathroom), followed by Steph Curry dropping another trey. USA up 20-17.

1:10 left in 1st
Westbrook pulls the old Travis Best trick where he dribbles around for 20 seconds without even looking for a pass before foolishly picking up an offensive foul. Gotta love when your role players do that.

:50 left in 1st
Eric Gordon plays stellar defense on some poor white guy culminating with one of those blocks that never even leaves the guy’s hand. Now is where I’m tempted to mention that I used to play with him at the YMCA in Indy, but I hate people who namedrop.

:02 left in 1st
Durant breaks some guy’s ankles, and then gets pummeled at the basket. Westbrook skies in from the weak side and picks up the foul to make 2 free throws. USA 22, Turkey 17.

Second Quarter

9:38
Westbrook muscles his way in for an and-one. There is really no other way to describe it. He reminds me of a running back that has already cut through the line and just needs to break the linebacker’s tackle in order to get into the secondary. If the NBA allowed hand-checking like they do in FIBA, Westbrook might be the only guard that was still able to penetrate.

9:00
Rudy Gay is the type of guy that can get 25 a game as long as he gets his 20 shots. Basically, he’s the worst possible player for this type of team. I hate Rudy Gay.

8:20
Rudy Gay takes the worst possible shot – a 17-footer behind the backboard – and buries it. I love Rudy Gay.

8:09
Number of times Westbrook has gotten switched onto a taller player: two. Number of times he has “muscled his way” into a steal: two. Love it.

7:07
Durant misses a wide-open three which causes Rudy Gay to punch some poor guy in the face as he drives to the basket. I love Rudy Gay.

6:50
Durant loses the ball after being quintuple teamed at half-court. Seriously. That’s how much respect he has earned at this tournament.

6:36
Rolando Blackmon is a coach for Turkey. Who knew? Is this allowed? Should this be allowed? I literally have no idea how I feel about this. On the one hand, if a COUNTRY came and asked me to coach for them, it would be awesome. On the other hand, that country is TURKEY. I still have no idea.

6:01
Andre Iguodala packs some big stiff from behind on a dunk attempt. I love Coach K, but when I heard that Iggy was not only making the team, but would actually be a starter…I was quite dubious. As it turns out, he has been our best defender and sparked several important runs all tournament. The lesson as always? Never doubt Coach K.

5:54
Durant absolutely gets leveled going to the basket.  Obviously, the Turks are taking umbrage – and rightfully so – to Gay’s recent actions.  I hate Rudy Gay.

5:15
Durant responds with his FOURTH three of the night. USA up ten.

I think it’s time to discuss Kevin Durant’s ceiling. I have a friend who swears up and down that he will be the greatest player of all time. I seriously doubt that, because I don’t think he’s a complete enough player. But what about the greatest SCORER of all time? He led the NBA in scoring at 21 years old – younger than anyone else in history. He’s 6’10, has a silky handle, and one of the more pure jumpers in the League.
I asked a friend of mine who is a HUGE Jordan fan, but also very level-headed about this type of thing this question: “If you put KD on the ’87 Bulls team, does he average 37 a game?” (I think this is the most impressive scoring record in the books) His answer? “I think he gets 40 a game, because of all the threes.”

So yeah, he’s not gonna be the GOAT, but I’m absolutely prepared to christen him the greatest scorer of all time.

4:09
Durant passes up an open look to feed Andre Iguodala for a wide open three. Of course it barely draws iron. This, among other reasons, is why I don’t think Durant ever comes close to Jordan. I’m just not quite sure he has the same desire to be a killer. I think he enjoys being universally loved by all of his teammates a little TOO much. At the other end, Hedo Turkoglu buries a three. USA up seven.

3:30
Durant decides, “Wait a minute. I’m the best player on earth right now” and drains another bomb.  He’s now 5 of 8 from three.  On second thought, he could absolutely have that killer instinct!

3:00
Another dumb FIBA rule at the Turkish end is followed by Durant burying a silky floater in the lane. I haven’t felt this way since watching Reggie in the Garden…and it’s still in the 2nd Quarter!

2:12
Anyone else think that this Savas guy that plays for Turkey looks like that jerk that used to date Pam on The Office? Just saying.

1:58
Eric Gordon misses another wide open three. Hey, I never said I taught him how to shoot.

1:04
“Mr. Big Shot” misses everything on a wide-open three from the top of the key. Rudy Gay comes up with a huge putback. I love Rudy Gay.

:24
The Turkish crowd is absolutely on the edge of exploding. Unfortunately, no Turkish player can respond by finishing a play. Turkoglu leads a fast break and finds a man alone in the corner, but he misses short. Time out on the floor. USA up nine.

Halftime

USA up by ten. Kevin Durant has 20 of our 42 points. By the way, the next time a camera guy doesn’t follow the flight of the ball on a full-court heave, I’m writing someone a letter at ESPN. Seriously, I defy one of you out there reading this to admit that you don’t hopefully follow every single full-court heave just hoping it might go in. I don’t care if he released it after the buzzer…GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT!!!

Meanwhile, on Twitter, Kenny the Jet Smith asks Jason Whitlock, “Are you beginning to believe me that Durant will be the best player in the NBA in two years?”

Whitlock responds, “No!!! ONE YEAR!!! Good call.”

Interesting. Let’s just agree that Kobe IS the best, but is most likely on the decline and somebody will catch him either this year or next. We have all assumed that LeBron would be that guy. At first glance, it appears to be a bit of a mismatch. After all, Durant is a great SCORER, but doesn’t LBJ beat him at everything else?

I’m not so sure. I once wrote about LeBron putting up ridiculous stats, not unlike you would for your own created player on a video game. You know what I’m talking about. You create your own 6’6” point guard, but cherry pick on defense for steals, and rush him underneath the basket to pad his rebounding stats. You also make sure that he has 50 points and 20 assists so you end up averaging an unbelievable triple-double. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean you ARE a team-player. In fact, you are actually selfishly going for your own stats.
What if LeBron is like this? How many of us have seen him scowl at teammates for missing wide-open shots? How many of us see him fighting for rebounds in the end of a blow-out in order to get that triple-double. What if he is sadder about the missed assist than he is about the missed shot? 
I’m not saying LeBron isn’t talented enough to average a triple-double, but if that’s what he’s playing for instead of wins…then what?

To be honest, if I’m starting a team right now, and age is factored in, I think I pick Durant one, and then LeBron two.

Time for the second half.

Third Quarter

9:15
One of the ugliest basketball possessions I have seen in a while ends with Chauncey Billups missing badly on another three. However, the wife (who just entered the room and has no idea what I’m watching) notices that, “They are really hustling right now. They never do that.” I completely agree. If they played like this in the NBA, basketball as we know and love it would be alive and kicking. She also says, “I don’t like the Turks. All they do is come to America for a little while so they can make money.” She is so observant.

8:30
Durant hits his second straight three and sneers at the Turkish crowd as he walks off the court. I have literally only seen three guys EVER give that look effectively. Jordan, Kobe, and Reggie Miller. If this continues, I might decide that he will be the greatest athlete of all time after it’s all said and done.

7:03
Mr. Kardashian (Lamar Odom) gets a huge put back. Of course, this gets the wife more excited than she has been all day.

5:58
The US plays great defense but can’t grab the rebound as it falls out of bounds. Durant screams in anger. LeBron would never react this way unless Big Z just ruined another one of his assists.

4:48
Durant passes up a layup to feed Iguodala who promptly takes too much time to unload and has the ball stripped off his leg. I actually like the play. KD really trying to get the other guys involved.

4:17
Gay goes up like a sissy and misses a finger roll. Turkey responds with a three. The US lead is down to 11. I hate Rudy Gay.

2:40
Durant, playing Center, skies for a rebound, and then feeds his buddy Russell Westbrook for his second three-pointer of the entire tournament. USA up 16, it might be our night.

1:56
Durant isolates his guy up top, dribbles once with his left, and then smoothly spins right to bury a contested 20-footer. He is absolutely UNGUARDABLE.

1:12
Westbrook lets that three-pointer make him a little too confident and his misses a quick 18-footer. Then he fouls a big man underneath to help the Turks cut the USA lead to 59-46.

0:00
A sloppy last minute ends the third quarter. Team USA 61, Turkey 48. Durant with 28.

Fourth Quarter

9:46
A terrible pass from Derrick Rose draws the wife’s ire. When she decides it was a bad pass, it’s safe to say that it WAS a bad pass.

8:47
The USA get four quick fast break points, courtesy of Derrick Rose. The crowd is eerily quiet. I’ve always thought that the silence of a crowd on the road better than the explosion of your crowd at home. The fact that it’s the Turks that are quiet makes this moment unforgettable.

7:45
Lamar Odom beats the shot clock with a three from the corner prompting the wife to seemingly wake up and scream, “YAAAAY!” I can’t add anything to that. USA up 18.

6:58
Odom runs the floor and hits a layup to increase our lead to 20. The wife gives a very serious looking fist-pump. I just know that she and Khloe could be best friends in another life.

4:55
Odom has four more points, bumping up his second half total to 15. This leads to ESPN giving us a quick lesson on the differences between FIBA and NBA rules. Is there anyway for this to make any LESS sense? I mean come on. That would be like me walking into Rome and telling someone how to make spaghetti. If you are going to steal our sport, why are you trying to change it? You don’t see America adopting cricket and then changing some rules because “we know better.” Ridiculous.

3:37
Westbrook hits another three bringing the US lead back to 20. Danny Granger scowls from the bench. GO PACERS!!! You know how many Heat players are on this team? That’s right, zero. Let’s see, with this added experience making Granger tougher, and the new additions in Paul George and Darren Collison, maybe the Pacers could…ah nevermind. We will be mediocre. Again. Sigh.

2:07
With the USA up 15, the Turkish fans start cheering loudly for their team. I guess it’s admirable what they have accomplished. It’s just too bad they’re Turkish. (BTW, I really have nothing against Turkey, it’s just that when national pride is on the line, it’s ok to say things like that.)

1:11
Kevin Love enters the game, causing the wife to proclaim, “Oh, a white guy!” He then misses an easy layup as she notices, “That’s probably why he’s not playing, right?”

Gotta love blowouts!

Final: USA 81, Turkey 64

Tournament MVP: Kevin Durant

Somewhere in South Beach, LeBron James is watching this at a party with some friends.

Meanwhile, in LA, Kobe Bryant looks up from the bench press and notices the young buck. He’s finally got a worthy challenger.  The number of elite teams in the NBA has now increased by one, because of the Durantula.

The rest of us? We are just lucky enough to partake.

**********

* – Team USA photo credit: Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images via CBC.ca

Sure, the actual All Star game itself is fun seeing as how it is the world’s most talented basketball players playing in a laid back pickup game, but I’ve always been more intrigued by the Slam Dunk Contest and the 3-Point Shootout.

This year, I might be even more intrigued by the Slam Dunk Contest if a certain former Hoosier ends up making the final cut.

Eric Gordon, currently in his second season of basketball purgatory with the LA Clippers, faces off against DeMar DeRozan of the Raptors at halftime of the Rookie/Sophomore Challenge tomorrow night for the right to participate in Dunk Contest.

Whoever wins will be facing off against Gerald Wallace, Nate Robinson, and Shannon Brown once the Dunk Contest starts on Saturday night.

Here are all of the particulars, some videos of this year’s Slam Dunk participants’ best dunks, and then a rundown of past Slam Dunk Contest winners.

• 2010 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Date: Saturday, February 13th
• 2010 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Time: 8:00 ET
• 2010 NBA Slam Dunk Contest TV: TNT
• 2010 NBA Slam Dunk Contest City: Dallas, TX
• 2010 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Arena: Cowboys Stadium (aka Jerry World aka The Death Star)
• 2010 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Dunk-In: Halftime of Rookie/Sophomore Game
• 2010 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Participants: Gerald Wallace | Nate Robinson | Shannon Brown | Eric Gordon or DeMar DeRozan

And now, to get you ready for tomorrow night’s dunking festivities, here are some videos of the Slam Dunk Contest participants’ best dunks.

Best Dunks by This Year’s Dunk Contest Participants

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Video: Top 10 Dunks by Gerald Wallace

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Video: Top 10 Dunks by Nate Robinson

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Video: Shannon Brown’s Best Dunks Mix

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Video: Eric Gordon Mixtape

—————

Video: DeMar DeRozan Dunk Tape (with awesome soundtrack)

One of the five guys featured above will be adding his name to the list below on Saturday. Will it be Nate Robinson for a 3rd time or someone new? We’ll find out.

NBA Slam Dunk Contest Winners: List of Past Champions

**********

* – Eric Gordon photo credit: LottoBound.com

Luckily, we have the rookie season of 2007-08 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Eric Gordon to provide a few smiles during perhaps the least competitive season of Indiana basketball in the Hoosiers’ rich and storied tradition.

Today’s Los Angeles Times features a very nice profile of Eric Gordon by Lisa Dillman. I have to admit that between managing this site and wallowing in the misery of the Hoosiers horrid 2008-09 season, I have not been staying as up-to-date on EJ’s exploits as I should be. But what a season he is having:

• Eric Gordon averaged 21.9 points per game in January and was selected the Western Conference Rookie of the Month;
• He is averaging 14.7 points per game for the season;
• He scored 41 points, a Clippers rookie record, against Oklahoma City
• He scored 19 points in the Rookie-Sophomore game during NBA All-Star weekend.

Here is a nice laudatory excerpt from the article:

LOTD:

Clippers’ Eric Gordon is no laughingstock — (LA Times)

Gordon averaged 21.9 points per game in January and was selected the Western Conference rookie of the month; he also became the Clippers’ go-to guy (admittedly, a small selection given the injuries to marquee players) and entered the conversation for NBA rookie of the year. If he was not on the same page as the likes of Chicago’s Derrick Rose and Memphis’ O.J. Mayo, then he at least appeared in the same chapter.

“Derrick’s got the ball in his hand the whole game,” said Neil Olshey, Clippers assistant general manager. “So does O.J. for the most part. Eric’s out there with All-Stars. He’s sharing the ball with Baron Davis, Zach [Randolph], Marcus Camby and Al Thornton.

“Were Eric getting the same number of attempts and touches in attack mode, as he did in January, for the rest of the year, then I think February, March and April would be up for grabs, believe me.”

Said Jordan: “He’s a monster.”

Well done Eric.  Here’s hoping you finish strong and earn the Rookie of the Year at the end of the season.  It is the only bit of good news IU fans can still hope for this season.

Now some other links for your afternoon enjoyment:

The Week That Was in College Basketball — (Sparty and Friends)

2009 Mock Draft Muncher — (Scout.com)

Shane Battier: The No-Stats All-Star — (New York Times)

Former MSU Spartan Jason Richardson Suspended 1 Game — (Arizona Republic)

Ten of the Weirdest Athlete Endorsements Ever — (RootZoo)

Former White Sox OF Ken Griffey Jr. Picks Braves over Mariners — (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

If Steve Nash doesn’t fit your system, then your system sucks — (Ben’s Suns Blog)

Fantasy Baseball Position Preview – 2B — (Sharapova’s Thigh)

Our Burning Questions for ARod — (Hugging Harold Reynolds)

Greg Oden: Mr. Glass — (Josh Q. Public)

and finally, because ARod continues to prove that he is a complete douche…

Alex Rodriguez is Emotional, Dumb — (Deadspin)

According to an article published tonight on IndyStar.com entired “Gordon: Drug Use Wrecked IU Season”, Eric Gordon said that a faction of players on Indiana’s 2007-08 team used drugs and created a separation among the team. The comments came during Gordon’s first visit back to the Hoosier State as an NBA player.

Gordon explained that he was not a member of the clique of players who were into drugs, and neither was D.J. White nor the players still at IU, which includes only Kyle Taber and Brett Finkelmeier. He said that former head coach Kelvin Sampson tried to stop the drug use, but “was just so focused on basketball and winning and everything.”

IU fans will remember a number of suspensions that were handed down by Kelvin Sampson last season. The reasons for the suspension, if I remember correctly, were never confirmed; and the rumor mill was ablaze with rumors that it was either grades, or more likely, drug use that caused the suspensions.

In a quote that could not be more indicative of what many IU fans saw on the court last year, Gordon said:

“Sometimes it felt like it wasn’t even a real basketball team because of all the turmoil that went on. I was just thinking about that the other day. It was so crazy that all that stuff threw off a good season and made it a waste, basically. It was really tough for us to be around each other all the time off the court because we were so separate.”

In another sad and telling quote, the IndyStar article quotes Indianapolis North Central High School basketball coach Doug Mitchell, who had three players on IU’s team last year including Eric Gordon. Mitchell said, “”I’m extremely disappointed in what appears to have been the lack of monitoring and supervision of the players’ behaviors.”

So apparently Kelvin Sampson tried to stop it, but, at least according to Mitchell, did not exercise enough oversight of the activities of his players. Hmm, sounds familiar. I think lack of oversight was basically an epidemic that plagued Indiana’s entire basketball program and athletic department last year.

I don’t want to get into quoting rumors and trying to name names in terms of who might have been involved in the drug use on last year’s team. All I will say is that a number of players who had eligibility remaining all left the program in the wake of Kelvin Sampson being fired. Those players include Jordan Crawford, Jamarcus Ellis, DeAndre Thomas, Eli Holman, and Armon Bassett. All transferred to new schools before the start of this season.

Armon Bassett transfered to UAB to play for the coach who recruited him to Indiana Mike Davis. Recently, Bassett left UAB among a swirl of controversy. The “official” stated reason for his departure, according to another IndyStar article I read, was to tend a family matter. However, members of a popular UAB basketball forum certainly are convinced, as you can read here. Bassett is one of four players who will not be eligible to play for Mike Davis at UAB in the second semester of this season. I mention this only because many IU fans are convinced that the seeds for the 2007 debacle in Bloomington were planted by Mike Davis, Kelvin Sampson’s predecessor.

I got to know Mike Davis a little bit personally during my time at IU, and found him to be a wonderfully nice and engaging man, so I don’t want to get into drudging up the past and blaming him for IU’s failures. But discipline in the IU basketball program has certainly been on the decline since the departure of Bob Knight (as has the consistency of the play on the floor), and Mike Davis has done nothing at UAB to assuage the concerns of many IU and UAB fans that he runs something less than a tight ship.

I appreciate the remarks of Eric Gordon, if for no other reason than it provides a little bit more closure to the horror of last season. Never before has a team I love and root for pulled the rug out from under me like last year’s IU team. From 17-1 and a top-10 ranking to first round exits in the Big Ten and NCAA Tourney, and then a cloud of controversy all off-season. And Gordon was not really breaking any news — all IU fans “knew” that drug use was a problem on last year’s team. But in a way, it is nice to have some confirmation and something a little more concrete as to why the team fell apart so quickly.

And the memories of last season, and of the end of the Mike Davis and Kelvin Sampson eras, only make me more excited about what we have going on now in Bloomington — despite the team’s 5-5 record this year and underwhelming collection of talent. What we do have is a fantastic, capable, and passionate coach in Tom Crean who is getting every ounce of potential out of an undermanned team filled with guys who are displaying oversized hearts every time out. I don’t know how many games we will win this year, but we are finally building a foundation that can lead to long term success at IU again. And that is something that has been missing for a while, really since the 1993 season — which was my favorite sports team of all time, and featured an immensely talented group of players who played together, with heart, and exhibited discipline in every aspect.

I continue to feel bad for Eric Gordon, in that he took so much heat for his decision to spurn his original commitment to Illinois and play for a snake like Kelvin Sampson. So much of the blame for last season got heaped on Gordon during the season, despite the fact that he was just a freshman, playing with a bum wrist, and embroiled in a tumultuous team situation with a coach who could not control it, or who did not really want to. I do think that as more stuff like his admission of the drug use on last year’s team comes to the surface, IU fans will retroactively adjust their impression of Eric Gordon and remember him more for the immense talent he displayed and the great individual season he gave us.

I feel bad for D.J. White too, one of my all-time favorite Hoosiers. He stuck it out in Bloomington through thick and thin and became a dominant player as a senior. He deserved to go out better than he did.

But most of all, I just feel a tremendous level of anger towards Kelvin Sampson and the players who did not appreciate the privilege of wearing the Cream and Crimson. I would have given anything to wear the candy-stripe warm up pants and play at Assembly Hall, and I would have done everything possible to honor the players, coaches, and fans who built the amazing tradition that IU basketball has. Unfortunately, Kelvin Sampson enabled a group of players who had no business joining the IU family, and will forever be Public Enemy #1 in Bloomington. It is a title that is well deserved and that he will never relinquish.

Kudos to Eric Gordon for being strong enough to be honest about his experience at IU last year. Sure, it’s old news; but it’s one more layer of closure on the darkest era in the history of IU, one of the brightest stars
in the grand tradition of college basketball.

And thankfully, the current steward of that great IU tradition, Tom Crean and Crimson, appears to hold it in the proper esteem; and, most importantly, appears to have the integrity, coaching acumen, and leadership ability to return IU to prominence.

(And, for the record, Simmons can do all the podcasts he wants, but the podcasts will never come close to the columns. First off, he’s a great and entertaining writer. Secondly, his voice sounds like that of a prepubescent girl with a cold and grates at my brain like Romeo Crennel’s clock management.)

Anyway, the newest column from Bill Simmons is his 20 Predictions for the 2008-09 NBA Season. If you’re an NBA fan, give it a read and also check out Nick Gerlach’s own NBA Preview here on Midwest Sports Fans. If you aren’t an NBA fan, still check out Simmons’ column anyway because, because if we’re going to promote one giant douche here at Midwest Sports Fans, we might as well promote them all. (Yup, Simmons, these are your readers.)

While I found the entire article to be an interesting read, one passage caught my eye in particular. In a section in which Bill Simmons was discussing random things he will enjoy about the 2008-09 season, Simmons wrote:

Eric Gordon’s beautiful, moonball, knee-weakening, once-in-a-generation jump shot. It’s just perfect. I love it. I love everything about it. Every time he shoots it, the Clippers crowd goes quiet for a split-second like one of the cheerleaders just pulled up her shirt. Even the spin is gorgeous. I can’t say enough about it. I am in love with Eric Gordon’s jump shot. I want to marry it. I want to have kids with it. I will go to at least one practice or shootaround this year just to see him hoist 200 of them. And by the way, the kid is going to be great — he’s bigger than I thought, and when he drives to the lane, defenders just bounce off him. He will end up being the third-best guy in that draft. Unless, of course — and I’m contractually obligated to mention this since it’s the most jinxed franchise in sports and we’re only two years removed from Shaun Livingston’s knee flying off his body and landing in the eighth row — something horrible happens to him. Please, Lord, no. Just give us a decade of Gordon jump shots. I don’t ask for much

As many of you know, I am a die-hard IU basketball fan and don’t really have “a team” in the NBA. I root more for players and matchups and just love watching good, quality NBA competition. Well, being an IU fan has not exactly given me a wealth of NBA stars to root for. Jared Jeffries is a bench player, my favorite player ever Calbert Cheaney has been out of the NBA for a while, Tom Coverdale was white so he never had a chance, and DJ White is now out for 3-6 months after having surgery to remove a growth from his jaw.

But finally, IU has produced at least one player with true star quality: Eric Gordon.

Last year’s Big Ten Freshman of the year was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in this year’s draft, and despite being slowed by an ankle injury early in training camp, he rebounded to lead the Clippers in scoring during the preseason at 14.6 points per game. His shooting percentages from the field were not all that great (39.2% FG and 35.3% 3FG) and he did not exactly stuff the stat sheet outside of his scoring (1.9 R, 0.9 A, but only 1.0 TOs!) but isn’t that about what we came to expect from EJ last season?

Here’s the thing — Eric Gordon does have a beautiful jump shot. He can get it off quickly and he has deep range. We all saw that during his first month as a Hoosier. Unfortunately, his wrist injury and our steadily deteriorating team discipline, morale, and offensive flow contributed our superstar freshman being forced to do everything himself and falling woefully out of rhythm. Something tells me that his ankle injury and getting acclimated to a new team probably created a similar lack of flow for Gordon this preseason (though I did not watch any games). Once thing about Eric Gordon that Bill Simmons mentioned, which is absolutely true, is that Gordon is excellent going the basket and his strong body allows him to absorb tremendous punishment and get many attempts at the line. And EJ always seems in rhythm at the line, as he was during the preseason when he connected on 87.5% of his free throw attempts.

I was pumped to read the Bill Simmons passage about Eric Gordon. His IU career began with such a bang and ended in such turmoil and mediocrity thanks to Kelvin F-ing Sampson. I would have loved to see Eric Gordon stay for one more year and play under Tom Crean — but I never for one second begrudged Gordon for going pro, or thought that he shouldn’t.

I will miss his gorgeous jump shot tickling the twine at Assembly Hall, and his bowling ball drives into traffic that drew fouls and bailed the Hoosiers out of possessions in which they exhibited poor offensive execution. But for the first time in a long time I am excited that Indiana actually has a potential star in the NBA. I don’t know how many Clippers games I will get down here in Dallas, but I will definitely be watching them when they are on.

And now that Eric Gordon is playing for the team that Bill Simmons has season tickets for, I can look forward to more entertaining updates on my new second-favorite NBA player. (EJ doesn’t trump DJ White, too much history with DJ — but Gordon will be the only one of the floor this season.)

I hope that Eric Gordon fulfills the Bill Simmons Prophecy of becoming the third-best player in last season’s draft (after Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley, I’d assume). And as Gordon goes through his NBA journey, I hope IU fans everywhere will support him. He may have been the face of a team that fell light years below expectations and ended up imploding before our eyes. But that wasn’t Gordon’s fault — it was Sampson’s.

Now Eric Gordon fans can only hope that EJ has rid himself of the Sampson Curse and can avoid LA Clippers Curse. If so, he could be the best NBA player to come out of Indiana since Isiah Thomas. (Which reminds me, hopefully EJ can avoid the burgeoning Isiah Thomas Curse as well.)

[tags]bill simmons, eric gordon, la clippers, nba[/tags]

Anyway, there was one note of interest I found regarding the basketball program, and it dealt with a player who no longer wears the cream and crimson: Eric Gordon. It seems as if last year’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year has injured his ankle and will be out for a couple of weeks. Luckily for Gordon, the injury does not appear to be too serious and should not set him back too much as he prepares for his rookie season.

I haven’t posted much about IU basketball yet on Midwest Sports Fans, but that will definitely change once basketball season rolls around. Reading the article about Gordon reminded me of the frustrating memories of the last year of being an IU basketball fan. It still boggles my mind to think about what a quagmire of awfulness last year became after such a promising start to the season.

The two players I felt the worst for were Eric Gordon and D.J. White (who seems to be getting involved and off on the right foot with his new team: the Oklahoma City Thunder). Both of these guys were having unbelievable seasons before the entire program began to unravel thanks to the malfeasance of selfish jackass and shameless liar Kelvin Sampson. I am pretty sure that D.J. White left IU with the full appreciation and adoration of IU fans. His commitment to the program during his five years in school was great to see, and his consistent improvement was a testament to his work ethic and attitude.

But something tells me that the feelings of IU fans towards Eric Gordon are probably pretty mixed; and I think that’s a shame. With so much hoopla (and controversy) surrounding his arrival in Bloomington, and his blazing start, I think that the bar of expectations was probably set at unrealistic levels. The injury to his wrist did not help, and obviously there was only so much Eric Gordon could do when the lack of discipline and direction sunk the program on and off the floor during the second half of the season.  (What did you expect?  Everyone knows that IU basketball players are hardasses. Wait a minute…)

Had Eric Gordon been a senior last year and displayed similarly poor ball handling and shot selection, perhaps frustration with his play could be understood. But for a freshman, Eric Gordon was remarkably consistent (in terms of effort, though not with his shooting unfortunately) and in hindsight played with pretty respectable intensity and commitment night in and night out considering the circumstances of the program. A lot was placed on his shoulders, and I think he did about as well as could have been expected, if not better. It can be easy to take the talents of great young players for granted sometimes, and forget how young they are. As fans we sometimes focus on the few things these great players are struggling with or not doing, as opposed to truly appreciating all of the things that they are doing.

I always felt that Jared Jeffries was never properly appreciated for his time at IU. He came in with the billing of a superstar wingman, bu ended up settling into a role as a very good player who dictated IU’s offense with his superb passing from the post. He was a valuable member and the most talented player on a great 2002 squad that was a team in every sense of the word and advanced to the championship game. But Jared Jeffries did not take over games, could not score at will, and never quite lived to the “superstar” status that everyone expected. Regardless, he was the best player on one of the ten most memorable IU teams ever. Still, he is overshadowed by other players from that team like A.J. Moye and Tom Coverdale who were more fan favorites than Jared Jeffries. It can be easy to forget that many of the openings they found on the offensive side of the ball were a result of the attention paid to Jeffries in the post, and his ability to make passes that got the ball into the right place for his teammates to score.

Jared Jeffries and Eric Gordon were two of the most celebrated recruits to come to IU during the 20 years I have been closely following IU basketball. Neither stayed long, and neither completely fulfilled the promise and expectations placed upon them by the IU faithful. But they should both be appreciate and admired for the contributions and results that they did produce, and I am looking forward to following Eric Gordon in the NBA. I certainly hope he can find more stability than he had during his one year at IU, and I am anticipating that he will blossom and become a very good NBA player, if not a star.

I was frustrated by the disappointment that tinged many of the comments by IU fans about Eric Gordon’s play last year. I think he was treated somewhat unfairly, and that most of it was a function of the IU fans’ general frustration and disappointment with how last year’s team turned out. As we move away from the wreckage of last year, I hope that IU fans who harbor any negative thoughts about Eric Gordon are able look back at his short time in Bloomington and appreciate the one year we had with him. There is not one sane and rationally thinking IU fan that would not take him back on campus in a heartbeat; but now that he has left campus, I sincerely hope that he has the full support of IU fans everywhere as he embarks on his professional career.

[tags]indiana hoosiers, college basketball, eric gordon[/tags]