EG ain't concerned.. he already got paid and he knows we don't have any picks left to ship his ass out of here.
Worst comes to worst, EGo is still one of teams best drivers, FT shooter, perimeter defender and post defender.
He will be a big part of our success in the playoffs and a huge trade chip for us when it is all said and done. Yool c.
Eric Gordon just needs to play Russ role, attack the open paint when Harden doubled. Gordon shot 38.3% on catch-and-shoot threes last year, and he hit 159 triples outside of 25 feet. A return to form from three would certainly help alleviate any anxiety for Mike D'Antoni and Co. He possesses impressive burst driving to the rim, and he's a violent finisher in the paint. Gordon doesn't shy away from contact. He's undeterred by opposing bigs. He remains a bit of a straight-line driver with relative tunnel vision, but don't let any slight shortcomings obscure the point. When Gordon is right, his offensive versatility is extremely valuable. Dissecting Gordon's offensive responsibility may actually be burying the lede to a degree. Gordon's defensive impact could be greater than his offensive output against Oklahoma City, and frankly, that wouldn't be the worst thing for D'Antoni and Co. Both D'Antoni and Rockets assistant Elston Turner have said Gordon is Houston's best on-ball defender, and Gordon will begin Game 1 on Tuesday defending Chris Paul.
Remember that time Gordon dropped 50 earlier this season when Harden and Westbrick were out? Damn that seems like ages ago. He’s certainly capable.
I think he will shine without Russ, knowing he has time to get his shot going. Putting him in the starting lineup hampers OKC ability to keep Adams on the floor. With Russ, Adam didn't have to defend the 3, however, with Eric starting it will take him out of the paint and put him on either PJ or Covington. I don't see OKC trying to defend Eric with Adams. Interesting dynamics and strategies.
That is the beauty of this, OKC cannot defend EGo with a center like they could Russ. This is an opportunity for Rockets, can they take advantage of it is the question. EGo is going to ball out, eventually OKC will have to blitz Harden and when they do EGo will have a runway to the rim.
Covington and PJ have to hit those wide open corner and wing 3s. Lately, they have been str8 atrocious.
Question answered, for now at least. It was encouraging to see EG driving so much. Our offense has evolved to where that's an expected part from our non-Harden guard, and if Eric's shot isn't falling (as we've seen so often this year), he can still have a huge offensive impact taking it inside. Now let's see him keep it up.
