Eric Gordon continues making solid decisions in his life, announcing that he's hiring an agent (as though he didn't already do that, wink wink) and declaring for the NBA draft.Sure, I know, he averaged 20 points a game this year. But he's 19 years old, he shot 43% from the floor in college (and 34% from three, which doesn't get easier in the NBA) and he's 6'4" according to media guides... which means, what? 6'2"?
But yeah, I guess he's polished and ready for the NBA. He has the experience of 33 whole college games and has an 0-2 record in the postseason. I'm not sure what else he has to learn, so he should definitely move on.
Look, I know it's good for Purdue for IU to continue to plummet (and they are plummeting, make no mistake, IU mouth-breathers), but a guy like Gordon thinking that he's this good is kind of silly. He might indeed go high in the draft, but this isn't a guy who's shown a great work ethic and he's done his share of pouting and acting like a baby. And maybe he should get a pass on that because he is only 19. But he let Kelvin Sampson swindle him into coming to IU (maybe with a duffel bag of cash, who knows?) and he clearly lets his overbearing father meddle in a lot of his decisions... [Ed Note: I stand corrected -- by all accounts, Eric Gordon actually was at that practice in question. I take it all back -- he's a great guy and a star in the making.]
So, hey, prospective NBA team: Make sure you don't fire your coach if Eric likes him. He might quit on your team the way the IU players quit on Dan Dakich.
Whatever, go get rich, Eric. You're a classy guy. You deserve it.
9 comments:
I'm very unimpressed by Eric's legacy at IU.
The real star in that picture is DeAndre Thomas.
Never has a team gotten so little out of so, so much.
He was shooting 40 percent from 3 point range until the last eight games, before a slump that almost certainly was injury-related. Of course he's not polished, but who is anymore? The NBA drafts on potential. Gordon didn't invent the system, and very few players would walk away from the opportunity to be a top 5 pick. It's the right decsion.
Your rants about his pouting and work ethic are just unhinged. He's been known as a good character, hard working player for years. And unlike several other players, Gordon was present at the maybe-it-was-mandatory-maybe-it-wasn't Friday practice on the day that Sampson was ousted. I would think there is enough going on with the IU basketball program right now that you could have your fun without making shit up, but apparently not.
Sounds like a lot of jealousy being show to someone who will make more money per week than you will make per year. The Gordons are a solid family, Eric never missed a practice nor threatened to ever miss a practice or a game. Eric played the last part of the season with a metal plate in his wrist and still put up 20 points a game. Why don't you get your facts straight before you start spewing your shit.
Seems Eric Sr enjoys the Boiled Sports. Solid family? You know what, most families seem solid from the outside and then one day the thing blows up. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. But unless your last name is Gordon and you have a disposition on backing out of commitments, it's best not to make comments about things you have only observed through the newspaper, blogs, and ESPN.
The indisputable fact is that Gordon's numbers dropped towards the end of the year. Some of it was inevitably due to his injury. But alot of it was poor shot selection and sprinting towards the hoop with no awareness of his teammates.
But unlike some guys that have left early for the NBA and succeeded, there was never a hint of the killer instinct by Eric that was on display last night by Rose and Chalmers and Rush and Douglas-Roberts.
Well put, Chris.
John & Mrs. Gordon, I do think it was the right thing for him to do- I don't honestly know how anyone can turn their back to that kind of money when education is the only thing to keep him put. If it was my son, I'd tell him to go pro, save his money and work toward an education during the off-season. Of course, that won't happen because my son will be similar in size and ability to me, probably and sadly for him.
But, Mrs. Gordon, your husband and you have been pointing him toward this since he was in elementary school. Congrats on reaching your goal.
I don't know anything about the kid other than what I see. Here's what I see, he is a colossal baby. He pouts when things don't go his way and he seemed to disappear down the stretch (as Chris so eloquently said) when the chips were down. The pouting and whining, along with the fact that he travels all of the time will serve him well in the league. The fact that he's not as good of a shooter as many thought he'd be will not...nor will the fact that the officials won't give him every call that he thinks he's entitled to receive on the next level.
Honestly, I don't want to see that guy anymore...I'm sure Roth will take his place nicely at shooting guard(wink).
John, as always, we appreciate you, your site and your opinion...but the guy is a baby; your crimson-tinted lenses aren't allowing you to see that right now.
Mrs. Gordon, thanks for your patronage...stop back any time!
If you don't like him for subjective, rivalry-based reasons, that's fine. But the notion that Gordon doesn't have a good work ethic is directly contradicted by all available accounts from every coach he has ever played for, including Dan Dakich, who has praised Gordon at every opportunity. The statement "we all know he was one of the morons who threatened to not show up to play once Sampson was ousted" is directly contradicted by Gordon's presence at the infamous Friday practice. It's just made up. You know the saying: "everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." That's my main issue with J Money's post.
Mrs. Gordon --
Eric Gordon put up 8 points in his lone NCAA tourney game. He put up 33 against Tennesee-Chattanooga-Choo-Choo.
He's not the end-all, be-all that you blinded IU supporters think he is. I didn't "make shit up" -- he's a brat who hasn't been all that successful and whose pedestrian numbers will not do much for him in the NBA. He needs more size, more skill and more experience to be good.
All that said, I totally agree that you don't turn your back on being a top ten (not top 5, don't kid yourself) pick. He should absolutely go for it. My point was just that he wasn't as amazingly good as he -- and most of you kool-aid drinkers -- believe.
if he played another year or two in college, he could be headed towards being Shane Battier; instead, he'll be more like Mateen Cleaves. Only without a championship.
As for my claim about him missing that practice, you're right, John. My bad. I thought he was one of the six, but I guess he wasn't. Mea culpa.
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