Eric Gordon Really Wants Out Of New Orleans


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!

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.

 


193 responses to “Eric Gordon Really Wants Out Of New Orleans”

  1. Dell and the organization did this to themselves. Hey lets let him go out there and get turned down so we don’t have to give him the max. But not even reaching out to him during this process is just bad buisness. To bad kid is a great talent.

    • Sorry, Gordon is a complete egomaniac. And unfortunately for him, he doesn’t have the resume to act like it. It really sounds like he’s bitter about Rivers being drafted. Hey Gordon, a team needs more than one good shooter to be good!

      We have plenty of money to spend on a big guy. I hope we match the Suns’ offer and then trade him to the Bobcats. He deserves to be on the worst team in the league.

      • All he wanted was a sit down and them to say you are our guy. Not tell Jimmy Smith and everyone else.

      • Maybe u missed that the Hornets offered an extension. Why outbid yourself? As far as a sit down Monty keeps reiterating that he’s the leader of the team. It’s Gordon who’s nervous he can’t fulfill that role with an up & coming star like Anthony Davis on the roster & EG on the bench injured INSECURE.

      • Well if they match he will certainly be on the worst team in the Western conference….

      • He said if we sign him he will play. Just won’t be happy. I still think he is a professional, but felt taken advantage of.

      • No. I blame them for not doing anything. I don’t agree with Gordon in most cases. But why haven’t we even had a big man, much less anyone, visit our team? They definitely should have called him right after he made those comments to make sure he was still committed to the Hornets. Doctors say that you should put ice and elevate your ankle immediately after you sprain it. Dell and Monty should have called their so-called “best player” right after they heard those comments. Still, I believe that they will get the job done.

  2. I think that the guy is kind of correct in what he is saying. I just cannot believe that Demps never had a face to face with this guy. I still do not like the way they handled the Kamen trade. Who sends a trade chip home and tells everyone that he is available. Why send him home. Why not make him look a little more valuable to your team. I mean really we looked bad. Just an opinion.

    • This was discussed during the season: what would have happened if he’d have been injured during those games?

  3. I wonder what Dell and his staff have been doing this whole time. We have has no visits with any players. They didn’t even talk to Eric. I really wonder. Maybe he took a vacation in arguably the most important time of his job. This really disappoints me.

    • I wonder the same thing and would like some answers on the area of why so many teams have been active with free agency, yet we might have the most holes on the roster yet made not 1 single pitch to anyone. I’m kinda lost and confused.

    • Yup Dell has done nothing and now our best player does not want to be here. All these people are going to blame Gordon, but he is doing what every other player would. So pitiful.

    • thats what Ive been saying. Atleast pretend like you are interested in trying to win some games this year.

      • Has anyone considered that Dell didn’t want to pay Gordon any more than $48M for four years? And that his strategy all along was to say how much he wanted Gordon to get a team to commit maximum dollars to Gordon, so Dell could extort maximum value for Gordon in a sign and trade?

        Ask yourself if you think Gordon is really worth $58M over four years. If you answer is yes, ask yourself how many regular season games (88/year) he has to play over the four years to be worth the $58M. [58 games/year is $0.250M/game. 72 or 73 games/year is $0.200M/game. 44 games/year is $0.330M/game. 22 games/year is $0.660M/game. ]

      • I was speaking in general to free agency. If that’s is the case don’t tell people he is the face of the franchise and you’ll match any offer

  4. Sounds like Gordon is really spoiled. He just wants alil love from his bosses. Why do yall think Monty/Dell/Benson hasn’t reached out to him? Are we missing something?

    • He’s spoiled but everyone likes to feel appreciated from their job. I kinda see Gordon’s point. It’s not like we are signing folk so a phone call or two could have been made. They were chilling b/c they know we have his rights

      • It’s hard to appreciate someone when they don’t do their job and they arent even traveling with the team. Also the whole point of restricted free agency is to let the market set the value then decide whether or not to match. If he’s unrestricted then u need to be more aggressive. Point is he’s pulling this out of nowhere. He told Dell & Monty he wanted to return, so why should they have thought otherwise?

      • You know what’s a good way to be appreciated for the job you do? SHOW UP to do your job. If you missed about 3 months of work, for any reason, would you expect a pay raise? Would you expect a pay cut? Would you even expect to have a job? I understand this is NBA basketball and therefor different than pretty much every other job. But, he’s never been a rookie of the year. Never been an All-Star. Never played a full NBA season. So … what exactly entitles him to a max contract? Simply “potential”? That’s not being disrespected. It’s using business sense.

  5. He felt uncomfortable. He felt disrespected for a fair offer due to injuries? Dell or Monty had not talked to him? Excuses that simply do not make sense. The offer stood that was offered in January. Most people aren’t in the habit of throwing their money away either. He should want to earn his money too. Weren’t Dell and Monty in contact with him when the season ended and he was working out at the facility? Simply childish and in need of too much pampering. AD and AR show more maturity. Very disappointing after Demps and Williams told the world they would match any offer he got. Why not talk with the organization about the lack of bigs? Sounds to me like he got pissed cause they drafted AR. Insecure. Man, disappointing.

    • Lol how do you get that from it? Just trying to defend Dell who is going to lose our best player. The guy we were supposed to build our whole franchise around.

      • I agree 1000% with Lanative
        Gordon is a big flop..he didn’t want to be here since day one so it really don’t matter what the Hornets would offer he will think of away to put in on the organization.

        He had to be talking to Monty because he was at the Alerio Center working out with Monty b4 the Olympic team had the tryouts.
        He was even at the workouts when Rivers was working out for the team so he could have put in his input on who would fit long time ago.
        Fact is its not about money because he can only get the max from the Hornets and it’s not because of lack of communication with the staff cause he was there with them working out.
        It’s the fact he just never wanted to be in New Orleans since day 1. Since the trade happen he looked like a little kid who lost his dog.
        If he don’t want to be here let him got just like CP3.
        Let Gordon Go and let’s get players who want to grow and build around Davis and Rivers.

      • I’m not defending anyone, but it doesn’t make sense to me. I believe there are two sides to every story and this just happens to be his and it’s filled with holes. I like the player EG but the person seems to be missing some important pieces.

      • We’re building our whole franchise around Anthony Davis, not Eric Gordon.

    • Well said. I forgot all about how he was here during the rookie workouts. That wasnt that long ago! Maybe Gordon wants his coach and GM to call him every day to say hello. Spoiled! Grow up EG! The Rivers deal really got to him though like you said. I really didnt wanna believe it, but it appears Gordon wants fame more than success and he sees AD and AR as a threat to his ego.

      BTW doesn’t his large head and his face remind you of Bobby’s World? LOL….all that head, but still not much sense up stairs. SMH.

  6. Having read this and having seen yesterday the video of what the Suns put on for Gordon, I have more understanding of his viewpoint than I did yesterday.

    At the end of the day though EG10 is simply not worth a max deal. I think its in everyone’s best interest to cut bait and move on. Let’s get value that equals the Suns’ estimation that Gordon is a max player and continue to build from that. As for Gordon, I hope he finds what he needs in Phoenix.

    And though I love what Dell Demps has done for the franchise, maybe he and Monty will learn from this and accomodate the old school philosophy to what younger players expect nowadays. It doesn’t mean they have to lower expectations, it just means they need to think forward a little bit to prevent this kind of fiasco from occuring again … especially since it comes on the heels of the public perception of CP3 wanting to get the hell out of Dodge.

  7. I think the reason the Saints are successful in free agency is because they try to go first and wine and dine and seem to keep all free agents in town for a couple of days.

  8. Rivers getting drafted played a huge part in this as well. I said all along we should have drafted Leonard. I’m not saying Leonard would work everywhere and I don’t necessarily like his fit with Portland but I think if he was with an Anthony Davis he could just focus more on using his athleticism and it would have helped him a lot. Either way I still think we can keep Gordon if Dell and Monty explain themselves. Maybe he thinks that Dell was trying to do what Michael and Ryan speculated in that podcast, basically not wanting to really pay the max so just lying to get a Sign and trade bidding war. Who knows? Either way, with or without Gordon we still have Skynet.

  9. I could honestly care less about Gordon’s comments. He wants to be paid. If New Orleans had offered him the max, he would have been thrilled to stay here.

    All along, I’ve said that New Orleans should consummate a sign and trade with Phoenix for a few reason.

    1. Eric Gordon isn’t a max player. Yes he’s talented and exciting to watch but is he actually as good as he’s given credit for? Eric Gordon hasn’t improved much since he entered the league, except as a passer. His scoring average has gone up but in turn, his efficiency has taken a hit. Just like when he was a rookie, Gordon is a very good scorer. Unfortunately, he’s an atrocious rebounder and turns the ball over way too often. Gordon is also overrated defensively.

    2. Gordon is extremely injury prone. He has missed 20+ games in each of the past three seasons.

    Dell Demps was wise to not offer Gordon a max contract. Hopefully, he sticks to his guns.

  10. I would still demand Marshall and Gortat. If not Gortat then their first-round pick. Also, Gordon just threw Ayon under the bus. He said that the only bigs we had were Jason Smith and Anthony Davis.

    I am disappointed in the comments of Gordon and whatever Demps has been doing.

  11. I’m curious as to what roll Benson/Loomis has in this? THIS ISN’T FOOTBALL! This stinks of the Loomis/Brees situation to me. Players are used to everybody playing the “contract game” in the NFL. NBA players in general are way more sensitive to these issues. To me, it’s one of 3 things:

    1) Dell and Monty really don’t value him as a max player and won’t bullcrap him any longer. He gets traded to PHX.

    2) We messed up by showing so little interest in him, especially knowing his personality. Dell and Monty tell him, “Look, we messed up. When we offered you the 4/50, our hands were tied by the NBA ownership. We have a real owner now. We are matching the offer and you ARE our cornerstone. Let’s fix this.”

    3) Benson is too bleeping cheap to pay him.

    • Dell and Monty really don’t value him as a max player and won’t bullcrap him any longer.

      Why should they? His GP stats lately?

  12. Anyone consider that maybe the Hornets don’t think he’s worth the max despite what the Suns think of him? At the end of the day the Hornets can do whatever they want to in this situation. Keep in mind for as good as Gordon is, we’re talking about a guy who has missed 107 games in his 4 year career. It would make sense for the Hornets to be weary of making a max investment on a guy with that type of injury history.

  13. I find it really odd that Dell/Monty didn’t contact him once after July 1st.. I think Gordon is handling his business horribly, but shouldn’t they have reached out once? How is this typically handled?

    • Maybe they have contacted his agent every day 10 times a day. Maybe the last time they talked to him they stated they wanted him back to be the leader of the team and would match any deal he got. Maybe they told him they understand he needs some room to see what he really wants and as soon as he figured it out they would meet with him. Maybe he forgot all of this and is simply an immature young man

    • I am not criticizing Monty/Dell because I don’t know the facts. I’m asking how this is usually handled. Because, to my knowledge, Portland is essentially doing the same thing as we are, and I don’t remember them being as publicly open about bringing Batum back. I’m asking if this is how it is normally done or not.

  14. The real dilemma is that finding a franchise changing talent is SOOOOOOO damn hard. We got lucky with Davis. That will be enough (hopefully) to make us halfway decent. We need a 2nd top 3 at position player to be very good and a very good 3rd to be a contender. Gordon is the best SG under the age of 25, like it or not. You can’t get emotional with a talent like that. When he’s healthy, he’s transcendent and potentially the best SG in the league on the right time.

    • Couldn’t agree more. Plus, let’s give this some time to heal some wounds (wounds look pretty superficial from here–Dell can kiss the boo boo and make everything better)

    • I wouldn’t call him “transcendent.” He’s very good. Chris Paul is transcendent. LeBron and Durant are transcendent. At best, Gordon is a #2 guy on a championship team. He can’t single-handedly carry a team deep into the playoffs.

      Just because he’s top 5 at his position doesn’t make him one of the best players in the league necessarily. The SG position is pretty weak right now. The league is full of young PG’s and PF’s, but there aren’t too many great SG’s or Centers.

      • You are kind of making my point there accidentally. The SG crop is weak. Having one that can get into the paint at will, pass out of the double team or to the open guy off the dribble, shoot from the outside, and play defense is a HUGE bonus. He has all the ability to develop into that “transcendent player”. He has a better shooting touch than D-Wade and a better defensive motor at a younger age. He lacks elite athleticism but his handles/moves off the dribble more than compensate. Maybe I am overrating him but I’ve watched a LOT of Hornets games live as a STH and this guy is the SMARTEST basketball player we’ve seen outside of CP3. He really gets it. That means so much to me as I think the mental aspect of the game is vastly underrated.

      • If you’ve watched a LOT of Hornets games, you’ve still only seen 9 of him 😀

        I get what you’re saying. But we really haven’t seen guards, no matter how good they are, lead teams to championships that often. And I don’t think he is or ever will be on the level of guys like Wade or Kobe. In Wade’s first couple years, he was hitting huge shots in the playoffs (Baron Davis still remembers that shot I’m sure) and doing things that made us go WHOA this guy is good. I just never got that from Gordon here or in LA.

  15. This is kind of incredible. Dell and Monty have been saying nonstop since before the draft that Gordon is our best player and we want to build around him. And now there’s no respect and no foundation? And we don’t have any bigs? What about Smith, Ayon, and Davis? Maybe he would know them if he played more last year. Or does he want to be the only guard on the team?

    I know people like to say that these guys look for any slight they can in order to “play with a chip on their shoulders” but seriously, Gordon needs to grow up. Like edbballin504 said, does he want a “hayyyyy thinking of youuuuuuu” call every day?

    My take: he was under the impression teams would be beating down the door to offer him a max contract. Then he could tell the Hornets “See? I’m worth a max contract, y’all messed up and now it’s gonna cost you.” But that didn’t happen. So when Phoenix showed interest in him he jumped at it.

  16. Look,

    The guy was on a young team as the 1st and then Blake Griffin shows up and is the big show. Gordon was putting up good numbers but getting hurt. He knows his ability but for whatever reason can’t keep up his health.

    Clippers told him they wouldn’t trade him and they did. He shows up blindsided to an undermanned hornets squad and proceeds to get hurt again. He doesn’t care about us as an organization because he doesn’t understand how to be a superstar and what it means for PR in this day and age. He wants to feel the spotlight he believe he deserves but instead of embracing the situation and the fans, he watches college games and tweets when his professional team is playing. His demeanor isn’t fan-friendly and he only plays 9 games for us.

    Dell and Co have been dealing with a change of ownership, multiple high lottery picks, and the management of a team which on some nights barely had 10 healthy bodies to choose from. Gordon knew he was the best player on our team when healthy and Monty and Demps say it with every interview. If he wants to be treated like the max player he thinks he is, he’s got to show us something worthy of that. He hasn’t done that and we didn’t offer that to him.

    Phoenix is in free-fall and badly needed a pickup this free agency. Gordon wanted a max deal and we weren’t going to give it to him unless someone stepped up. Hence this bizarre marriage. He leveraged a max deal and yet he’s not facing the reality of the situation. How many times do you disrespect your boss before sh*t starts to get ugly? We can ship him anywhere. If he sits out when we decide to keep him he’s pretty much done in the NBA.

    We could have fed his ego and made a song and dance out of making him feel more wanted. But do you really think that would have changed his approach? We weren’t going to offer him the max, it’s smart business on an unknown commodity and he’s smart to go searching for one. Whatever happens we’ve got the power and will wield it however we choose. But don’t blame Dell and Co. when we still can do whatever we want. Who wouldn’t be happy with a team full of young talented players to be around? What did Chris Paul do when we got Collison? He taught the kid how to play.

    Let’s see how “professional” he is when we decide the next step.

  17. Eric Gordon is flat out lying! For all you bandwagon fans to quickly blame Dell and Monty tells me that you really don’t know your Franchise! That liar Eric Gordon had a exit meeting with Monty and monty told him about the plans for the future for a championship run, with him(EG10) being the leader/franchise player! Plus Dell and Monty allowed him to workout with the staff in the off-season and the constant theme from out of Dell and Monty’s mouth was, “Eric Gordon is our best player and we will build our team around him!”
    Monty echoed that statement the same week that free agency open, with Dell saying that the Hornets plan on matching any and all offers to Eric Gordon!
    JOE, please find that video!

    #DamnLiar

  18. Now…I really do understand both sides of this…Phoenix fans being reluctant or New Orleans fans being ticked at Gordon…and thinking he is selfish, but…he has every right to go check out what is out there…LIFE IS TOO SHORT not to check out other opportunities. Does not mean he is a jerk. However…he needs to be a lot nicer and explain his position to the fans of New Orleans…but I think he will. From what I understand…he is a very nice kid.

    Throughout all of this drama…I for one…sincerely LOVE when a professional player is HONEST. I am dead serious…I like how Eric Gordon came right out and said he wanted to go to Phoenix and hoped New Orleans did NOT match. Never heard of that before…especially during the process. Sounds to me like he did not even think twice about it and got a bad vibe from New Orleans. Who knows…perhaps not even bothering to speak to him directly rubbed Eric the wrong way. Injury prone? Yes…he has gotten injured before, but never intended to get hurt. Some comments in both Phoenix and New Orleans. Seriously…guys act like he did it on purpose. From what I understand…Eric loves to play the game so much…it must have driven him INSANE to be out.

    Eric Gordon needed surgery. Who bumbled around with that for MONTHS? That medical staff in New Orleans and they way his knee was handled…may be a factore and I am dead serious.

    The NBA is all about rolling the dice. If healthy…Eric Gordon…barring any major injuries…marks my words…will do tons of damage league wide honors…all star…all defense…up there in scoring…almost always top 10 in the West…THE NEXT FIVE SEASONS.

    If healthy…the kid is a budding superstar. Suns need a defender and a scorer. Someone who can honestly go one on five in some isolation…knife through 3 or 4 guys with elite skills that not many players in the NBA have. Period. Love him or hate him…Eric Gordon is loaded with talents…you would have to be on crystal meth to say he sucks or he is overrated. Or you may have never seen him play.

    Healthy…an elite level talent…who is NOT just a smaller #2…he plays TONS of point…he is a combo guard with good handles. Some comments I have seen copy and paste some b.s. description of EG and claim he sucks…like an under sized 2 guard. What crap. They never saw him play before…because ERIC GORDON DOES NOT EVER STRUGGLE AT #2…VS. ANYONE. Check the box scores…check the market…worth 14.5 million…you are way off. Kirk Hinrich made 8 million last year. Carlos Boozer will make 16.8 million.

    This is a young stud, not some over the hill or past his prime player. I mean…look into salaries. You would not believe the highway robbery that goes on…especially these overpriced and overrated centers in the league. NOW THAT IS OVERRATED. Gordon is an elite talent…you can tell right away.

    Gambling on Gordon may prove to be well worth it…if he can stay off the disabled list…the kid has a great future no matter where he ends up. I heard he is a really nice kid…but he is still just a 23 year old kid…who has had a past with CHANGING HIS MIND BEFORE. Not the end of the world…I love the honesty in today’s phony politically correct world where most players and agents give you NONSENSE answers. Especially with an election coming up…I love the honesty by Eric Gordon. So many stars are full of crap. At least Gordon had the guts to say it like it is…and was honest. Brutally honest, but honest.

  19. man it’s going to be fun beating the suns this season. i hope ad throws his stuff into the stands and then eg blows his knee out.

    • I don’t think this should garner hate for the Suns. They’re just trying to get a player. I think Eric Gordon just made this a bigger issue than it had to be. Why don’t HE go talk to Monty and tell him he wants out? Why does he have to tell the media first? Its not like we’re gonna do anything. Make clear what you want.

  20. Theres too many boys and not enough men in this leauge EG needs to grow some balls and be a man.He’s such an pansy this boy needs to grow up.

  21. Poor poor bruised ego. Hey EG, have fun in Phoenix. I’m sure you will average 20+ pointsin all 80 games you play over the next four seasons. We have had our share of headcases over the years. We don’t need another.

  22. You should really ask him why he feels the Hornets disrespected him after playing only 9 games last year. It’s not at all about his talent, but his health.

    • Also does he really think Phoenix has better big men? So Gortat and who? You’re right EG, Phoenix has been dominating the post for years now. Are you sure he won’t be upset that Shannon Brown is on the team?

  23. Every word coming out of Gordon’s mouth this week is making him less and less professional on my eye. The guy has to know that the Hornets can keep him and don’t let him go anywhere. He is our “restricted” free agent. Is there any reason for Dell and Monty to go try to convince him to stay? No! Like he says, We can let him stay here and He just have to play basketball. I cannot tell if that is professionalism or not! Now, he has to convince the Suns front office to give up the pieces that we want if he really wants to be there or he might end up with a team that shows no interest in him at all. That will be hilarious! 🙂

    Him saying these words are disrespectful to us. I wish Dell can get the most out of a sign and trade of Gordon. I am not sure if a player talking without thinking and showing no interest whatsoever to play for us deserves to be on our roster.

    Now I better understand the difference between CP3 and EG10. One is a superstar who thinks before he talks, the other one thinks he is a superstar. 🙂 If he was the superstar he thought he is, do you think LAC would package him with 2 more players and a draft pick to get CP3 especially when in great need of a SG!!??

    I wish the best for EG10. No matter how good of a player he is, I prefer not to watch this disgruntled and disrespectful player on my team. Looking forward to make the most out of a sign and trade. Remember this, We now have Davis and Rivers as a result of the CP3 trade. If we can get 2 more critical pieces from EG10 grade, we can be a better team then both Clippers and Suns within 3 years.

  24. Not for one second in the video interview with smith did he seem like he wanted to be here

  25. Watching this video gives me that sinking feeling in your stomach that you get when you know your girlfriend is trying to break up with you. I love Gordon, love his potential. He is making it really hard for me to like him right now.

    I really want for us to be the psycho ex and match the suns offer and force him to love us. If he can’t stay healthy then we end up a lottery team again and get a good draft pick and can trade his contract somewhere else. There will probably always be a team desperate enough to take a risk on his potential, just like the suns and rockets are now.

    If he stays healthy then we could potentially be a playoff team, if we make a few more moves. (Like signing JAVALE MCGEE)

    I do have faith that Demps and Monty know what they are doing (hopefully)

  26. Let’s remember that Phoenix set the market for sign and trades by getting 2 firsts and 2 second round picks for a 38 year all star point guard. We should expect much better compensation for a 23 year old all star 2 guard. Kendall Marshall, an unprotected 1st in 2013 from the Suns, a 2014 Suns 2nd round pick, and the best of the 2015 1st round picks of the Lakers or the Suns. Also, a sign and trade of Robin Lopez to a team that misses out on a center in free agency. Bucks, Blazers, or Pacers. He’s a stiff who couldn’t pass the salt, much less a basketball, but someone would be desperate enough to give up a 2014 protected 1st for him.

    • True, but the picks PHX got from the Lakers are likely to be low picks, since the Lakers should be good. LA’s 1st is not the same as PHX’s 1st in value.

  27. OMG. What a sook! I think its clear that Eric just wants to be the face of a franchise. Now that we drafted AD, he knows he will have to share the load. Very selfish guy IMO. How can someone make statements like this when they havnt even proved themself to anybody that they can stay healthy on the court.
    Even so, i believe we still match the offer, everyone gets over this nonsense once the season starts, and Hornets win NBA title in next few years.

  28. I posted my previous comments before I watched the video. I still believe that Dell should have talked with him at least once, but I can’t really blame him if he hasn’t. Eric really had no answer to the questions except “ya know” and “level of interest” and “the caliber player I am”. I think that it is obvious the only reason he wants to play for Phoenix is the money. He didn’t understand that we took the best player available at 10. There was no center worth taking there. He also doesn’t understand that Austin Rivers was supposed to play with him at the 1. I do think that Dell and Monty should have backed up their words, though. I think that we have to trade Gordon, unless he has a change of heart when we give him 5 years $79 million. The guy I would target is Avery Bradley from Boston. We can try to get him in a separate deal or try to trade him for Gordon.

  29. why do i feel that i just wasted 12 minutes of my life watching this pathetic immature player…all he wants is to be told “you are the best” cant live without you etc……maybe dell and monty werent clear enough for him to understand all the times on draft night and during the workouts leading up to the draft how the franchise will be built around EG

    the other thing i realized is that he has been here a year and that is by far the most i have ever seen him talk or give interviews, just showing he is no leader just a guy that wants to be told how great he is

  30. EG sees Joe Johnson making 3.5 billion dollars per season and feels like he’s worth more. Mazel Tov for Eric. If we don’t get Marshall and their (unprotected) lottery pick next year, we hold onto Eric purely out of spite. I love this game.

  31. Gordon clearly sees similarities in NO just like he witnessed in LA. In LA, they told him they will build around him, then Griffen came in, and all of a sudden, he was number 2, then CP3 was available, and everything LA promised him, they went against. Similar thing with NO, originally he was the man, now we drafted AD, so now hes worried, well LA did it to me, is NO going to do the same?

    • Agreed. But is it because of the fact that he cannot stay healthy and a star on the bench is useless and can easily be traded. If he thinks that’s what’s gonna happen, that means he is not the superstar or the leader that he thinks he is because that idea just proves that he will always be the 2nd man behind Griffin or Davis. Let him be the 1st man on Phoenix but I wonder if that Phoenix will be good enough to become a contender. Oh wait, EG10 is not interested in winning a championship, it is very clear that he is only interested in money and being the man in the middle! 🙂 Once again, let him walk but let’s make a very clever move just like what we did last year that helped us land Davis and Rivers!

      Our team has a great future. If Gordon cannot see it and does not want to be a part of it, that’s fine. But we have to think about us first and I am sure Dell and Monty are doing that for sure!

  32. Wow. A lot t take in the past few days. Eric Gordon is wrong but he doesn’t deserve all this criticism. He’s young. He wants a max, he wants to be the biggest name abs he wants the ball in his hands at all times. With our draft, that’s not gonna happen. I do feel slightly betrayed. But I’m just focusd on a sign and trade.everyone wants Kendall Marshall but I don’t like him and rivers in the same backcourt because rivers needs the bal and isn’t a catch and shooter. Gortat Dudley maybe frye and PICKS is fine for me. I would like to see what reasonable three team trade woud look like. We’l know moe everyday.Can’t wait to see rivers and Davis!!

  33. With the culture the team is trying to build here, I have to think “What would Popovich do?”

  34. I really believe EG is pulling a “Baron Davis”. I think that Monty and Dell are looking for character guys that bring great morale to team. With his comments, how awkward that locker room is going to be if they match his offer? In addition, how does the fans react if they matched? Will EG grow up and stop acting like a spoiled brat? Personally, I do believe Dell has a plan “B”. As of now, the Hornets need help at the 5 and 3 as well as some veterans that set an example to the young roster.

  35. How much of this, if any, has to do with the fact that Gordon is the least marketable would-be superstar in the history of basketball?

  36. Just suppose Dell thinks his original offer to EG was fair, EG wasn’t worth more, and EG was a goner from Jump Street (or so I’ve been told by people who work for the Hornets). So Dell talks EG up (face of the franchise, etc.) and the price for EG goes up. Fine. So now Dell gets more from a sign and trade than he would before. Phoenix or whoever gets the new Joe Johnson: Phoenix gets to the playoffs and they are out in the first or second round. We get ?. Maybe better or maybe worse. We will see.

  37. It’s safe to say that Dell and Monty don’t have EJ in their plans. They were in the drivers seat to keep Eric in New Orleans, instead they increased his market value to his competitors, boosted his ego a little, and will probably get a nice sign-and-trade package to compliment our young nucleus of Davis and Rivers.

    And CP3 will be back next year…

  38. I find it really hard to believe that he did not feel wanted, when the Hornets front office has said over and over that he is our best player and we plan to build around him. How can we not want you, when we also said we would match any offer made for you? That just does not make since! What were we supposed to do? You act like you are and unrestricted free agent and we needed to go all out in attracting you to our team. All we really had to do was say we will match any offer and do it to keep you. Why waste all kinds of time showing you that we want you, when we have already made it known that we want to keep you? Now that you have made it perfectly clear that you do not want to be here and you are that insecure in your play that you felt slighted when we took Austin Rivers, who happened to play more point guard last year then shooting guard, instead of a center who is less talented, the Hornets need to sign and trade your tail for something in equal value. The only problem with the Suns, is that they don’t really have any players worth getting in return for Gordon. Maybe Marcin Gortat, Kendall Marshall, and an the Suns unprotected 1st round pick next year? That trade doesn’t really excite me though. Trading an allstar caliber shooting guard when healthy for a decent center, a slow point guard who can’t shoot, and a pick in a draft that looks pretty weak next year. I hope we can make a deal with Houston or Indiana instead cause they have more appealing assets we can get in return. If we keep him, hopefully he will just be happy and play ball, like he said in the interview!!!

    • Did he really say that he will be “happy” if we keep him?

      I think the guy really talks without thinking whatsoever, I agree with you that both Dell and Monty said multiple times that they wanted to make Eric Gordon the centerpiece of our team going to the future. Oh wait, they probably forgot to make his agent happy and the unhappy agent is filling EG’s brain with those stupid thoughts. What a shame!

      He sounds very arrogant and snobby against his current team in that interview. That’s very uncharacteristic of a “restricted” free agent. He must have a better understanding between a restricted and an unrestricted free agent.

      Coach Monty and Dell has to think very well to see if they really want to keep him and if he can be the young leader of this team.

      One thing is for sure that Eric Gordon has managed to get the dislike of us Hornets fans. If we really keep him, He needs to play very well and try hard to get back and deserve our love for him. or we will never forget those words and his words will always be brought up as a slap on his face.

  39. CP3 ain’t coming back; he’s moved on with his life; I wouldn’t be surprised to see him playing for the Heat in two years.

    Meanwhile I take back what I said about Eric Gordon earlier today. This guy is either off his rocker or straight up lying ; Jimmy Smith’s questions about the Hornets doing hm a favor by allowing him to raise his market value by testing the FA waters obviously didn’t register in his brain. We gotta cut bait and move on JUly 12.

    • True, he clearly just doesnt understand, and he just is not able to provide answers that make sense atm. If he was a true professional of the game, he would have been quiet and provide those type of responses to managemant only.
      It sorta sux for us right now, but stiill, the future is bright with or without him. I have faith in Dell that his next move will dazzle us all again 😉

  40. I love hearing all the bandwagon fans…If Sarver is smart he calls your bluff…i dont know what u are smokin no way do you get marshall and gortat and all those picks….lets go suns call their bluff..send no one and lets see them pony up the money to keep EG10…..Good luck..

  41. Is it just me or does it seem like the Hornets are dead this off season? I am so sick and tired of seeing players being signed by other teams or other players are visting this team and that team. I feel the Hornets havent done anything this off season. Note yes i realize that I am not in the front office and dont know whats going on. But example Landry wants to be back with the hornets. So get him back! he is a great player I like him alot. Nice and big could teach Davis some good stuff. If Eric Gordon HATES New Orleans and Honestly from reading his comments it sounds like the hornets havent done anything to make Eric Gordon feel at home. This is why Chris Paul got mad at Jeff Bower. If you have a player who will be your franchise player, you need to wine and dine him or get him out. Im sick out not seeing in the news of this team being involved in free agency. We havent offered a contract to ONE free agent yet!! God why? I just wish we would push for a big player, even though this free agency is not the best in the world still I would like to see this team in the news and would like to hear that we are pushing for players even if we dont get them. When i look for hornets all i get is Gordon hates new orleans and Davis got injured. thats it. Thoughts anyone on the activity of this off season so far?

    • They’re alot of reason why they’re not doing anything at the moment is they want the Gordon issue resolve and like manny teams want to know Dwight Howard is going it’s really holding up what other teams want to do as in moves.

    • Because there is no one decent for a fair price out there is why. Most of the contracts so far I am glad it wasn’t us offering. All overpays atm

    • When i look for hornets all i get is Gordon hates new orleans and Davis got injured. thats it.

      LOL, I feel you man.

    • dell has said over and over that this is going to be a slow rebuild. we’re not building a championship team this summer. there really isn’t any game changers in free agency this year. some look better than others, but who are we comparing them to? the other FA’s, that’s who. Everyone is being overpaid this year. It’s wise to hold our cards for a while.

    • 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

  42. Come on, trade him already. The bridges are burned. Move him. No wonder CP3 wanted out. LOL.

  43. 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.

      • I don’t mean straight up. I meant in a package around him. He is defensively minded and shoots well. He’s only 21 and would fit into our system perfectly. I know that he wont be back until December, but he is a good, cheap long-term option.

  44. 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.

  45. 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…..

  46. 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.

  47. 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

  48. 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.

  49. 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.

  50. 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.

  51. 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

    • 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.

    • 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.

  52. 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.

    • 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.

    • 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

    • 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.

  53. 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.

  54. 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.

  55. 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.

  56. 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!

  57. 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.

  58. 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.

  59. “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.

  60. 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.

  61. 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?

  62. 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!

  63. 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.

  64. 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.

  65. Lmao. Tough words from a troll. Good luck next year, at the bottom of the western conference 🙂

  66. 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..

  67. […] Two New Orleans Hornets were finalists to play for country at the 2012 Summer Olympics. But, in the end, neither made the cut. Crown jewel of Hornets' recent draft triumph Anthony Davis and guy we barely knew Eric Gordon were both left off the final roster for next month's playoff across the pond. Davis will play in the Hornets' summer league, while Gordon will go back to begging to leave us. […]

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