Espn is reporting tonight that the Knicks finally pulled the trigger on getting Carmelo to MSG. Denver gets Chandler, Gallinari, Felton, Mozgov, draft picks and cash. The Knicks get Carmelo, Chauncey, Anthony Carter, and Renaldo Balkman. Here's the link to the writeup: http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nba/news/story?id=6145912

What's interesting to Clipper fans is whether Denver flips Gallinari and, if so, to what team. The New York Times reported earlier today that the Nets and Clippers are interested in acquiring Gallinari. 

“If Gallinari lands in Denver, the Nets will not be the only ones pursuing him. The Los Angeles Clippers are also prepared to trade a first-round pick for Gallinari, according to two people involved in the discussion.

The Nuggets are open to flipping the 22-year-old Gallinari in a second deal because team officials disagree about his potential.”

The Knicks give up a lot of assets for a guy who, in my opinion, is not a Top 10 player. Denver isn’t finished re-making their team yet and will make more deals. Clipper fans, what would you give up for Gallinari? 

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed how much the bench players who were on the Team USA basketball team this summer have improved their play so far this season. For Clip fans, the #1 proof is Eric Gordon. He’s elevated his play significantly from a year ago. But, you can say the same thing about other bench players from Team USA: Westbrook, Love, Curry, Gay and Granger. All of these players are playing at a higher level than last year. 

You could argue that younger players should improve in the first 3-4 years of their professional career. They have to be playing with more confidence because of their success with Team USA. But, how would you explain Danny Granger? He’s in year 6 of his career. I was watching the Pacers play the other night, and Quinn Buckner, their color analyst, mentioned how much Granger had picked up defensively playing with Team USA this summer. He’s finally made a commitment to the defensive end for the Pacers, and the rest of the team is following Granger’s lead by playing much better defense. The Pacers rank #2 in the league in FG% allowed so far this season. Last year they were in the middle of the pack at #13. 

The primary factor, in my opinion, is exposing players with outstanding talent to superior coaching. There’s no doubt that Coach K is a great coach. He had two outstanding assistants, Jim Boeheim and Jay Triano, who also deserve credit for Team USA’s success and their players’ overall improvement.

Let's hope that Gordon and Blake Griffin get opportunities in the future to play for Team USA.

The Clips rank at or near the bottom in several key areas. Through last night's games, the Clips rank 29th in the league in defensive efficiency giving up 110.8 points per 100 possessions. Only Phoenix is worse. The league average is 104. Their defensive eFG% allowed is the worst in the league at 53.5% vs the league average of 49.5%. Offensively, the Clips rank #25 in offensive efficiency at 100.8. Milwaukee is worst in the league at 97.2. The Clips turn the ball over more than league average and shoot worse from the 3 point line. 

Believe it or not, the Clips are making progress on offense. In 10 of the past 14 games, their offensive efficiency has exceeded the league average. Against Utah, for example, they scored 97 points on 88 possessions for an offensive efficiency rating of 110.2. The trend line is up with the inspired offensive play of EJ and BG. 

Defensively, it's another story. Against Utah the Clips had a very bad defensive efficiency rating of 123.9 (109 points divided by 88 possessions). The Clips continue to play very poor defense because they are playing lots of rookies, don't guard the 3 point line and have never found a suitable replacement for Camby on the defensive end. As good as BG is on the offensive end, he has lots to learn defensively. Yesterday, Utah was a perfect 15 for 15 at the rim. The Clips were 11 of 18 at the rim. There's the difference in the game right there. We have no big on the bench who has a clue about playing D.

For Clips' fans who wanted the Clips to draft Paul and for Paul George followers, here's a writeup from the Indianapolis Star on the Pacers and their wing players including Paul George:

http://www.IndyStar.com/article/20101112/SPORTS04/11120352/1062/SPORTS04/As-Pacers-envisioned-wings-Granger-Dunleavy-Rush-star-in-same-game

With Brandon Rush back from suspension and Dunleavy Jr. playing better, it figures that George will get fewer minutes with the Pacers. Last night against Houston he didn't get off the bench. He's averaging 6 points per game in 18 minutes so far. 

I've read lots of comments about Eric Gordon and how he has not progressed as much as expected in his 2nd NBA year. Let's look at his offensive statistics and see how they compare to other veteran NBA shooting guards in their 2nd season of NBA play. 

Who are these other players? Is Gordon being held to too high expectations in only his 2nd season of play? I believe so. He's considered the team's best defender. That's the primary reason why he was named to Team USA Basketball's roster of 27. His offensive production is outstanding with an effective FGA of over 53%. 

To improve his offensive production, Gordon must get more shots. He averages only 12.5 shots from the field.  If he increased the number of FG attempts to 15 per game, maintained his overall FG percentage and shot FTs at his career average of 81%, he would be averaging over 20 points per game. 

EJ can also improve his value to the team by focusing on playmaking, reducing turnovers and rebounding. 

Three weeks ago the Team USA basketball team roster was announced. Eric Gordon was one of 27 players named to the team. A total of six players named to the roster came out of the 2008 draft: Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, OJ Mayo, Kevin Love, Brook Lopez, and Gordon.

Others named to the team include:

LaMarcus Aldridge F/C

Carmelo Anthony F

Chauncey Billups G

Carlos Boozer F

Chris Bosh F

Kobe Bryant G

Kevin Durant G

Rudy Gay F

Danny Granger F

Dwight Howard F/C

Andre Iguodala F

LeBron James F

Al Jefferson C

David Lee F/C

Lamar Odom F

Chris Paul G

Kendrick Perkins C

Ama’re Stoudemire C

Dwayne Wade G

Gerald Wallace F

Deron Williams G

By no means is this roster made up of the 27 best players in the NBA. Some players opted out of consideration. Those selected for the pool were named for different reasons and roles. But, it’s obvious that the selection committee has a high regard for EJ.

Is Gordon an up-and-coming star in the NBA? Or, is he a player who’s too small to guard and too inconsistent with the 3? Has he regressed this season from last? If so, why was he named to Team USA?