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“I try to think of myself as one of the better guards out there, but it’s all about whatever people think,” says Gordon, in a laconic midwestern drawl that belies his on-court intensity. “All I worry about is whether I can get the job done and help the team in any kind of way.”

With the arrival of Griffin—who missed the entire ’09-10 season due to a knee injury—the “second” team in the City of Angels, while not yet a powerhouse or even a legit Playoff contender, showed signs of promise, going from 19 wins his debut campaign to 29 victories his second season and last year, 32. Obviously, that had a lot to do with Griffin’s impact, but what went overlooked by many—see a common theme yet?—was Gordon’s breakout season. “Every Lottery player goes to a team that doesn’t have a good record, and you always try to find a way to pick up that winning mentality in that organization, so I think we’re starting to find that and it’s good to be here,” Gordon asserts. “We should be able to get it going and be in the Playoffs next year.”

“Last year I tried to be a leader, help the team score and be a big playmaker,” says Gordon, who admits making the Western Conference All-Star Team is one of his goals for next season (“and hopefully many more”). “We saw something special in us last season, so we’re trying to get together and build more chemistry with the young players we have.

Aggrey Sam, Slam Online

RiversideClips wrote:This is why EJ is so important to the Clips future. He is so freakin good and he just wants to win. It isn't surprising that he is so well respected by his peers; every team needs a player w/ EJ's humility & talent to be successful.

While many observers referred to the “Clippers curse” continuing in the form of Kyrie Irving—the Clips’ mid-season trade with the Cavs that brought Mo Williams to L.A. and sent Baron Davis to the Cavs came at the cost of what became the No. 1 Draft pick—Gordon sees it as a blessing in disguise, giving him the freedom to play both on and off the ball because of Mo’s spot-up shooting ability.

“We are interchangeable, and I’m more of a playmaker, so I definitely like having the ball in my hands,” says Gordon. “I should be able to play the 1 and the 2.”

While Vinny Del Negro’s first year at the helm of the Clippers wasn’t super smooth, Gordon has faith in his coach’s ability as a “developer” and relishes the fact that he lets his young charges “play freely”—nobody can say he didn’t give young players like Rose and Joakim Noah the freedom to grow with the Bulls—giving Gordon confidence that the Clippers are headed in the right direction.

“We do a lot of things differently since we’re young, and I think we’re capable of beating anybody out there,” says EJ. “We’re trying to come up and be one of those powerhouse teams, and I think we’re capable of doing that, maybe next year and then, the future.”