What if the NBA had undermined the career of one of its jewels? In any case, this is what emerges when we look at Eric Gordon’s NBA adventure. The uncrowned shooter could have aspired to a greater career, if the NBA had decided otherwise.
We are in 2011. For three years, young Eric Gordon has been enjoying the glory days of the Clippers, in the shadow of the other Los Angeles franchise. An excellent shooter, the former Indiana University player continues the good exercises and reaches his first peak after two seasons. His shooting percentages are stable, but for greater volume. He shines with his skill alongside Blake Griffin, who already offers spectacular basketball. Each of them finished the season averaging more than 22 points per game.
Eric Gordon formed a perfect young duo with Blake Griffin, supervised by veteran Baron Davis.
Eric Gordon is praised by observers, who place him among the top backs in the League. With the emergence of Deandre Jordan, “Lob City” basketball is rearing its ugly head. All that is missing is a serial passer, a role that Gordon, whose progression is exponential, can take on, in order to feed the two gluttonous big men and thus achieve results.
Eric Gordon, victim of the NBA
At the time, one of the best passers in the league was Chris Paul. But CP3, then at the New Orleans Hornets, interests the Lakers who want to fill the gap in the lead next to the brilliant Kobe Bryant. A three-team trade is completed: he sends the little point guard to the Lakers, while Pau Gasol would go to Houston. In the operation, New Orleans would receive Luis Scola, Lamar Odom and Kevin Martin, veterans with long-term contracts who could give a framework to the franchise.
Problem, the owner of NOLA at the time was none other than… David Stern, also commissioner of the NBA. The reason ? New Orleans is a franchise for sale, and the NBA is acting as an interim between two owners. David Stern then takes a dim view of this trade, and abuses his position as commissioner to veto the trade.
Surely one of the biggest “what ifs” in recent history: how many titles would Chris Paul have won with Kobe Bryant without David Stern’s veto? Credit: Andrew Bernstein.
The trades would have imposed three big contracts on the future owners of the Hornets. Not a very good seller if the buyer wants to rebuild as he wishes. The “Hornets product” would lose appeal.
The trade collapses. The Lakers wanted to respond to Miami by constituting a big three all star with Chris Paul, Kobe and Dwight Howard who they also planned to look for. It won’t happen. Worse still, Paul will head to LA, but joins the Clippers in a surprising trade including rookie Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman a first round draft and… Eric Gordon. To everyone’s surprise, Stern allows and even pushes this trade which offers space to the Hornets, all the arriving players being a rookie contract, two expiring and a reconstruction piece.
A potential without tomorrow
Eric Gordon was on the cusp of a huge extension with the Clippers: that won’t be the case either. Worse still, the shooter lost his health and missed 26 games due to “knee problems”. It’s hard not to see a mentally affected person there. He will return from his injury but is no longer the same player.
In the shadow of The Beard, Eric Gordon seemed to relive fragments of his potential, far from what he could have imagined at the Clippers. Credit: NBA
Never again will Eric Gordon finish an exercise with an average of more than twenty points. His reputation declines, he goes from major player to forgettable basketball player.
A final thrill took place in 2017 when the 31-year-old fullback finished Sixth Man of the Year. A nice revenge on New Orleans, which took time before offering him a major contract despite his talent, for fear of a disagreement with the future GM. But the team goes out in the first round against the formidable Warriors.
Eric Gordon posing with his 2017 Sixth Man of the Year trophy.
If we could think of a return to favor for the sniper, it is barred by competition from the reason for all its ills. Chris Paul joins James Harden for an attractive backcourt on paper, but the performance is not there: the Rockets are better during Chris Paul’s injury, when Eric Gordon takes his place. But CP3 takes his place upon his return. Playing time over the season is high for Gordon (31 minutes) but distorted by this interim.
He loses rhythm at the same time as he loses form over the years. Proof of this is that he has already suffered more than 53 injuries since 2017. It is not easy to find a place in the five of the Houston yard, nor to legitimize his big contract at more than 12 million per year.
End of career under the sun?
For the first time in his career, he was transferred during the season from the Rockets to the Clippers in 2023. The return home went well with the fans who adored him. The owners are counting on him to support superstars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Despite his expectations surrounding his contribution, his playing time decreased again and fell below 25 minutes. The fault is exacerbated competition, and an age which is starting to take its toll.
The beautiful story ends when his contract expires in the summer of 2023. Proof of his reputation among the players, he leaves a strong project for another: the Phoenix Suns. A contract worth 6 million over two years, ideal for the finances of the Suns who fill their second unit with an element of experience.
Behind Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and even Grayson Allen, the guard brings 11 points on average, the lowest total of his career. He also said he was unhappy with his role in attack. The future will tell us if his post-season experience will give him playing time and responsibilities in the playoffs.
Eric Gordon will never have reached his full potential, despite some flashes with James Harden’s Rockets, but in a role of second knife. The NBA may have just wasted a future superstar. But a broken destiny was the least of his worries…
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2024-04-04 16:58:39
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