Griffin, Gordon do their part to right Clippers' shaky ship

[thanumba2clippersfan]

Interesting Article I found on NBA.com

Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon, the dynamic young duo keeping the Clippers afloat (Editor's note: Griffin will have to fly solo for a little bit, as Gordon is out for the next 3-4 weeks with a sprained right wrist).

It hardly matters that both players are just getting started and neither has even raised the issue. The message is clear: Griffin and Gordon are just priming themselves for the Knicks, or Bulls, or Thunder, or a crosstown move to the Lakers to replace -- get this -- Kobe Bryant.

It's all due to Donald Sterling and/or the dreadful history of a franchise that's gone beyond the first round just once since moving from San Diego.

Obviously, the advantage in this still-potential standoff -- at least from a financial standpoint -- heavily favors the Clippers. Not only can they pay more than anyone else to retain their own free agents (at least under the current labor agreement), they can offer generous extensions well before Gordon and Griffin even get a whiff of free agency. Considering that neither player has had a big payday yet (relatively speaking), it's hard imaging them turning down that kind of scratch. Unless things are really, really bleak. Which you can never rule out with the Clippers.

To read more go to the link
http://www.nba.com/2011/news/features/s ... index.html

[Sofia]

Horrible speculative article with nothing factual whatsoever in regards to Griffin and Gordon.

I might go write an article speculating that Melo is going to sign an extension on the moon and see if they publish that.

[thanumba2clippersfan]

I thought it was an interesting read. However, I wasn't thinking that either of them would leave. I know we have a history of letting players go, or players wanting to go, but we don't have to continue that trend. We have a solid foundation with Blake and EJ. The organization just needs to put good pieces around them.

[mkwest]

I read the 2nd quoted paragraph and stopped after that. Haters gonna hate. They have absolutely nothing better to write about and it's pathetic. When the time comes for Gordon and Griffin to become free-agents, then write all that you want. EJ is up for an extension this offseason and would become a restricted free-agent the following year if no extension was made. Griffin will be up for an extension in the summer of 2012 and would become a restricted free-agent in the summer of 2013 if no extension was made. By talking about them leaving in unrestricted free-agency, that would have to occur 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 years from now. Both players would have turn down the extensions and turn down a long term contract to accept the qualifying offer. That doesn't typically happen period.

Donald Sterling has paid for players in the last 7-8 years, some deserving and others weren't. In the past, he stated that he would pay superstar players superstar money. Gordon and Griffin will be worth every penny. Olowokandi, Miles, Richardson, Odom, Taylor and so on were not worth the money, nor did any of them ever become star or franchise-level players. We've had a lot of guys leave over the years, but it's not like they amounted to much elsewhere. The successful ones ended up as role-players on veteran teams, not stars that have led their teams to glory. We have had a lot of lottery picks over the years, but most were wasted on players that we shouldn't have taken or that weren't developed. The past few seasons have been much better drafts.

[Leor_77]

Yeah, I saw a few words from that article and didn't even read the rest. It's trash, as is the writer, and belongs on Bleacher Report.