Phoenix is nervous that their team wont have a star next year...Nothing but average players that would get picked last in a local pickup game on their roster..
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Eric Gordon Really Wants Out Of New Orleans
By: Joe Gerrity
Published: July 6, 2012
After talking with Eric Gordon at Team USA Trials, it’s even more clear that he really doesn’t want to come back to New Orleans.
Update: The video is up!
I NEED A CAPTION SO BADLY! PLEASE HELP!
Lets’s start out by saying that Eric Gordon felt extremely uncomfortable in this interview. He had backed up 10 feet from where we started by the time the interview ended. He said “ya know” a thousand times. He’s not comfortable talking about this, and he’d much prefer to do his talking with a basketball on the court.
EG tried to say he didn’t want to talk about it, but Jimmy Smith and I were relentless! Be sure to check out his article as well.
Gordon said he felt disrespected by the Hornets initial offer in January, which he made pretty clear was less than the 50 million dollars some have been reporting. He repeatedly stated that he wants to go to the Suns, that he feels that’s a better fit for him, that they appreciate him as a player.
When asked if he would have signed a 58 million dollar deal in January, he said “why not?”. I responded by asking him if this was then about the money. He said “Not at all. It’s not about that. It’s about the kind of player caliber I am”. I followed up by asking if money is representative of what kind of player they think he is, and he seemed to realize what he was saying didn’t make complete sense.
Frankly I get the idea that Gordon really wants to be wanted, and the Hornets missed the boat to some extent on making him feel that way. He said repeatedly “the interest isn’t there.” He said multiple times that Dell and Monty haven’t spoken with him since the free agent period started. I get the feeling that if they had told him on day one and said that they were going to match any offer– that he was their guy– this could have been avoided. I don’t mean in the media or on the phone, either. I mean one on one in Indiana, where he was when free agency started.
But this isn’t Dell’s fault by any means. It’s just my feeling after talking to him that a simple one on one meeting could have been enough. He wants to be wanted more than the Hornets thought they needed to want him, if that makes any sense.
I questioned him about what would happen if the Hornets had 100 employees outside with a blue carpet. He seemed to imply that it was too little, too late.
Physically he said he’s at 100%. He said that otherwise he wouldn’t be out there playing. He did take a poke to the eye during the scrimmage, but was totally fine aside from a small scrape on his cheek half an hour later during the interview.
Gordon talked a bit about how Austin River was similar to him, and how he expected them to draft a center instead. I’m not sure if he’s aware of this, but you can’t find a solid starting center at #10 in the draft. Maybe down the road, but not right away. It generally takes time for those guys to develop, otherwise they wouldn’t be around at 10. Sure they could have gotten Zeller, but let’s be real– that’s not an answer.
Quotes From Gordon–
On what impact his statements will have on the fans if Hornets match– “Fans will be fans. They gotta understand what’s really going on. As of right now it’s all. I’m just concentrating on USA basketball.”
On if the Hornets match and he’s forced to remain in New Orleans– ”I’m a basketball player at the end of the day. Where I’m at, I’ve just got to play ball. But as of right now, it’s going to be for the Phoenix Suns. If [the Hornets] match, I’ve got to play basketball.”
On if he felt slighted when Austin Rivers was drafted– “if you look at it, we have no center, we have hardly no bigs, you never know. I’m at a point where I went to Phoenix, I talked to their organization and next think you know they signed the players”
“You look at our roster right now, what do we have, one big? Jason Smith? Before Anthony Davis, we had no bigs.”
“My thing is, if you’re trying to be a good team, and you’ve got a young team, you’ve got to fill in spaces. I am the shooting guard. We’ve got plenty of point guards on our team right now.”
On if Phoenix’s training staff had an impact on his decision– “All that factors in. Who wouldn’t want to go to a good staff? Period.”
On why the Suns are the best fit– “The type of interest that they have as an organization. That’s just point-blank.”
On what made Phoenix a better fit than New Orleans– “The interest– I feel like im getting taken advantage of over there just because I’m restricted… if they wanted to…. you know how this CBA, this deal is, it’s built for you to stay with your remaining team, but everything has been taken advantage of”.
I told him as I walked out that most fans in Nola really love him and want him back. He offered up the only smile of an interview.
Dell was also on site, but I was unable to speak with him. I’ll try later today or hopefully tomorrow.
Video and more to come!
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On a personal note, it feels wrong that he thinks it’s disrespectful to get a 48 ish million dollar offer during a season in which he wound up playing 9 games. Guy needs to stop listening to his agent and realize how insulting it is to fans who scrape together cash from their jobs– which often pay less in a year than he would in a week under the “disrespectful offer”– to go watch him play.
He seems like a nice guy. I’m genuinely rooting for him to succeed regardless of what happens, but he needs to take a step back and understand that he doesn’t hold all the cards, that he isn’t entitled to have a max deal thrown at him considering how many games he’s missed. Should he be happy he got one? Sure, but that doesn’t mean that anything less than that is insulting.
The Hornets allowed the market to determine their price, and now they know that he’s worth the max (to somebody). That’s how this works. His inability to understand that is a bit odd considering how vocal he has been regarding the process.
Plus the way the he belittled his former Hornets teammates– guys who played 60 games while he chilled in Indiana– was just downright insulting. He didn’t even include Gustavo Ayon when talking about the team’s big men.
If you’re wondering why I’ve been thinking he’s a goner, you have your answer.
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178 comments
Lmao. Tough words from a troll. Good luck next year, at the bottom of the western conference :)
Ship him out of here. If the Hornets had no "interest" they would've never offered him that deal in January. Gordon has never wanted to play in New Orleans. I seriously think that he milked the injury because he didn't wanna play here and conveniently suited up for the last 9 games as an audition for free agency. If he really wanted to be here he would've just sat out the whole season because the Hornets were out of the running anyway. Match the offer from Phoenix and then trade him to the highest bidder, not necessarily the Suns. If it Charlotte that offers the best package in return, then he'll be a Bobcat. The selection of Rivers is looking like a genius move right now. Let Rivers and Davis go through their growing pains toegether as the two young leaders of the team ala Durant and Westbrook. Maybe that third fiddle (J.Harden) will be added in the upcoming draft. But if we can get two to three solid contributors from a Gordon trade, if I'm Demps i'm swinging the deal. Its not like we're losing a once in a generation type player. The dude is always hurt and is not completely on board.
Everytime he spoke the words "player calibre I am" i would cringe. He doesnt know what he is talking about and obviously looking at anyway he can to get out. I loved the questions that were asked by the interviewers, really brought alot out of him. We don't need anyone like that in our team. Sign and trade him. You dont want leadership from a guy like that. I would love to see Gorat and couple youngsters in his place.
So, we were debating whether to keep Gordon at a max deal and make him the centerpiece, the "young" leader of a promising Hornets squad. We were also thinking of surrounding him with free agents this summer or the next. We thought Gordon was interested in staying with us when we saw him watching the rookie workouts at the Alario Center. We knew that he was gonna shop himself around to get that max deal. But, we have not predicted one thing. That Gordon was gonna come out and make silly comments! Talk about his heart being elsewhere, talk about we made a pick he did not like, talk about he deserved a bigger contract extension after playing for only two games for us, talk about being taken advantage of while not acknowledging the fact that he is a restricted free agent, talk about his caliber while not even making Team USA, yada yada yada. Now, where are we? None of us want Gordon. :) We now see that he cannot be a leader with this selfishness. No team under the leadership of a player with this character can achieve great success. Thank you Gordon for showing us your real face. I hope Demps can work out a good deal. Phoenix wants him, and they think he is worth the max. That means we know can get the "max" out of Gordon! I am interested in seeing how our roster will shape in the next several days. Fingers crossed! Hoping for the best!
I think you guys are just being dicks. It makes sense. It's not about the money, it's about the disrespect trying to lowball him showed. How dumb are you?
Forget all you Nola (edit for misspelled slur) haters!!! We getting the flash and u can watch it slip between your finger tips! Ha!
yeah man. I hope you're impressed with all seven games he plays with you next year. Why is everyone acting like gordon is the greatest player in the world. he isn't. He's good, but damn,he's an ass. We need guys who want to be here. Screw EG, i'll be keeping score on how many times we beat phx this year.
“You look at our roster right now, what do we have, one big? Jason Smith? Before Anthony Davis, we had no bigs.” “My thing is, if you're trying to be a good team, and you've got a young team, you've got to fill in spaces. I am the shooting guard. We've got plenty of point guards on our team right now.” I guess I missed his promotion to general manager.
Can anyone clear this up? On July 5 the Times-Picayune reported the following: "New Orleans Hornets unable to explore sign-and-trade option for guard Eric Gordon." However, other evidence suggests that a sign-and-trade deal is a viable option prior to the July 11 Restricted Free Agent offer signing deadline: "If the Hornets truly are concerned [about Gordon's health issues], they could pursue a sign-and-trade with Phoenix, though it would be surprising if the Suns were willing to part with Marcin Gortat — a center on a very good contract — in such a deal." http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2012/07/04/eric-gordon-hornets-suns/ "Nothing changes the bottom line that losing talented free agents for nothing, or close to nothing with a weak sign-and-trade return, is a severe blow." http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2012/07/06/despite-high-cost-expect-blazers-to-match-batums-offer-from-wolves/ "Ndiaye [agent for restricted free agent Nicolas Batum]... told the Associated Press that he wants the Blazers to either not match the [Timberwolves'] offer sheet or execute a sign-and-trade. [Portland GM Neil] Olshey had already dug in, saying the Blazers would match any offer sheet and would not be doing a sign-and-trade." http://www.oregonlive.com/nba/index.ssf/2012/07/nba_high-5_226.html According to noted NBA CBA expert Larry Coon: "What teams and players sometimes do is work out a sign-and-trade which happens INSTEAD of the player signing the offer sheet. Remember, the offer sheet isn’t signed until it’s signed." http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-salary-cap-chat-with-larry-coon-102611 So, is it true or false that a sign-and-trade involving a restricted free agent such as Eric Gordon is a viable option so long as it's agreed to PRIOR to July 11?
Nothing has been signed yet, so Hornets and Suns can still do S&T. Long story short, stay away from the T-P for your Hornets coverage or risk becoming confused. Basketball is not their area of expertise.
We've dropped the ball on some Free agents. I say sign and trade with pho. Gartot, marshall and a 1st. That gives us a C and a point. slide rivers over. resign bellinelli for back up. Gives us 2-1st rounders an lots of cap space. will be competitive and will look good next yr.
I find it very interesting that with all this blabber from Gordon that it doesn't even make it on sportscenter.
Well it is on every major NBA blog, every NBA writer and blogger is talking about it on Twitter, it's on Yahoo! and CBS Sports, and even Deadspin has had multiple posts about it. But yeah, no respect from the media!
We are looking at a player that we were debating whether or not he was worth a max deal BEFORE he came out with these comments. You can't be injury prone and have character/leadership problems. It's just not worth that. Max guys are the face of the franchise, the guys you see on billboards on the interstate, who show up at the end of the "I'm In" commercials. Eric Gordon is not "In". Look how quickly people are throwing our promising young coach/GM under the bus for a guy who played nine games last season. He does have the potential to be an All Star, but he also seems to have the potential to be a coach killer. Don't let him put a damper on all the good things that have been going on with the organization.
I keep telling y'all, EG is insecure that's what it's all about. The need to be wanted, upset they drafted Rivers, Monty needing to reassure him he's the leader of the team. He knows Davis is gonna get the fanfare & he's afraid to share spotlight. He's soft, let him spiral into depression in Phoenix.
Why are all these people complaining about Dell not acting quickly enough? Do you remember the last regime? Do you wanna go overpay for a bunch of injury prone and average players? Let's get some young talented players through the sign and trade, build through the drafts, and throw our money at sure-fire free agents.
I think you guys are being very unfair to Eric Gordon. I agree, there are two sides to each story, and I'm sure Dell has his reasons, but this is how I see it. 1) Telling the whole world that we will match any offer is not the same thing as "we want to build around you." All it says is, we aren't letting you go, but we aren't going to pay you what you think you are worth either. 2) I believe that if Monty and Dell sat down with Eric and told him that they wanted to build around him, they were drafting Davis, and consulted him on the next draft pick, it would have made a world of difference. They should have even tried to explain why they couldn't give him a max deal (so they can get him help/make him a winner) and then talk about the types of marketing opportunities they could build for him so that endorsement money could make up for the salary. Would it have worked -- who knows? Did they try going down that route, it doesn't seem like it. 3) Is there a chance Dell has always resented the Clippers trade because it wasn't really "his" trade. His trade got vetoed (a trade that I hated by the way), but I don't know if it had lingering affects in the relationship between Dell and Eric. 4) I think landing the #1 pick probably changed how much the Hornets felt like they "needed" Eric Gordon. If we landed any other pick but #1, Eric is clearly the face of the franchise. But when we drafted Anthony Davis, all that changed. Did the Austin Rivers pick even make sense? I'm not sure how I feel about Austin Rivers. I would have preferred that we either got Kendall Marshall, or tried to move up two or three spots and landed someone better. Hell, we could have tried to package Gordon for Bradley Beal. 5) Why have we made no real moves. We weren't able to trade Kaman or get much for Okafor. I'm glad we cleared salary, but when are we going to make a real move. Javale Mcgee would be a great addition to the Hornets. Hell, I would have made a run at Jeremy Lin (doubt we would have got him, but it's like we're not even trying). We need to build a fast up tempo young team that is exciting. 6) We have a history of not exactly making our players feel wanted. We let David West walk, traded Collison and Thornton, didn't use any of our trade pieces last year. Don't you think the Celtics, Spurs, etc. could have taken a gamble on Kaman or maybe Ariza? There were a lot of teams out there that could have used a defensive stopper like Trevor. We just handed him away to clear salary. I just don't think the Hornets have been creative enough. We're not scouring europe and the D-league for guys that could contribute. We're not handling our stars well. And we arent making big off season moves. I'd love to hand out a offer to a guy like Jacob Pullen.
You don't make moves just for the sake of saying that you've made moves. Would Lin really have been that big of an upgrade over Jack? And Austin Rivers will suprise you my friend. I think he'll be better than Bradley Beal. And Javale McGee? Huh? Dude has about 5 screw loose up there in his noggin. You gotta think about the cap ramifications of getting these guys too and how they fit in with Davis and Rivers. And for the record, I don't think Gordon ever wanted to be here to begin with.
Ask who to pick at #10 to Gordon? How many teams are asking their players who to pick? It should be the decision of coach and GM, not the player. Does not make sense to me. And Gordon gets unhappy because we picked Rivers? Come on! What a selfish idea that is. He is very ego-centric! (Egocentrism is when one is over preoccupied with their own internal world. Egocentrics regard oneself and one's own opinions or interests as most important or valid.)
I don't know why people get so upset about players wanting some input on personnel decisions. By no means do you just roll over to make your players happy (see Orlando), but you do involve them. We all expect some level of input in our jobs about new hires into our group -- whether its in interviewing the candidates or helping shape what team culture will be like. Why is it different if you are the star of a basketball team. Wants to be wanted? Since when is that insecurity. How many of us really value the "Good Jobs" and "Pats on the back" at work and like knowing our boss has our back no matter what. We all want to be wanted -- that would be my #1 priority wherever I work. Oh and Jeremy Lin absolutely would have been an upgrade -- I don't think he would have come though. Better than Jack, and would have sold tons of tickets, helped us get on tv more, etc. Huge marketing potential which is a big deal for New Orleans. Ayon was a solid get, but we legit wasted a huge opportunity with Okafor, Kaman (Expiring contract), and Landry last year. I'm not saying we should overpay for Mcgee, but cant at least bring him in and talk to him? Dude is going to be a beast if he gets the right mentoring and situation. He has started to put it together. Him and Anthony Davis would be devastating on the boards and on defense, and would certainly be hard to defend. This would be a team that would be fun to watch and could develop over a few years: C Anthony Davis PF Mcgee/Andreson SF Aminu/Anderson SG Rivers PG Marshall
I think this ignores many facts: Let's start with different ownership now than that which made him the prior offer, Gustavo Ayon, and the D-League carousel we were running last year, the fact that Gordon being on the team or not affects our moves, and more. Well-thought on the points made, but you have to look at the other side. Some are being unfair to Eric, no doubt. I agree. But this argument falls short of showing it.
If Gordon were to leave there no way we'll get top free agents here.So once again small market teams get screwed again.Seattle in 2015
Yeah like OKC huh? All we have to do is just draft well and be creative in free agency. Find nice complimentary veterans for our high draft picks and develop our young talent. Example: Ryan Anderson. Not flashy, but is a sharp shooter that can get you double digit rebounds. If our keep players stay relatively healthy, Ithink that Monty and Dell will have us playing in June by 2014.
J .... take a look at the playoffs the last two years ... how many small market teams made it?? Actually, I don't know off-hand but the answer is quite a bit ... Memphis, OKC, San Antonio, Portland, Indy ... maybe forgetting one or two more. Who cares about top free agents?? Look at how OKC and SA built their teams ... get your stars through the draft surround them with strong role players. Don't forget Miami won this year because their role players played lights out, not just because LeBron decided to be a Kobe-like stud. We'll be more than fine after Gordon leaves.
Why does anyone want to keep someone like this? Eric Gordon is a selfish human, who 'learned the ropes' in the NBA through years spent in a terrible organization. Once the Clippers finally decided to become competitive and strive for championships, they shipped him off. They knew he didn't have the mentality, perseverance, and most importantly - heart - to contribute to a championship team. If he wants to be the best player on a lottery team, please, be my guest. As the great Billy 'Ho' once said, "you'd rather look good and lose than look bad and win." Gordon is a punk, and has been one since he started dogging the season the moment he hit that opening game winner in Phoenix. Dell Demps, Monty Williams, and THE FANS should be disgusted with the recent remarks Gordon has made. I would rather them call Dan Dickau and offer him AAC deal than offer Gordon a cent. Thanks for saving us $50 million, you NBA superstar wanna-be.
Gordon's an asset if he stays healthy. But Babby is known to have made poor decisions in the past, from signing Childress to trading for Turkoglu, and possibly he's about to make another one giving Gordon a max deal. If the choice is dealing for Gortat vs dealing with a potential headcase in Gordon, I'm not sure what Dell will do.
There will always be players like eg.Just do not get "it", when it comes to being a pro.Like Baron Davis, eg is a selfish prima donna.Hornets will move on and thrive without him. Addition by subtraction.
We should trade him for draft picks and young assets.....I think the suns wil give us Marshall,Lopez,Morris and their 1st Round pick next year...they wil give Marshall bcos they already have tragic and Brooks. I'm more high on Lopez bcos he is young and he has never given a chance in Phoenix to showcase his skills, I think his game is like his brother brook Lopez. I think when EG said that smith is our only big men he really doesn't know this team...how in the world he forget ayon?trade him already....eg10 is scare of rivers....hope he is damn right.he is truly a liar...ship him to the desert to play along with Dudley and brown there both SG......they have a logjam
I am kind of drooling over marshall tossing lobs to SkyNet, because to me one thing is certain- We will get Marshall in any deal for Gordon.
Ok everyone needs to stop and think for a moment. Why are people even siding with this guy. He will make millions to play BASKETBALL!!! Come on. He knew when he was going to "test free agency" that he had no leverage. He is doing this to make our front office look like the bad guy. Eric Gordon needs to grow up and realize that he was wrong since July 1st. I'm in the military making much less than a rookie contract in the nba but I still respect my organization and do what needs to be done cause I'm under contract. All this is bull.....
I have just watched the video. I feel like Eric Gordon has been brainwashed by his manager. He keeps repeating the words "caliber", "interest", "being taken advantage of". Those are the words of a manager. Well, I hope Dell Demps works out a good trade. If we can get 2 more young guys (lottery picks) for our core out of a Gordon trade. It will be like 4 young players (lottery picks) plus Aminu as a result of the CP3 trade! We may build on that and might have a great future without disgruntled and unhappy players like Paul and Gordon. Sorry Gordon, We don't want you if you don't want to play with us but we are not going to give you away for free. You are not being taken advantage of(!), this is business, this is how it works in the NBA and you are the only restricted free agent thinking that you are being taken advantage of. Nonsense!
You could argue that after playing only 9 games for us last season and showing very little interest in being a Hornet that he is taking advantage of NO. The fact that he didn't get a MAX till the 3rd stop on his RFA trip says it all. His hometown Pacers didn't give him one so he kept going, and if PHX didn't give it to him he would have kept going. I agree his been either brainwashed by his manager or this is really who he is. Wants to be "the man" and get paid superstar dollars when he didn't really justify it last year. Yes we low balled him a bit, but his not max worthy based on his health to date.
I'm amazed that his agent has allowed Gordon to burn his bridges to New Orleans and any place not named Phoenix. With the first round of free agents signed, he was poised to become the belle of the ball for teams who were desperate to make a big splash. If you're Houston, why do you bother? If you're Atlanta and just shipped out Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams and could be thinking of flipping Josh Smith, why get involved? I'm not gonna knock him too much for his immaturity. He is a young man after all. This is why you hire "people." To work with you, coach you and get you ready for interviews. As for Dell/Monty vs EG: the facts remain what they are. EG is talented. He's also not had a healthy season in a while. You put that much money into his pockets and you're praying he puts it all together without riding the bench for stretches of his contract. Having lived through the injury times with both Baron Davis and Chris Paul, I don't know that I could do that.
Come on, trade him already. The bridges are burned. Move him. No wonder CP3 wanted out. LOL.
Personally, I disagree- and I am not just being a contrarian for the sake of being a contrarian. What would have sucked for me would have been Gordon coming back on a max contract. If this continues to play out like this, then Dell can save the headache of paying an oft-injured player the max and instead build slowly with a bevy of picks and cap flexibility. Personally, I get happier each and every time that Gordon puts his foot in his mouth
Agreed. He was given to us as an asset. Flip him for a piece and other `liquid'. Rinse, repeat. Acquire title. Eat a big dinner with dessert.
CityBrow
In Demps We Trust
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