Re Thorpe – you can find his stuff at ESPN.

David Thorpe’s Analysis
April 16, 2008

Of all the rookies, Thornton (along with Noah) might have played the hardest. He exhibited his athleticism and skills once the Clippers unleashed him. But it was his effort that saved him from himself; without solid rebounding numbers, his season would have looked like Adam Morrison’s last season—lots of inefficient scoring and few effective passes.

He got much better as the season progressed and looks like a legitimate starter going into next season. When his game was on, no rookie put up better performances than Thornton, who often served as his team’s No. 1 scoring option from both the wing and the post. However, he did play too fast much of the time—a fact that will jump out at him if he spends the summer watching film.
April 08, 2008

The award for “Best Performance by a Rookie in One Game” has to go to Thornton, who put up 39 points on 23 shots and added five steals in a win over Memphis on March 29. Considering how talented he is, how well he played during his last season in college and how well he has played the past few months, it is difficult to fathom how so many teams passed on him on draft night.
March 26, 2008

It doesn’t bother me that Thornton went 4-for-21 combined in back-to-back games against Portland nearly as much as the fact that he grabbed eight total rebounds in 79 minutes. Or had two total free-throw attempts. When Thornton starts rebounding and attacking on a nightly basis, no matter how his shot is dropping, he’ll have gone a long way toward being the lead guy for a Clippers resurgence.
March 19, 2008

Thornton is another rookie who has the makings of a solid defensive player. Long and strong, Thornton tested out as one of the most agile athletes of his class during the pre-draft process. And he was well-schooled in defense at Florida State, which is known for its man-to-man D.
March 12, 2008

Thornton has developed the best set of offensive weapons in this class, as it stands today. In a given game, we’ll see him catch and shoot, jab and go, jab and shoot, shot-fake and attack, post and score, finish with his left, slash and dunk, drive and counter. And then he’ll go to work on the offensive glass. The Clippers may be an easy win for most opponents, but no one looks forward to guarding Thornton.
March 05, 2008

Thornton notched a double-double against Philly, but not the good kind. The 20 points on 11 shots was outstanding, but the 10 turnovers were something else. Thornton has been killing teams with his all-around game (see our video of him last week), but the Sixers decided to show him the teeth of their defense. They drew three offensive fouls on him and sent doubles and aggressive helpers at him frequently. Thornton is the feature guy on many possessions for the Clips nowadays, so this is part of his learning curve. A certain tall and thin rookie is smiling in Seattle.
February 27, 2008

Watching tape of Thornton this week left me thinking of all the times I used to watch him in college, wondering what he’d be like if he ever learned to play to exhaustion. Now I know; he’s a dynamic player who becomes his team’s go-to guy on many possessions.
February 13, 2008

Thornton is battling Thaddeus Young, at this point, for the most improved rookie during the course of the season. Consider that he scored 19, 18 and 25 points in his past three games. All three were played on the road and the Clippers won two of them. He’s not only shooting well, but he’s attacking the rim and using his size and strength when appropriate.
February 06, 2008

I love Thornton’s talent, as stated here before. But I feared that his 13-for-20, 33-point effort against Atlanta would be a bit of fool’s gold. Anyone can simply launch 20 shots, and talented guys like Al can even make half or so once in a while. But his combined 8-for-36 (1-for-15 and 7-for-21) effort in the following two games suggests he still has a lot of learning to do. I admire that he kept his confidence after the 1-for-15 game, but launching jumper after jumper is not the way to get your rhythm back.
January 30, 2008

Thornton drew some negative comments from me earlier this season because he was playing like a one-eyed chucker. And I know he is much better than that. Lately, he has been proving it, averaging more than 11 points per game in January, including some big games in which he made jumpers and outfought everybody. But I love the 11 assists in his past four games, considering he had just 20 assists in his first 34 games. And don’t overlook his motor, which was always running in college.
David Thorpe’s Analysis
January 02, 2008

In my last report I suggested that despite having a huge game against the Spurs, Al Thornton still has some serious learning to do. Remember, he’s already 24 years old, so there’s concern that his upside may be small. I don’t share those concerns, as I’ve seen players improve well into their 30s. But with Al going 10-29 last week from the field, it shows that he still is struggling with his shot selection. However, he did have one assist in each of his last four games, the longest such “assist streak” of his young career.
December 24, 2007

I’ve always been an Al Thornton fan, so I was pleased to see his 25-point outburst against the Spurs. But I’ve watched him try far too hard to make plays all season, so I’m worried that with such a terrific game he might be inclined to continue that style, which is not a consistently productive way to play. Consider this: At the current rate he’s racking up assists, he’ll be awarded his 10th dime of the season sometime in mid-January. That’s right, he has seven assists in 390 minutes of action, and has managed to take 157 shots and 48 free throws in that time.
December 18, 2007

Thornton should see more playing time with the release of Ruben Patterson, so perhaps he’ll start to slow down some and play with more focus. He’s a very skilled athlete, who can get an open look from almost any spot on the floor due to his sense of timing, quickness and length, and he has very solid basketball fundamentals. But he plays too rushed and doesn’t finish much. Consider that his 38.5 eFG% from the perimeter is better than his 38.3 percent from close in. As he learns to slow down we should see both of those numbers rise dramatically.
December 12, 2007

Might be the most disappointing rookie of all, 17th in PER amongst rookies despite being top 4 in age and experience. But he is shooting well from 3.
November 21, 2007

Minnesota’s Corey Brewer and Thornton are like two peas in a pod. They are incredible athletes and they play super hard. Unfortunately, they are playing at 100 mph while everyone else is going at a steady 65. Sometimes it means they make astounding plays, but mostly it means they cause lots of wrecks. They are better than their PERs suggest, though (Thornton - 7.58; Brewer - 7.47).

I think his analysis is spot-on. I would tend to trust Thorpe’s player evaluations. He’s not saying that Gordon is horrible, just that he needs to learn how to play the game of basketball, to hone his talent. Which is not surprising, since Gordon has played only one year in college. Thorpe knows what he’s talking about.

David Thorpe’s Analysis
July 14, 2008

Clearly has the tools to be an effective player, but currently lacks understanding of how to play. Before he was shut down for the summer due to a hamstring injury, his shot selection was horrendous, as was his general awareness of the other four Clippers running around. But the comparisons to Ben Gordon are fair, except that he’s quicker off the dribble.

July 07, 2008

Brilliant shooter/scorer who should get minutes in L.A. He’s got a motor and some talent around him that will help his transition.