Announcement

Collapse

The Rules of Pacers Digest

Hello everyone,

Whether your are a long standing forum member or whether you have just registered today, it's a good idea to read and review the rules below so that you have a very good idea of what to expect when you come to Pacers Digest.

A quick note to new members: Your posts will not immediately show up when you make them. An administrator has to approve at least your first post before the forum software will later upgrade your account to the status of a fully-registered member. This usually happens within a couple of hours or so after your post(s) is/are approved, so you may need to be a little patient at first.

Why do we do this? So that it's more difficult for spammers (be they human or robot) to post, and so users who are banned cannot immediately re-register and start dousing people with verbal flames.

Below are the rules of Pacers Digest. After you have read them, you will have a very good sense of where we are coming from, what we expect, what we don't want to see, and how we react to things.

Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

"I can't wait to hear something from PosterX when he/she sees that **insert a given incident or current event that will have probably upset or disappointed PosterX here**"

"He/she is just delusional"

"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

"I'm going to take a moment to point and / laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"

"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.

We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.

Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.

In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

Rule #2

If the actions of an administrator inspire you to make a comment, criticism, or express a concern about it, there is a wrong place and a couple of right places to do so.

The wrong place is to do so in the original thread in which the administrator took action. For example, if a post gets an infraction, or a post gets deleted, or a comment within a larger post gets clipped out, in a thread discussing Paul George, the wrong thing to do is to distract from the discussion of Paul George by adding your off topic thoughts on what the administrator did.

The right places to do so are:

A) Start a thread about the specific incident you want to talk about on the Feedback board. This way you are able to express yourself in an area that doesn't throw another thread off topic, and this way others can add their two cents as well if they wish, and additionally if there's something that needs to be said by the administrators, that is where they will respond to it.

B) Send a private message to the administrators, and they can respond to you that way.

If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

Rule #3

If a poster is bothering you, and an administrator has not or will not deal with that poster to the extent that you would prefer, you have a powerful tool at your disposal, one that has recently been upgraded and is now better than ever: The ability to ignore a user.

When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:

A) Any post they make will be completely invisible as you scroll through a thread.

B) The new addition to this feature: If someone QUOTES a user you are ignoring, you do not have to read who it was, or what that poster said, unless you go out of your way to click on a link to find out who it is and what they said.

To utilize this feature, from any page on Pacers Digest, scroll to the top of the page, look to the top right where it says 'Settings' and click that. From the settings page, look to the left side of the page where it says 'My Settings', and look down from there until you see 'Edit Ignore List' and click that. From here, it will say 'Add a Member to Your List...' Beneath that, click in the text box to the right of 'User Name', type in or copy & paste the username of the poster you are ignoring, and once their name is in the box, look over to the far right and click the 'Okay' button. All done!

Rule #4

Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.

Rule #5

When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.

An example:

If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:

http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star

Rule #6

We cannot tolerate illegal videos on Pacers Digest. This means do not share any links to them, do not mention any websites that host them or link to them, do not describe how to find them in any way, and do not ask about them. Posts doing anything of the sort will be removed, the offenders will be contacted privately, and if the problem becomes habitual, you will be suspended, and if it still persists, you will probably be banned.

The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.

Rule #7

Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.

It may or may not go without saying, but this goes for threads and posts as well, particularly when it's not made on the off-topic board (Market Square).

We do make exceptions if we feel the content is both innocuous and unlikely to cause social problems on the forum (such as wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a Happy Easter), and we also also make exceptions if such topics come up with regards to a sports figure (such as the Lance Stephenson situation bringing up discussions of domestic abuse and the law, or when Jason Collins came out as gay and how that lead to some discussion about gay rights).

However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.

Rule #8

We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

Rule #9

Generally speaking, we try to be a "PG-13" rated board, and we don't want to see sexual content or similarly suggestive content. Vulgarity is a more muddled issue, though again we prefer things to lean more towards "PG-13" than "R". If we feel things have gone too far, we will step in.

Rule #10

We like small signatures, not big signatures. The bigger the signature, the more likely it is an annoying or distracting signature.

Rule #11

Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
See more
See less

Tbird draft analysis: Eric Gordon

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Tbird draft analysis: Eric Gordon

    My next player I'm taking a look at in this series is a long shot for us at #11: Eric Gordon from Indiana University.

    Like most players in this draft class, opinions are mixed on Eric, a local product from Indianapolis North Central High School. I've followed his career from early on in his high school days, and saw him play several times at the high school and college level, both in person and on television.

    Gordon is an undersized 2 guard with exceptional scoring abilities and strengths, but his game also has a few flaws. He is competing with Bayless from Arizona and O.J. Mayo from USC for the first smaller shooting guard/wing type taken in this draft.

    I like Gordon very much, much more than it seems my fellow Hoosier natives and IU fans do. So far, it seems like many of the NBA experts consider that he will be picked somewhere between 5 and 10, but I have seen a few mock drafts with him going at 11. Trading up for Gordon is a gamble that many teams in the 10-16 range in the draft are going to be discussing for a while I think.

    Gordon has a great deal to offer the Pacers or any other team that drafts him, but he carries a significant risk as well. Offensively, Gordon has some awesome assets, with a few noticable flaws. I see his 2 major offensive weaknesses as being very correctable with proper coaching. If I am right about them being correctable, then Gordon can be an all star level player eventually. If they can't be corrected, he won't be in the league past his rookie contract. Before I explain his offensive advantages, let me talk about his weaknesses as I see them.

    First, as a ballhandler, Gordon dribbles the ball way too casually in traffic. For whatever reason, he bounces the ball entirely too high off the ground, and too far away from his body. This enables defenders to "dig" at him too easily in the paint, which in turn makes him lose some balance and miss shots he should make some of the time. Simply by teaching Gordon to dribble the ball lower to the ground will improve him in numerous ways, including helping his court vision (Eric is not a great distributor, because he has to watch the basketball itself instead of the defense to keep control of it) and his ability to regain balance and make shots. Gordon often takes good shots that APPEAR to be bad decisions not because they are, but because he gets knocked off balance too easily. This can be largely fixed by improving his handling of the ball on the dribble and off ball screens. Gordon just needs to bend his knees more and play lower to the ground when he is handling the ball.

    Secondly, and this is his biggest flaw by far, Gordon is an extremely poor cutter away from the ball. Not in effort, but in technique. For a lottery type player and potential great scorer at the NBA level, Gordon is one of the worst cutters off of screens I've ever watched. Almost any cutting flaw a player could have, Gordon has it.

    Gordon stares at the ball when coming off of a cut, instead of reading his man. This problem lets his defender know where he is likely to go, and beat him to spots too often. It also means that Eric is illiterate when coming off screens.....he doesnt "read" screens well at all, because he isn't looking to!

    By staring at the ball, Gordon also as a cutter faces the direction he is going to cut to. This causes him to not fake well before he cuts, and also to take off too soon before screens get to him. This is a major issue, but most likely is correctable at the next level. At least, I hope it is, or Gordon will be a bust for the team that drafts him.

    My analysis and experience tells me that Gordon has always had so many advantages athletically, that he hasn't learned the nuances of how to play yet to the most of his ability. His high school coach, Doug Mitchell, had to rely on Gordon to handle the ball too much for my taste, and this year at IU was a basketball teaching disaster. By being such a superior athlete, Gordon has not had to learn the subtleties of how to get open, how to set people up before a screen comes, etc etc.

    Can he learn these fundamentals with the right coaching staff and with the right type of players mentoring him? My guess is yes, but it is far from a sure thing. My experience tells me that some players can learn nuances later in their careers, while others will never grasp them. Gordon's private workouts for teams will tell alot about him. If you hear his stock is slipping in the middle of June, it will be for the reason that teams have decided he isnt likely to improve in these areas.

    Now, Gordon is a superior athlete. Quick, high release, with more range than almost any guard in recent memory. Other players need to develop NBA range, Gordon already has it. Some of the reason he developed it I think is that he is such a poor cutter, that he couldnt get open easily in normal areas of the floor, so to compensate he developed a longer shot. Gordon is a sniper, an assassin, with a scorers mentality when he is on the floor.

    Decision making is considered by some a flaw in his game, but I don't see that. I see a kid with correctable flaws in his mechanics, that causes him to look either selfish or taking bad guarded shots, where the real problem isnt an unwillingness to pass or a determination to be a gunner, but it's the lack of teaching that he cannot totalaly overcome yet. I actually think Gordon is a good decision maker overall, and I love his fearlessness and aggression.

    I think a big part of his game that is overlooked is defense. Gordon is aggressive, and sometimes his gambling can get him into trouble. But, he has superior quickness, excellent and quick hands, and more than any other advantage a willingness to defend when asked. Gordon is a superior "on the ball" defender, who will get lost sometimes when asked to defend players coming off screens or when he is asked to help alot. Again, his superior quickness can compensate for his off the ball defense to a degree I hope. Since Gordon hasnt been asked to always guard the opponents best player in order to protect him from fouls, this is somewhat of a projection with no real facts, but I think in crucial situations, Gordon will someday be considered an elite on the ball pressure point guard defender. I think he will be inserted into games eventually just because his in your grill pressure will be able to bother opponents, even such quality players like Deron Williams and Tony Parker. Exceptional and tenacious when he puts his mind to it on the ball, and I really like that potential in his game.

    However, since Eric can't play the point on offense, itll take some creativity by a staff to match him up defensively. For example, I think Gordon would likely be tortured by Rip Hamilton, but I think he'd give Chauncey Pillups huge problems. Ray Allen could run him ragged, but he could handle an Allen Iverson or Gilbert Arenas better than most in the league.

    I like to compare players to other players, as has been a tradition in this series. I've seen comparisons by others about Eric Gordon, such as Chicago's Ben Gordon, or even the old Piston Vinnie Johnson. I see that to a degree but I just think Gordon is much quicker, more athletic, and has more defensive potential than that. On the other hand, it is entirely possible that if Eric's major obvious flaws don't improve, he'll end up being a guy who ends up not being able to cut it at all.

    However, since I think Gordon can be taught the things I've mentioned, and because I am rooting for him as a fellow Hoosier and IU fan, I am going to give him a much higher bar to try and rise to. Due to his size limitations, superior shot making ability, and willingness to take and make big shots, and because I think his athleticism will eventually give way to him growing and adding strength and bulk, I'm going to compare Gordon to former great Tim Hardaway. Gordon has a bit more size than Hardaway, but I think they will have similar impacts and careers in the league, along with having similar strengths and weaknesses.

    Because of his flaws, weaknesses, youth, and immaturity emotionally, I hope that he doesnt go to a city with a demanding fan base like New York. Since I believe he may struggle mightily until about year 3, a place like New York I think is a terrible fit for him, although I am sure with the New staff in place there he will be a strong consideration for them. If he gets past the Knicks/Bucks area of the draft, I think a team may trade up and gamble on him......could/should we do that? There are arguments to be made either way........just another tough call for Larry Bird and David Morway to make. If a team doesnt like Gordon, and a team like us decides they do, I don't think moving up a few spots will cost as much as you might think this year. The cost may be minimal, but Eric Gordon carries more risk than I think most kids in this draft do.

    I will be very interested to see what the opinions are of Eric Gordon around the league, and on this board.

    As always, the above is just my opinion.

    Tbird
    Last edited by thunderbird1245; 05-21-2008, 09:11 PM.

  • #2
    Re: Tbird draft analysis: Eric Gordon

    As you may already know, I've been very big on EJ for a while now. I would be ecstatic if the Pacers moved up and snagged him, and I still think that's a strong possibility if Bird likes him enough.

    I also agree that it will probably take 2-3 years before Eric really starts to show what he can do in the NBA, but really, are we going to be title contenders in the next 2-3 years anyway?

    He's worth the gamble, IMO. Especially since there are absolutely no "sure things" in the range we'll be picking.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Tbird draft analysis: Eric Gordon

      I think that Eric Gordon can be a fine NBA player.

      I don't know that he is a good fit for Indiana though. He can't play point guard at all and being from Indiana and playing for the Hoosiers is that really a good fit for this team right now? Or is it a good fit for Eric?

      But if Gordon fell to the Pacers could anyone really be upset if the Pacers took him at 11? I think Gordon is a better prospect than Westbrook to be honest. I would just be suprised to see him fall to us at 11.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Tbird draft analysis: Eric Gordon

        As always, I learn a lot from tbirds analysis. But boy, this could be the mother of all gambles for the Pacers. Because of the team and attendance issues the first round pick just cannot be a bust. That would be like the franchise standing on the drop door of the gallows. I'm not sure I could pull the trigger on that one.
        The best exercise of the human heart is reaching down and picking someone else up.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Tbird draft analysis: Eric Gordon

          Flaw #2 is one shared by many, many kids his age with his natural
          athletic gifts. He's a smart kid. I'd be shocked if he can't learn how
          to setup and utilize screens properly.

          As for his erratic ballhandling, that might be a tougher nut to crack.
          I'm sure he can shore it up some and with a mechanics tweak or two.
          And the fact that his ridiculous range will force defenders to crowd
          him should allow him ample oppotunities to create space with a hard
          bounce or two. But I wonder if at leats a part of his dribbling issue
          results from having smaller than ideal hands. I may be imagining it,
          but having also seen him numerous times live and on TV, it looks
          like it's a bit of an issue (as I recall, Barkley, another guy with
          small hands (he couldn't palm the ball) had a dribbling style a
          bit similar to EJ's.

          P.S.- His downside isn't a 'bust'. He shoots the ball too well and
          will defend well enough to not be a washout. Worst case, he'll
          end up being a guy like a Pargo in N.O. who plays 15-18
          mins off the bench and when he's in a hot zone, can almost
          carry an offense for stretch of a few minutes.
          Last edited by Rajah Brown; 05-21-2008, 09:57 PM.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Tbird draft analysis: Eric Gordon

            If what thunderbird is seeing is the real Eric Gordan, I want in.

            Now, here are the teams I'll be looking at as the most likely to take him ahead of us on draft night (if they see him as thunderbird does):

            Seattle
            Memphis if they look to trade Mike Miller
            Clippers
            Bucks if they look to trade Michael Redd

            Of course, that doesn't mean the others won't take him, but I'd say those 4 are more likely.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Tbird draft analysis: Eric Gordon

              Originally posted by Rajah Brown View Post
              Flaw #2 is one shared by many, many kids his age with his natural
              athletic gifts. He's a smart kid. I'd be shocked if he can't learn how
              to setup and utilize screens properly.

              As for his erratic ballhandling, that might be a tougher nut to crack.
              I'm sure he can shore it up some and with a mechanics tweak or two.
              And the fact that his ridiculous range will force defenders to crowd
              him should allow him ample oppotunities to create space with a hard
              bounce or two. But I wonder if at leats a part of his dribbling issue
              results from having smaller than ideal hands. I may be imagining it,
              but having also seen him numerous times live and on TV, it looks
              like it's a bit of an issue (as I recall, Barkley, another guy with
              small hands (he couldn't palm the ball) had a dribbling style a
              bit similar to EJ's.

              The one thing you didn't mention is his release. It's more of a quasi-
              push shot than a jumper taken at the top of his elevation. At his
              size, he may need to adjust that a bit to clean shots vs some
              bigger SG's.

              All that said, I'd be very happy if he somehow slid to #11. Fat chance
              though.

              Good potential point about Gordon maybe having small hands. I hadn't noticed that about Eric, but I'll watch some more tape and ask around a bit in Bloomington and see if anyone else can confirm this. As far as his release on his jumper goes, I don't see that as a problem at all at the next level....plenty of guys have had success with less than perfect mechanics, and I don't really see the flaws in his shot that you do anyway. The small hands thing potentially is interesting here too, since I actually am of the opinion that bigger hands can HURT your shooting form, and that small hands in this particular specific skill can be good....within reason.

              I just read the latest mock on nbadraft.net.....it has the Pacers having Love, Augustin, Gordon, and Westbrook ALL available at #11 (these are the 4 players I've previewed so far), amazingly, it has the Pacers passing on all of them.
              Last edited by thunderbird1245; 05-21-2008, 10:06 PM. Reason: wrong website quoted...sorry

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Tbird draft analysis: Eric Gordon

                Originally posted by ABADays View Post
                As always, I learn a lot from tbirds analysis. But boy, this could be the mother of all gambles for the Pacers. Because of the team and attendance issues the first round pick just cannot be a bust. That would be like the franchise standing on the drop door of the gallows. I'm not sure I could pull the trigger on that one.
                Really? I thought the opposite. I'm not as convinced as Shade that he'll be a big-time NBA player, but if he's there at #11 you can't NOT take him. The Indy public would crucify you. Even if he didn't play the first year, there'd be buzz just from EJ making the team.
                This space for rent.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Tbird draft analysis: Eric Gordon

                  Originally posted by thunderbird1245 View Post
                  I just read the latest mock on draftexpress.....it has the Pacers having Love, Augustin, Gordon, and Westbrook ALL available at #11 (these are the 4 players I've previewed so far), amazingly, it has the Pacers passing on all of them.
                  Are you sure you're at DraftExpress?

                  I see their mock as this:

                  Beasley
                  Rose
                  Brook Lopez
                  Bayless
                  Love
                  Mayo
                  Gordon
                  Gallinari
                  Randolph
                  Jordan
                  Pacers taking Augustin

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Tbird draft analysis: Eric Gordon

                    Originally posted by Joker View Post
                    Are you sure you're at DraftExpress?

                    I see their mock as this:

                    Beasley
                    Rose
                    Brook Lopez
                    Bayless
                    Love
                    Mayo
                    Gordon
                    Gallinari
                    Randolph
                    Jordan
                    Pacers taking Augustin

                    I typed the wrong website. I should have said nbadraft.net. I fixed it my original post. Sorry for the confusion.

                    Tbird

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Tbird draft analysis: Eric Gordon

                      Originally posted by thunderbird1245 View Post
                      I typed the wrong website. I should have said nbadraft.net. I fixed it my original post. Sorry for the confusion.

                      Tbird
                      To be fair, NBADraft.net is pretty much garbage until right around draft time.

                      If all four of those players are there at #11, AND WE PASS ON THEM ALL, I will have an epic meltdown.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Tbird draft analysis: Eric Gordon

                        TBird-

                        Agreed the 'big' hands can hinder some guys ability to shoot
                        it. Rondo, who has huge hands for his size, is a good example
                        (Shaq, in whose hands the ball looks like a grapefruit, is another).

                        But if guys like Dr. J and Mark Aguirre can overcome it, it can
                        certainly be done.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Tbird draft analysis: Eric Gordon

                          Originally posted by thunderbird1245 View Post
                          My analysis and experience tells me that Gordon has always had so many advantages athletically, that he hasn't learned the nuances of how to play yet to the most of his ability...By being such a superior athlete, Gordon has not had to learn the subtleties of how to get open, how to set people up before a screen comes, etc etc.
                          Very impressive observation here, I think you nailed it, IMHO.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Tbird draft analysis: Eric Gordon

                            Originally posted by Blink View Post
                            Very impressive observation here, I think you nailed it, IMHO.
                            If true, then the questions come. Is it that he HASN'T had to learn, or doesn't care to? That nobody has tried to teach him these things, or does he care to listen or not?

                            I won't claim to know, but just throwing it out there. Anytime a kid has so many people praising him so early, you do have to wonder if their head got too big, way too early. At least I do a lot of the time.

                            -- Steve --

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Tbird draft analysis: Eric Gordon

                              Originally posted by Pacersfan46 View Post
                              If true, then the questions come. Is it that he HASN'T had to learn, or doesn't care to? That nobody has tried to teach him these things, or does he care to listen or not?

                              I won't claim to know, but just throwing it out there. Anytime a kid has so many people praising him so early, you do have to wonder if their head got too big, way too early. At least I do a lot of the time.

                              -- Steve --
                              Or the other possibility would be, like players I have had before, is that he just CAN'T learn the intricate details of coming off screens and setting up cuts, no matter how hard he has tried to.

                              Steve's quote is very much on the mark, and it is why drafting Eric Gordon or players like him is as much art as it is science. No one can know the answers to Steve's questions for sure. That is why in my opinion that more investigation and study will go into to breaking down Eric Gordon by all the teams in the league than perhaps any other player.

                              My somewhat educated guess is that Eric will improve his weaknesses at the next level, and that the flaws he has are due to lack of hard, detailed coaching, particularly because he has been so incredibly talented that it hasn't been necessary yet for him to improve those areas of his game. I certainly could be wrong however......only time will tell.

                              Being able to improve your weaknesses at the pro level is a key ingredient for almost every playeer in every sport....some players games evolve and improve, others never get better once they start collecting paychecks and living the lavish lifestyle their salaries provide. Who knows which way any of these kids will end up going?

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X