Sophomore 20: Lopez the new No. 1

Theres no surprise that EJ is our prized gem in this organization. Maybe we overrank our players as many fan does. In this case, Gordon is #9 on the list behind players like Ersan Ilyasova and Jason Thompson. He's also behind Westbrook who's #5.

"Gordon's game is improving in almost every aspect. He's becoming a bulldog on defense, fighting for every inch and averaging 1.58 steals per game. And on offense he's getting to the paint more -- and finishing -- which makes him a more effective player. On some nights, he looks like the Clips' best player."

What do you guys think? Does #9 do him justice behind guys (in this order?): Brook Lopez, Marc Gasol, Jason Thompson, Ersan Illyasova, Russel Westbrook, Anthony Randolph, Ryan Anderson, and Danilo Gallinari?

about 2 years ago JackduhSun 9 comments 0 recs |

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David Thorpe is an idiot.

Last year, EJ barely ever cracked his Top 5 rookiee list behind Rose, Mayo, Westbrook, Gasol and Lopez. It’s part of ESPN’s Clipper bias. If you notice, there are NEVER articles on ESPN.com about our successes, such as the 22-0 run against MEM. EJ is looking like the class of the 2008 draft. Yes, I am biased, but c’mon! Nearly 20 points per game on something like 12 shots coupled with rugged defense? How can ANYBODY put Anthony Randolph ahead of EJ when he’s played a combined 17 minutes this season??

"Buckle your seat belts, folks. This one's doing down to the wire." -The inimitable Ralph Lawler.

by Gordon for President on Dec 10, 2009 11:36 AM PST reply actions

this is complete BS.

how is anthony randolph and ryan anderson ahead of EJ.

anderson is actaully good, but living in the bay area i get to watch randolph play all the time and that guy can barely get in the game. EJ is way more consistant and a much better shooter and given randolph is 6’10 and a “big” and plays center for the warriors half the time you’d think he’d shoot well. complete bs.

and ersan ilyasova? are you kidding me?

by hans007 on Dec 10, 2009 1:36 PM PST reply actions

Strange list

For sure Thorpe sleeps on the Clips, but that’s to be expected. Nobody pays attention to this team.

But what’s strange to me is that he has guys like Randolph, Ryan Anderson and Gallinari over Derrick Rose. C’mon. That’s just silly. I know Rose is having a down year, but that’s just compared to his lofty expectations after a very nice playoff run.

If we’re talking about their careers to date, EJ should be third behind Lopez and Rose. These other guys on the list just happen to be playing better than anyone expected. Randolph is a mystery though since he’s been a huge disappointment this year. Westbrook is way overhyped too. He’s hardly a PG.

by madglove on Dec 10, 2009 1:40 PM PST reply actions

BS list

Gordon should at least be top 5 way ahead of Westbrook.

In Gordon we trust

by bestclipfan on Dec 10, 2009 1:56 PM PST reply actions

i actually think westbrook isnt bad, but i am not sure i would put him ahead of EG. at least not “definitely”

he’s completely inconsistant. he’ll have a 9 assist 2 turnover game, then have a 9 turnover game.

and he cant shoot at all. even at ucla, he was one of those “well in an emergency can play pg” types.

the only ones i really agree with are lopez and gasol really ahead of EG .

by hans007 on Dec 10, 2009 2:31 PM PST up reply actions

who

the hell is Ersan Illyasova

by Final692 on Dec 10, 2009 7:40 PM PST reply actions

He was drafted by the Bucks a few years back in the 2nd round.

He played one season and then played in Europe for a couple of years. He’s actually a pretty nice player at 22 years of age. He rebounds, defends and can shoot. He’s a really nice value at $7 Million over 3 years.

by Lawler 4ever on Dec 10, 2009 10:04 PM PST up reply actions

It's a weird ranking system

Guys behind EJ are OJ Mayo, Beasley and Derrick Rose.

This is a tough class to rank, partially based on limited sample size but also because this is a very deep draft class. All these young guys are playing a lot already and doing well.

FA in 2010.

by ClipperChuck on Dec 11, 2009 6:30 PM PST reply actions

Seems strange

Maybe Thorpe thinks he can throw out some new names, new blood, guys who didn’t get the minutes last year, to make it seem like things are more jumbled and competitive than they really are. He’s taking advantage of a slow start by Rose, and EJ’s injury, and Mayo playing on a better team, and using the opportunity to highlight Lopez and Anderson and yes, household name Ilyasova, not to mention Gallinari.

There are different factors all over the place, but in the end it’s going to boil down to the same, familiar guys, more or less. It would be nice if Gordon can put some space between himself and Mayo and Westbrook, but he needs to be healthy and on the court, and leading the team and getting wins. Having Griffin playing will highlight Gordon too.

Anderson has moved to a great team, where he’s a very nice fit. He’s a good player, but it’s hard to say how effective he would be on a team besides the Magic. Gallinari is playing for D’Antoni. It’s strange that Randolph made it up so high when his minutes are so limited. Lopez is a beast, but he’s on such a struggling team. Kevin Love has been hurt.

It’ll all shake out. It’s great that Gordon is back. Excited about seeing him play against the Spurs tonight.

by citizen zhiv on Dec 13, 2009 2:04 PM PST reply actions