We hardly knew ye. Last year he was the youngest on a team full of players under the age of 23. He was asked to completely change his playing style from a rebounding power forward to perimeter shooting small forward. He shocked everybody by leading the league in 3P% during the first couple of months in the season, but eventually saw his numbers take a huge slide. When drafted, he was expected to be a project that may take a few years to develop. With small forward being the position that we needed to see increased production from immediately, he wasn't really given a fair shot imo. In New Orleans, he should have more of an opportunity to see the court. I hope that he's grown over the offseason and is prepared to elevate his game.
Eric Gordon (6/28/08 - 12/14/11)
The loss of Gordon was felt the most of the 3 players by the majority us fans. While the rest of the nation was ignoring him (before and after Griffin), we saw his potential to become a beast in this league. In his rookie season, he was the Western Conference Rookie of the month in January and named to the 2nd NBA All-Rookie Team despite coming in 5th in the Rookie of the year voting. At the end of his sophomore year, he was called upon to try out for the USA FIBA Mens Basketball team. He was initially seen as one of the first cuts by his critics. To their surprise he made it through the entire course of try-outs and was given a spot on what would be known as the "B" team. The "B" team did not have the stars that won the gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and they also lacked size. Gordon was the 2nd leading scorer for much of the tournament and a stalwart on the defensive end. He drew much praise from the legendary Coach K and helped the "B" team secure a Gold medal.
In his 3rd season, he took the leap that many were hoping for in his 2nd season. We saw him become a better passer, more assertive, a closer and arguably a top 5 shooting guard in the league. His scoring average jumped over 5 points to 22.3 ppg, which was good enough to be the 13th highest scorer in the league. He will leave the Clippers as 9th in points per game (18.1), 4th in 3 point field goals (356) and 9th in true shooting percentage (.577).
In New Orleans, he will be given the keys to the franchise and we will likely witness him take an even bigger leap in scoring and establish his status. Upon arriving in Louisiana, the rumor is that he was picked up at the airport by none of than Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. With the Clippers, Gordon would likely always be seen as the Robin to Blake Griffin's Batman. In New Orleans, he will have the opportunity to be the man. I'll be looking forward to watching Hornet games now more than ever. I'm expecting big things for EJ this season and for the rest of his career.
Chris Kaman (6/26/03 - 12/14/11)
Last but not least, the Kaveman, Chris Kaman. Chris is a player that can drive you insane, but he's a person that you can't help but love. He's brutally honest to a fault. He represented a bridge from the old way of things in the Clipper organization to the new horizons ahead. He was drafted 6th in an all-time great draft that included the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade. He took awhile to develop, but was a huge part of us enjoying our most recent success, which was the 2006 playoffs. He ranked 9th in the league in rebounds and helped anchor a team with a top 10 defense in the league. The Clippers had advanced to the 2nd round after beating the Denver Nuggets in 5. Although we did not make it out of the 2nd round, this Clipper team brought a sense of pride to long-suffering Clipper fans that have had to sit through many seasons that were over not long after they began.
After losing star power forward, Elton Brand (to injury and free-agency), Chris revamped his game from being primarily a defensive-oriented player and rebounder to being more apt on the offensive end. In 2010, his offensive performance was undeniable as he had become one of if not the best offensive (true) center in the league. He was rewarded for his hard work by being named to the 2010 All-Star team as an injury replacement for Brandon Roy. Kaman had been the 1st Clipper All-Star since Elton Brand in 2006. Kaman will depart from the Clippers as 5th in total games played (493), 5th in minutes played (14,662), 8th in field goals (2,374), 4th in offensive rebounds (1,091), 2nd in defensive rebounds (3,018), 9th in points (5,813) and 2nd in defensive win shares (17.8). You will be missed Chris.
To each of them, thanks for the memories and good luck in the Big Easy!
