A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
As I write this, I know every single one of my in-laws is grimacing. They are all diehard Laker fans while I have always rooted for the underdog Clippers.
I know the preseason doesn’t mean anything as far as records go, but the Clippers impressed me and I think they surprised the Lakers.
After weeks of reports and rumors swirled, suggesting that Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, and others had a reasonable chance of being traded, the first blockbuster trade has been finalized:
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?
I just took a break from work and spent a good half hour in the magical land of “Eating Lunch While Reading the Newest Bill Simmons Column on ESPN.com”. As always, it was a glorious pleasure.
(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.
