About Hard Work and Character...

by Redmosa on May 9, 2009 2:24 PM PDT

Dear Club Optimism,

I often read about how citizens of Clipper Nation say our team doesn't need talent as much as it needs players that are willing to give 100% every time. A lot of Clipper fans talk about how we have so many players with character issues and not enough dedication to working hard. Do we still have work horses after the FElton era? Yes, we do, but it's difficult to really see it in such a dismal season. We seem to forget that we're fans and we don't know the severity of injuries on a professional athlete's level. The fact that these guys go out there for 48 minutes 82 times between November and April (Some to June) is astonishing enough, but we forget the hours of practice they go through. The wear and tear of the NBA is something a lot of fans can't comprehend. I'm not saying I do understand how grueling a season can physically be, nor am I saying this season is acceptable by any means. Baron played through his injured finger in the beginning of the season, but he seemed to be the most defeated Clipper on the roster by April. I think Zach Randolph is arguably a slacker, but the loss of a loved one during a tumultuous season can severely alter someone's game (Ask Leandro Barbosa). Although we had guys who clearly slacked off this season like Ricky Davis who was terrible and Kaman who wore himself out during the summer, we had players who clearly made the best of their time and put in substantial effort.

One case is the performance of the rookies. Eric Gordon exploded this season as a ROY candidate. Mike Taylor took the opportunities he got when Baron was injured and showed he could be a solid backup right now. Deandre Jordan is constantly active and looking for playing time; even on the bench his enthusiasm is incredible. These young players have a fire in their hearts to become great players right now.

The second case is the chip on the veterans' shoulders. Fred Jones finally found a team and showed the league that he can probably win another slam dunk title, and he took every opportunity that came to him. He's worked hard in every game we've seen him in. Mardy Collins? Enough said, he proved himself from useless by Hollinger to a very decent backup in the Clippers rotation. Marcus Camby is hands-down our first half of the season MVP for being a class act during such a horrible season. Steve Novak proved how good he could be in this league.

The third case is the guys who were buried on the bench but remained class-acts. I really stand up for these guys because as an avid reader of this and the "other" blog, I know these two really took a lot of heat for not living up to what they were supposed to be this season. Jason Hart and Brian Skinner we second-stringers at the start of the season, and eventually became non-existent with the emergence of of Mike Taylor and DJ. Okay, well Skinner still logged more minutes than DJ but you could tell DJ was slowly getting more time over Skinner by season's end. Hart on the other hand was eventually waived. I give these two a gold star for roughing it through and not even complaining about where they were on the bench. Hart saw Taylor get better and better and didn't even complain. He just acted as a good lockerroom guy through and through.

Who am I missing now? The guy who has been a complete enigma. I know I've written up some posts on him in the past so it may seem repetitive, but Al Thornton is the player we've seemed to forget for much of this season and for good reason. I mean, I would be lying if I said I was more excited about Al Thornton than Eric Gordon this past season. After having a promising rookie campaign and proving he could be a great player in this league from December onward, we all believed Al was going to do good things for this team. I think fans had the highest expectations from Al; that he could become the dominant go-to guy the Clippers needed after FElton and Corey abandoned ship. We got a taste of what might come in the 2008 Las Vegas Summer League after dominating scrubs. However, this season was such a disappointment. Al shot a horrendous 28% from 3pt range. He continued to settle for jumpers when he could have easily driven to the hoop. He continued to jab and jab and jab and go for the fadeaway, never seeming to learn from those mistakes. The result? Many fans saying that Al is either simply a brainless oaf of a player who can't get any smarter, or that he's clearly slacking. First of all basketball fundamentals and knowing how and when to use them can be taught and practiced. No one is born with them. Second of all, Al is hands-down the hardest working Clipper on the team. I think so many years of terrible drafting and finally getting a steal in Al, we felt he could do all the things we thought he could do. However, one must agree that even if he never becomes a superstar or even an all-star, we know how Al responds to adversity and challenges. We've seen it when he was left off the rookie team; and I know Al Horford definitely saw. We've seen how he feels after blowout losses. We've seen his response to DTS. We've seen him prove critics wrong. There is no moment I believe Al is a slacker and should be labeled with the Davises. I'll admit that his BBall IQ has been low this season and he doesn't make the right choices on the court, but the willingness to become a great player is there, and I wouldn't trade him because of the character he's shown.

A final point I want to make is that I feel as a Clipper fan I can understand how human our players really are rather than persay a perennial playoff team's fan who expects their them to be in the playoffs every year contending for a title because it just seems so easy for them (And I apologize for the hasty generalization). Clipper Nation understands how tough it is to get a competitive team on the floor; it took 9 years since the 1997 season to see it in the '05-'06 squad. We've endured so many injuries and realized how much effort each player is giving on the court. We know what dissappointment is in Olowokandi. We know what betrayal is in FElton. We know what crushed dreams are in Shaun's knees. I think when all is said and done, and when the championship is finally won by whatever Clipper team in the future, all that pain and suffering will be worth it. Perhaps that time will be with Eric Gordon and Al Thornton.

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Comments

Character is nice

from supporting players. But it is essential from your “star” player, and since Baron is supposed to be our “star” he needs to be the one showing character not EJ or Al.

In Gordon we trust

by bestclipfan on May 9, 2009 5:19 PM PDT reply actions

Thornton needs another chance

A player of Thornton’s caliber was a steal for where we drafted him and one of the franchise’s better draft picks. He was a late bloomer, but has always been known as a hard worker. I think most of us found that he was one of the rare bright spots for us during the 07-08 season so we drank the “juice” (Kool-Aid). Maggette was a player that you either loved or hated, so many saw Al as a younger/cheaper replacement. Maggette does not have the highest B-Ball IQ either, but he did know what he was good at. When he did play less selfishly, the team did benefit. It was kind of unfair for the fans to expect Al to come in and be able to outproduce Maggette’s contributions in only his 2nd season.

Al is still raw and a work in progress. He was drafted by a team that was decimated by injury and he was basically given the keys to do whatever he wanted since there was a lack of other options. This season there was a whole roster turnover. Only 4 other players (Kaman, Thomas, Mobley & P. Davis) returned from last season. He’s finally penciled in as a starter from the get-go, but with 2 other guys that he has never played with. They didn’t even have the opportunity to put in adequate playing time during pre-season because they were both hurt. Fast forward to the trade where we bring in Z-Bo. Z-Bo comes in, doesn’t play defense, requires a lot of shots in addition to all of the chucking that Baron is doing. EJ, who had a better basketball upbringing than Al, begins to emerge and Al drops down to 4th option at best.

Al may have been older than most rookies coming in, but his experience level was the same as any other rookie, or even less when you consider his basketball experience. He’s had a lot of adversity to deal with being a Clipper throughout his first two seasons. The veterans that played the same position as he were Maggette, Thomas, Patterson and Ricky Davis. Are any of those guys great teachers or examples to model your game after? I think we all know the answer to that question.

As Redmosa pointed out, Al is willing to put in more work than just about anybody on this team. When Sterling put him on blast, he responded well and was doing what we all wanted him to do. He was attacking the rim, he was rebounding and he even stepped up on defense. I say give him another season before his fate is decided and he is traded for a lesser player like I’ve seen suggested on other Clipper forums. Unfortunately he is currently dealing with a shoulder injury, but he is already making mental preparations to improve next season. He’s going to be eating better, which may not sound like much, but will definitely help in the health department. Out of all of the guys that have committed themselves to not letting another season like this one happen next year, I actually find him to be one of the few that that I can be confident that he really means it.

by Lawler 4ever on May 11, 2009 1:32 AM PDT reply actions

I think that we should be realistic about Al

Why was he a steal at 14? He was old, known for not being very smart (i.e., bad basketball IQ), and had a number of other negative attributes to his game. On the other hand, he was an athletic player with some upside.

In the same breath, you say that he had less experience than others coming in, that he’s raw, etc. Again seems inconsistent with the claim that he was a steal.

Also, you say it was unfair for the fans to expect Al to come in and outproduce Corey. I don’t think that fans intended to compare the two. In point of fact, management, i.e., MDSr, decided not to re-sign Corey and to put Al in as the starting SF in his place. The fact is that Al doesn’t appear to be a good defender, doesn’t really understand how and when to shoot or to drive or to pass, etc. He seems to be a very inconsistent player.

It is nice to hear that he’s going to put the time in to become the best player he can be. I hope it works.

by Jax on May 11, 2009 9:14 AM PDT up reply actions

He was a good pickup at 14

As was Stuckey at 15. That draft would be a LOT different today. Both would proably be in the top 6 or 7. Durant would be #1.

The Clippers would have ended up with an inferior player.

F-Elton!

by mikey p on May 11, 2009 4:43 PM PDT up reply actions

Though I did read somewhere that AT had the worst =/- in the NBA

F-Elton!

by mikey p on May 11, 2009 5:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Sorry. Worst +/-

F-Elton!

by mikey p on May 12, 2009 8:53 AM PDT up reply actions

Amongst Scrubs, he looked pretty good in his rookie year

Mostly because no one else on our team was any good. If he can improve next year, he could develop into a decent end of the rotation guy, but he’s just not a starter. He’s not a team oriented player as much as he needs to be. Mainly because he has a hard time passing, and understanding what is a good shot and what isn’t. Those are hard things to overcome, when your main strength is supposed to be on offense, which it is.

by ghost_ride on May 12, 2009 2:01 AM PDT up reply actions

Yeah I really think Al

would benefit from being a 6th man instead of a starter. He would have a much easier time scoring against the 2nd unit and he could bring some much needed energy off the bench.

In Gordon we trust

by bestclipfan on May 12, 2009 1:58 PM PDT up reply actions

It’s not about being unrealistic about Al. I’m simply highlighting some positives where everybody else is so focused on the negatives. Would I rather us have a player like Prince or Battier starting at small forward? Definitely. They’re experienced glue guys who play great defense. I personally think Al would flourish most in a 6th man role where he can provide an instant offensive presence off of the bench.

When you compare Al to what is usually available at 14, then he is most definitely a steal. In the last 21 years the players picked at 14 were: Dan Majerle, Tim Hardaway,Travis Mays, Rich King, Malik Sealy, Scott Haskin, Yinka Dare, Eric Williams, Peja Stojakovic, Mo Taylor, Michael Dickerson, William Avery, Mateen Cleaves, Troy Murphy, Fred Jones, Luke Ridnour, Kris Humphries, Rashad McCants, Ronnie Brewer and Anthony Randolph. There were some big names like Hardaway, Majerle and Peja, and players like Sealy, Dickerson, Murphy and Ridnour have had decent careers. I like Brewer as a player and Randolph is full of potential. Mays unfortunately had a career cut short. Comparing the first 2 seasons of each player, Thornton has outperformed a lot of those players. Some went on to improve and solidified their games later on. The jury is still out on him. When you compare Al to what the Clippers normally draft, then he is a steal. If you look at some of the players drafted before him, then yes once again he is a steal. I didn’t say he was the best player in the draft or even top 3. He was a good value pick period. As Mikey P said, Stuckey was a steal for the Pistons as well. Both players gave their respective teams enough confidence to drop/move the veteran, even though both teams have suffered in the short run.

Thornton’s raw in the fact that he can still improve his game in a lot of areas despite his age. There’s room to become a smarter player and more efficient player (it’s up to him if he does that or not). There’s nothing wrong with rawness if you can develop that potential. He has the physical tools to be an adequate defender, and showed that he is capable of holding his own on the defensive end shortly before the shoulder injury. He has a quick first step and is an explosive leaper. When he attacks the basket, there are not many that can stop him because they’re not quick enough. He is the 2nd leading scorer (throughout their first two seasons) trailing only Durant for all sophomore players.

I understand that you personally may not have compared Al and Corey, but many Clipper fans did. They saw Al as Corey’s eventual replacement. I agree that he hasn’t shown consistency and that is his biggest problem. I would love to see him become more decisive and quit all of the jab-stepping. Improving his handle, passing, rebounds and defense should be his focus.

All I am saying is that a lot of people have given up on him after just two seasons. Maybe expectations were too high. I’m willing to give him another season (that should be a little more stable) before I think about writing him. He’s frustrated me as well at times, but I can’t simply overlook what he does bring to the table just because there’s a few things that he needs to work on.

by Lawler 4ever on May 12, 2009 7:39 PM PDT up reply actions

Last year was more a correction than anything

Everyone was thrilled w/ Al’s rookie season, based on potential. But when there were expectations last year, and he was more under the microscope, we saw him for what he really was.

He’s still eligible to improve, and will be well worth the money he’s making, but many of us just hope he’s not just handed a starting job again as he was last year. He needs to improve his concept of team or face the consequences (grabbing some bench).

by ghost_ride on May 13, 2009 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions

I think...

Al should be given more time. I’ll take this season as being a ‘sophomore slump’. However, given his age, I don’t know how much more he can improve, but I haven’t given up on him yet.

'Cause how you play, is how you'll be remembered. PLAY LOUD!

by CLiPPz WeRD 12 on May 13, 2009 6:47 PM PDT up reply actions