eric gordon or russell westbrook who will be better
Westbrook will never shoot as good as Gordon. Russell will have more triple doubles so he will be the better all around player I think. Gordon is an underrated defender but I think Westbrook is better. Almost depends on what your looking for. I like the player who puts up all around numbers,but Eric is a scoring machine who has underrated point guard skills too. Tough call.
I know it is just the summer league, but Westbrook is averaging 23.3pts, 7.3asts, 5rebs per game and looks 100x better than he did last year, he's been the leading scorer in every game for all three teams that the Thunder have played, and he is getting to the basket and making his free throws. I think he is showing that he may be an all-star in years to come, and Westbrook is way more athletic than B.G.
i think the sky is the limit for eric gordon, this dude cant flat out shoot the rock and jumps out the gym he just has to focus on the defensive end of the ball and he will be a perinial all star.
on the other hand russell westbrook just might b the most atletic pontguard in the league in acouple of years, he has size and the quickness to blow past defenders.
I think Eric Gordon is going to turn out to be a better player. He is going to be dropping 30 a night someday and i agree with scout, his D is underrated, he may not ever be a shut down defensive player, but he has quick hands and can steal the ball, He isn't bad finding teammates too, it would surprise me if his assist numbers went up to 5 or so in a couple years too, once he gets used to the NBA game and works on his shot selection Gordon could be one of the best pure scorers to come along in the last ten years or so, and he's only 20. Westbrook is going to be a great point guard with good all-round game, but in my opinion he lacks that elite quality that Gordon has
I'd say that OKC is more talented than LAC at this point for the long haul...
KD > Griffin
Green > Thorton
Westbrook > Gordon
Harden> ?
The Clippers do have Kaman... Camby and Davis are over the hill and will deteriorate even more this year and next.
Give me KD-Harden-Westbrook-Harden over any other young 4 some in basketball... Thrown in Cole Aldrich/Greg Monroe and you've got a playoff team in 2 years.
Thunder are better set up for the future, but the clips have more talent right now. I know it's easy to hate on BDiddy, Camby and Kaman, but those guys could ball if they are healthy and have their heads on right. I think the clips finish ahead of the thunder next season.
hes got way more potential... i say eric gordon could be a slightly better passer and defender than ben gordon.... but russell could average
jerb2011
I know it is just the summer league, but Westbrook is averaging 23.3pts, 7.3asts, 5rebs per game
in the real nba... which is pretty ridiculous... also considering maybe 2 steals per game(i think he was at 1.3 already), and possibly more rebounds...
that would be one sick pg in my book... idk i just dont see E.G. goin for more than 23 pts 5 ast per game..
idk its a tough call tho
This is simple for me... Eric Gordon hands down at this point. I like Westbrook, but he's out of control and very turnover prone. His decision making is VERY questionable. He also has low shooting percentages across the board. He's definitely a better all around player & pesky (not better, but pesky) defender than Gordon at this point. People say he's a point guard, but I'm not so sure he is just yet.
Eric Gordan for sure. He will be the next big thing in shooting guards since Roy got up there. Dude is a beast. He has the physical size and athleticism with mad range. I like westbrook but he is a slasher and you can never value a slasher over a shooter.
so many of you are going with gordon. Westbrook was the confrence defensive player of the year and shut down OJ Mayo in college. He has defensive player of the year abilities in the nba. He get's into the lane as well as about anybody at the point. He is an unbelievable athlete and rebounder. He rode the bench as a freshmen, was all confrence as a sophomore, played better then anybody expected as a rookie, and has shown some serious improvement in summer league. Dude just keeps getting better at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, all I can really say about Gordon is he is a really good scorer.
Here is why its Eric Gordon > Westbrook:
Eric Gordon is a MUCH better shooter. Westbrook had a pretty low percentage last season.
As much as some people on here claim that westbrook is much better at getting into the lane, thats not true. They are equal in that category since gordon is abnormally strong and is also really quick and very athletic. At one point this season the clippers thought he was so strong that they told him to stop lifting weights since he was working out too hard and getting too strong. Deandre Jordan said he must have been raised by aliens who made him lift weights since the time he was born. lol. Also, Gordon's D and playmaking ability are vastly underrated because if u watch him on a daily basis u would think he is pretty good at those things rather than lacking in those areas to the point where he needs a lot of improvement there like critics say. The one area that he needs improvement in is probably ball handling. if he can improve that area of his game then he a shot at one day being a guy who can 15 minutes a game at backup pg instead of just at the 2. westbrook tho needs to improve his shot, his decision making, and his overall pg skills since he is being groomed to be a full time pg unlike gordon. I would say that westbrook's potential is to reach the level of baron davis in his prime since his shot is good but not that good like baron and he is very athletic and strong. however he needs to improve his passing to be at baron's level also, but he already is a better defender that baron. I would say that gordon's potential is mitch richmond. i would take therefore take gordon over westbrook. i am not biased by the way because i watched westbrook all through out college and some in the nba and gordon in the nba so i know a lot about both players.
You're on point.
llperez22 you don't watch Gordon close enough if you say he's just a really good scorer. Gordon shut down Mayo during one of their games vs the Grizzlies last season. As a matter of fact, Gordon guarded the other teams best scorer almost every game. Basketball is about putting the ball in the basket, so even if Gordon is "just a really good scorer" that's pretty damn good.
I watche dplenty of gordon, not just sportscenter. Lets be real and go down the differnet skills between these two:
Shooting- Gordon hands down
defense-Westbrook
ball handling-Westbrook
passing-westbrook
athleticism-westbrook
rebounding-westbrook
ability to get into the lane-westbrook
abilty to finish around basket-westbrook
ability to push the ball-westbrook
I have a hard time hearing seeing where you guys are coming from with Gordon having an advantage in any of these areas or being the more promising player.
if u think that gordon is just a scorer then u should ask ur idol kobe what he thinks of him. he covered like crazy on the final play of the last clipper laker game last season. he said "there was no way i was going to let gordon get the ball." he is now working out with eric gordon this offseason as well. this might just be a coincidence but kobe had low scoring totals in all clipper games last season. i know what ur going to say: its because they were blowouts but the last one was close along with the one before being within 10 and closer the whole game and he still was held in check by gordon.
passing is close because westbrook for a pg is an average distributor. athleticism its close but u would not know since u just see top 10 dunks for ur judge of athleticism. gordon has more than enough athleticism. gordon gets into the lane just as well. also, u out skills there that don't matter that much for 2 guards. u can't rate it on that. gordon is great at the skills that his position demands therefore he can be considered the more promising player.
I'm not trying to hate on the dude, I'm honestly surprised so many people think he is better then westbrook. Maybe he is more then just a scorer, but that is the only part of his game that really stands out. Westbrook is one of the most well rounded pg's in the game. He got a triple double as a rookie and I could see him getting plenty more.
hmm... let's see, tezo says he knows gordon, clippers name is... clippers.... llperez is a known UCLA fan... BIAS!
i'm also a biased westbrook fan, but let's go to draftexpress combine results from last year to settle the athleticism debate... EG wins...
Both were about the same height (6'3 + change in shoes) EG weighed 20 lbs more, had a better vertical, longer wingspan, better agility, better bench press, better sprint....
Russell had lower body fat, better reach... I think Russell is still growing. but still....
I still say i'd take Russell
Shooting/Scoring - Gordon hands down
Getting To The Free-Throw Line & Making Them - Gordon
Decision Making - Gordon
Control - Gordon
Defense - Toss up
Ball Handling - Westbrook
Passing - Westbrook
Athleticism - Gordon
Rebounding - Westbrook hands down
Ability To Get Into The Lane - Toss up
Abilty To Finish Around Basket - Gordon
Ability To Push The Ball - Westbrook, but not by much
its not all about triple doubles. i could see gordon averaging 20 pgg 4 rpg and 4 apg next season. westbrook tho i don't see averaging 20ppg this season and maybe ever as part of a good team. also, eric gordon had 23 points in his first summer league game ever so this notion that 23 ppg in summer league by westbrook is amazing is mind boggling. ryan anderson has had a better summer league: is he going to be an all-star soon, NO.
You know you're basketball for sure. I agree with most of what you say (except that "consistent loser" statement!!!). I like Westbrook A LOT, but (trying to put my bias aside) I like Gordon better. Honestly, I think they'll both be good. Westbrook said something on the Jim Rome show the other day that just stood out. They were talking about his work ethic and Rome asked him when he knew his workout was finished... Westbrook said, "When he literally can't do it anymore." I sware that's motivated me in the gym since I heard it. I don't go in the gym now saying I'll be there for an hr or two. I stay until my body can't take it or they shut the lights off.
I seriously think it's a toss-up defensively. Westbrook is more pesky & plays the passing lanes better, but Gordon is no punk. You can't post him because he's too strong & he has long arms so he can contest shots. For his size Gordon is great at blocking shots. I also think Gordon has more defensive awareness. Westbrook is nice, but you're sleeping on Gordon.
Clippers I think you're wrong and here's why... Why do you think the Thunder drafted Harden? not for his scoring, but because he's a facilitator, by nature. I think Presti envisions Westbrook being more of a scorer, because that's playing to his strengths... I see Westbrook getting to the line 8-10/game this season and trying to score a la DWade.
I think both Harden and Green are great passers, and their strengths are making others better. Both guys' college coaches had to do everything in their power to get those guys to shoot the ball... what two better complements to KD and RW?
Tezo, I will never live down the consistent loser comment!
llperez, so what if he's smoking dope? lol. I've never been wowed by EG's defense as I have by RW's but I also haven't seen as much Gordon as Westbrook.
Honostly I say Westbrook because he has more talent to go to than E.G., his assists will go up because he is passing to Durant, Green, and Harden, and they will eventually let him get to the rim more because the others will consistently need to be doube teamed leaving Russ wide open. Also, he will rebound more than E.G.
u have to take into account that EG didn't have many good players to pass to last season. ya i know there roster had talent on paper but 1. it was never healthy and 2. it was full of inefficient scorers plus no bigs that could stay healthy and be a force down low like griffin. i think his assists will go up now that he has a big man.
Tezo, what was the deal with the Gordon Illinois-IU recruiting process... just wondering if you had insight into that whole ordeal. i think that's another reason i had a bad impression of EG, cuz the Chi folks at Madison really hated on the guy for jumping ship. am i remembering that correctly? or was that someone else
He commited to Illinois verbally. When Bruce Webber was hired at Indiana, he started recruiting Gordon. The whole time, Gordon kept telling the public he was commited to Illini. But he changed his mind and went to Indiana at the last minute. This upset a lot of illini fans. It also did'nt look good for Bruce Webber because while verbal commitments are non-binding, it is still considered unethical to steal a recruit without contacting the other coach first.
I'll tell you exactly what happened during that whole recruiting process. First, let me say I've been knowing EJ (It's "EJ" guys... Stands for Eric Junior) and his family for a LONG time. His grandma was actually my mom's teacher in middle school. I STILL play ball w/ his dad (who plays JUST like EJ).
His whole family were always HUGE IU fans. During the recruiting process, EJ never gave IU a legit chance though because Mike Davis was the coach. They weren't Mike Davis fans. Most of EJ's friends from high school were going to IU. EJ was always in Bloomington... Just didn't like Mike Davis. The Mike Davis era, despite a little bit of success, was really rocky. A lot of people were still upset about Bob Knight. A lot of people didn't like the way he handled himself or the way he recruited (though he had a great class in 2004). The fan support wasn't where it was during the Bob Knight era. All the top recruits (Josh McRoberts, Dominic James, Luke Zeller, Greg Oden, Mike Conley and a few others) all passed on IU. There was a lot of talk in Indiana about IU not being able to recruit the states top talent anymore. There was a lot of talk about Mike Davis not focusing on recruiting in Indiana. Deep down EJ always wanted to play for Indiana, but the family just couldn't stand Mike Davis.
Illinois always recruited EJ hard. I remember seeing Bruce Webber consistently at the gym we played/worked out at when EJ was like a freshman/sophomore. He was at the games, practices... I mean, Webber basically lived in Indianapolis. EJ committed to Illinois and I thought it was a great choice. Everybody wished he would've went to IU, but didn't blame him for choosing Illinois. It was a great fit. We'd all seen that Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head squad. Then there was talk about him teaming up with Derrick Rose too... Everybody in Indiana was extremely supportive.
HOWEVER, things changed when Kelvin Sampson came to IU though (Boy did he eventually end up screwing us). During the hiring process Sampson said recruiting the top talent in Indiana would be a priority. Sampson said A LOT of great things and was a respected/well liked coach. His teams at Oklahoma were always successful. He had a nice resume. There was a great buzz around here. The family started getting curious and contacted Sampson. The interest was mutual. The rest is history. EJ ended up de-committing from Illinois and signing with IU. It wasn't anything personal against Illinois. It was a tough decision, but the thinking at the time was being able to be a part of a huge tradition at IU, help the program get back to where it was and go to the school he always loved as a kid. Most of his friends and a few past teammates were going to IU. Everybody in Indiana understood why Illinois was upset, but they felt like EJ had the right to change his mind. Coaches do that all the time. Why can't players? That's pretty much everything that happened in a nutshell.
I don't think there was anything wrong with what EJ did. The only problem is OUT OF RESPECT, they should've let Webber know that they were going to contact Indiana. Sampson should've let Webber know that he was talking to the Gordons. It was definitely a little shady, but legal because it's not like EJ had signed.
Gordon is so good rookie with so bright future that I don't like to say but, I think Russell is better.. Call me crazy but I think Westbrook is at the same level with rose NOW(15+5+5 and 17+4+6 isn't so different with Rose playing 4 more minutes) and he have more upside, they both are super big srong athletic fast PGs , WEstbrook avg more rebs and ROse more Ast, but WEstbrook finished season with arounbd 7ast in every game and Rose have a couple PO games with huge numbers in rebounds, that means they are almost identical players.
gordon is an elite scorer, has a nice shot, but i think westbrook will be better. i think gordon will be ben gordon at his best, 20ppg scorer but doesn't reb or pass. westbrook meanwhile can be the next steve francis. explosive athlete and rebounder. plus a good passer too, westbrook can even be better because of his lockdown def. think of francis offense + rondo defense.
The Ben Gordon comparison is way off. Eric Gordon is taller, bigger, stronger, longer arms, more athletic/explosive and a MUCH better defender. Eric Gordon has better shot selection, gets to the free-throw line more & finishes better through contact. He's also a better passer than Ben Gordon. He's a better defender and passer than what you think. A more accurate comparison for Eric Gordon is a young Mitch Richmond.
i say e.g.. strong, really athletic and can shoot with the best of them ...he can potentially develop into a more athletic allan houston.