Dear Club Optimism,

I often read about how citizens of Clipper Nation say our team doesn't need talent as much as it needs players that are willing to give 100% every time. A lot of Clipper fans talk about how we have so many players with character issues and not enough dedication to working hard. Do we still have work horses after the FElton era? Yes, we do, but it's difficult to really see it in such a dismal season. We seem to forget that we're fans and we don't know the severity of injuries on a professional athlete's level. The fact that these guys go out there for 48 minutes 82 times between November and April (Some to June) is astonishing enough, but we forget the hours of practice they go through. The wear and tear of the NBA is something a lot of fans can't comprehend. I'm not saying I do understand how grueling a season can physically be, nor am I saying this season is acceptable by any means. Baron played through his injured finger in the beginning of the season, but he seemed to be the most defeated Clipper on the roster by April. I think Zach Randolph is arguably a slacker, but the loss of a loved one during a tumultuous season can severely alter someone's game (Ask Leandro Barbosa). Although we had guys who clearly slacked off this season like Ricky Davis who was terrible and Kaman who wore himself out during the summer, we had players who clearly made the best of their time and put in substantial effort.

One case is the performance of the rookies. Eric Gordon exploded this season as a ROY candidate. Mike Taylor took the opportunities he got when Baron was injured and showed he could be a solid backup right now. Deandre Jordan is constantly active and looking for playing time; even on the bench his enthusiasm is incredible. These young players have a fire in their hearts to become great players right now.

The second case is the chip on the veterans' shoulders. Fred Jones finally found a team and showed the league that he can probably win another slam dunk title, and he took every opportunity that came to him. He's worked hard in every game we've seen him in. Mardy Collins? Enough said, he proved himself from useless by Hollinger to a very decent backup in the Clippers rotation. Marcus Camby is hands-down our first half of the season MVP for being a class act during such a horrible season. Steve Novak proved how good he could be in this league.

The third case is the guys who were buried on the bench but remained class-acts. I really stand up for these guys because as an avid reader of this and the "other" blog, I know these two really took a lot of heat for not living up to what they were supposed to be this season. Jason Hart and Brian Skinner we second-stringers at the start of the season, and eventually became non-existent with the emergence of of Mike Taylor and DJ. Okay, well Skinner still logged more minutes than DJ but you could tell DJ was slowly getting more time over Skinner by season's end. Hart on the other hand was eventually waived. I give these two a gold star for roughing it through and not even complaining about where they were on the bench. Hart saw Taylor get better and better and didn't even complain. He just acted as a good lockerroom guy through and through.

Who am I missing now? The guy who has been a complete enigma. I know I've written up some posts on him in the past so it may seem repetitive, but Al Thornton is the player we've seemed to forget for much of this season and for good reason. I mean, I would be lying if I said I was more excited about Al Thornton than Eric Gordon this past season. After having a promising rookie campaign and proving he could be a great player in this league from December onward, we all believed Al was going to do good things for this team. I think fans had the highest expectations from Al; that he could become the dominant go-to guy the Clippers needed after FElton and Corey abandoned ship. We got a taste of what might come in the 2008 Las Vegas Summer League after dominating scrubs. However, this season was such a disappointment. Al shot a horrendous 28% from 3pt range. He continued to settle for jumpers when he could have easily driven to the hoop. He continued to jab and jab and jab and go for the fadeaway, never seeming to learn from those mistakes. The result? Many fans saying that Al is either simply a brainless oaf of a player who can't get any smarter, or that he's clearly slacking. First of all basketball fundamentals and knowing how and when to use them can be taught and practiced. No one is born with them. Second of all, Al is hands-down the hardest working Clipper on the team. I think so many years of terrible drafting and finally getting a steal in Al, we felt he could do all the things we thought he could do. However, one must agree that even if he never becomes a superstar or even an all-star, we know how Al responds to adversity and challenges. We've seen it when he was left off the rookie team; and I know Al Horford definitely saw. We've seen how he feels after blowout losses. We've seen his response to DTS. We've seen him prove critics wrong. There is no moment I believe Al is a slacker and should be labeled with the Davises. I'll admit that his BBall IQ has been low this season and he doesn't make the right choices on the court, but the willingness to become a great player is there, and I wouldn't trade him because of the character he's shown.

A final point I want to make is that I feel as a Clipper fan I can understand how human our players really are rather than persay a perennial playoff team's fan who expects their them to be in the playoffs every year contending for a title because it just seems so easy for them (And I apologize for the hasty generalization). Clipper Nation understands how tough it is to get a competitive team on the floor; it took 9 years since the 1997 season to see it in the '05-'06 squad. We've endured so many injuries and realized how much effort each player is giving on the court. We know what dissappointment is in Olowokandi. We know what betrayal is in FElton. We know what crushed dreams are in Shaun's knees.  I think when all is said and done, and when the championship is finally won by whatever Clipper team in the future, all that pain and suffering will be worth it. Perhaps that time will be with Eric Gordon and Al Thornton.

Note:  I promoted this excellent post by citizen Redmosa to the front page.  It's timely, well written, well researched and contains lots of great links and background: nice work citizen.

EJ just moved up to numero quatro.

At about the time last year, Al was teetering on the number ten spot. I believe it's a testament of how good Eric Gordon really is.

Frankly I'm not surprised. However, I am rather shocked at Sir David Thorpe's rankings. I mean, I knew that Thorpe and the entire analyst crew at ESPN are biased against the Clippers (Ex: Al only hitting #8 in Thorpes final '07-'08 rankings, Philly making the better trade and us failing by getting Davis1, our best-case scenario being 30 wins at most, etc etc...), but honestly, give credit when it's deserved. But this isn't a bash ESPN post. I'm talking about our past two draft picks Al Thornton and Eric Gordon.

(You all might already know my standing towards Al, and some of you have expressed frustration and even more frustrations toward our sophomore forward, and indeed he has a long way to go in terms of technique, finesse, and basketball IQ.)

As were many of you, I was heartbroken to see our number six pick bumped to number seven when the Bulls were undeservingly handed the number one pick. At the time I was a pretty big fan of Jerryd Bayless, and seeing him still undrafted by our turn shocked me seeing as he could go as high as the number three pick. What shocked me even more was that Russell Westbrook, the unproven UCLA guard who had shown only glimpses of brilliance was picked at number four. When our turn came to pick from either Gordon or Bayless, I thought the choice was obvious... Why would we pick the guy who seemed undersized, like he could only play the 2, and often seemed prone to injuries? Well, we picked EJ and life moved on.

Now, I wasn't a believer in EJ (As I wasn't with Thornton), but watching him in Summer League was impressive to say the least. His shots weren't falling, but they looked amazing anyway; and when his shots didn't go in, he took it to the rim. The kid has a nose for scoring and knows how to score when one option isn't working. Hell, why not? I jumped on the EJ bandwagon as I did with Al and supported the rookie. The funny thing is, the two are following a similar pathway starting their careers off:

Al

- Benchwarmer for the beginning of the season.

- Played more minutes when Patterson the vet was waived.

- The bright spot on an injury-plagued team

- Lit it up December onwards.

EJ

-Benchwarmer for the beginning of the season

- Played more minutes when Mobley is traded/retired

- The bright spot on an injury-plagued team

- Dominates from December onwards.

The dissappointing facts about Al's rookie season was that he was indeed snubbed from the rookie all-star game because of the forward-heavy draft class he was in (Which could be why the sophomores may lose this year with no big men or strong guards). However, he was able to make the first rookie team.

I have no doubt that EJ will make it to all-star weekend because he's making his strides earlier, more consistently, and in greater commodities (Al made a lot of statement games but not as many as EJ will probably make this year). First-team all-rookie? We'll have to see about that because of the rookies he's competing with.

Will we be seeing our two young Clippers at all-star weekend? Al Thornton vs Eric Gordon would be a huge happening for the Clippers we haven't seen since Elton Brand vs Darius Miles. If Al gets snubbed this year... Well, let's hope it doesn't because there ARE forwards who are playing more efficiently than Al right now. The franchise needs more publicity and I'd love nothing more than to see our past two draft picks playing against each other.

Our friend Kevin Arnovitz posted this earlier in the week and it intrigued me.

When the Clippers drafted Al in the summer of 2007, I was among many skeptics who were dumbfounded by the front office's decision to draft a forward (a luxery at the time) and not a point guard (a dire necesity because of Mr. Livingston). However, I was a temporary skeptic once I saw him play in the summer league; specifically when I saw him drop 24 against the Nuggets. We saw him struggle before the all-star break, but then he broke out during the second half of the season after being snubbed from the rookie all-star team. We've seen how vicious Al can be with a chip on his shoulder (Ask the Grizzlies & Hawks), and it earned him a spot on the first-team all rookie; he was one of the few bright spots on a Brandless season.

From his days at Florida State, to the pros, Al has been improving. Al's a guy that's all about working hard at the gym, practicing, and... working hard. He understands his flaws (rebounding, passing, defending) and Al just seems to look better each game. Even from his words I get this feeling Al wants to be the franchise player or the go-to guy, or whatever you want to call it. I remember Al stating after the first blowout to the Lakers this year, "At the end of the day, we all have the same goal. We want to win. It can't be tolerated."

Al has a talent for scoring, and he can do it anywhere on the basketball court. His slashing and finishing skills are amazing in the paint and as much as we want him to drive more to the basket, Al can make some of the most incredibly difficult jump shots I've ever seen. Honestly, I'm happy that he's driving more now, but at the same time I'm a bit disappointed that he isn't shooting as many 3-pointers. Last year his 3PT% was much higher than Kevin Durants (albeit Al took considerably less 3PT shots than KD did). But this is an entirely different subject in and of itself.

What I'm concerned with is Al's future in the league. As many of us here at Clips Nation have recognized, AT12 is not a young rookie. In fact, he just recently turned 25. One of the most noteable superstars Al has been compared to is "The Human Highlight Film," Dominique Wilkins. Our own Marcus Camby has even seen the flashes of Nique in Al and perhaps it's possible for Al to achieve Dominiqueness (Even now in the shadows of Davis1 and Z-Bo). Although the Hawks failed to make the playoffs in '84-'85, Nique was averaging 27.4PPG and 6.9RPG at the age of 25 and consistently averaging 20+PPG in his career.

So perhaps Nique'ness is a bit too much to expect at the moment for youg ole Al, but could it be possible for him to attain such greatness in the future? Honestly, I don't believe AT ALL that Al is the second-coming of Corey Maggette, and as much as I appreciate everything Corey's done for the team, I think he is the worst-case scenario for Al to end up as (A one-dimensional scorer). One reasonable comparison that strikes similar with Al is Alex English. At the same age both players have similar stats, and I think Al can make the same progression as a player that English did. Al has the athleticism and flash in his game but low basketball IQ, while it was slightly the opposite for English. For now, it's a very reasonable best-case scenario for Al, and if he can be as good as English, then maybe he can obtain the Nique'ness that we all believe he can reach. Al works hard enough, and I blieve that his hard-work and belief can be greater than the weight of age.

I'm callin' you out on this one CS. (Or anyone really).

"

In preparation for the 2008 NBA Draft, NBA.com is conducting the 2nd Annual Fan Voice Mock Draft, where you, the fan, can draft for your favorite team. The Fan Voice Mock Draft will be conducted in the Draft Forum and take place on Monday, June 23 and Tuesday, June 24. Before you sign up, please read the schedule below and make sure you will be available at the time(s) your team selects.

If you choose a team that has two picks in the first round (Memphis, New Jersey and Seattle), you will make both selections for your team. We do not need representatives for Atlanta, Dallas or the Lakers, because they don't have any picks in the first round.

We will choose two representatives from each team, with the second being a backup. If the primary representative does not make the pick in the first 20 minutes of the scheduled time, the backup will be asked to make the pick.

Please make sure to include your e-mail address below, because we will use it to notify you that you have been selected. We'll also announce the names in the Draft Blog and Draft Forum.

Also, make sure you have a Fan Voice account and include your handle in the second field below.

We will select the representatives (primary and backup) according to the following criteria:
1. Knowledge of your team.
2. *Writing ability (proper spelling, punctuation, capitilization, etc.)
3. Timeliness (first come, first serve, as long as it's good according to 1 & 2)

*You will be asked to provide an explanation with your pick. So that you don't feel rushed and so we can keep the draft moving, you can make the pick during your scheduled time, and then provide the explanation afterward.

Please fill out the form below if you are interested and will be available at the time your team drafts.

For an example of what we're looking for, check out last year's Fan Voice Mock Draft on the right side of this page.

"

If anyone has an NBA account, I think this would be a great opportunity to express our woes for the team and possibly have them read by people who work in the Clipper front office. Whenever there has been an issue with our team, the citizens of Clipsnations have some of the best ideas how to fix them (Fix Our Clips, etc). So, I'm just encouraging anyone with any good ideas on who we should draft in our position to just shoot'em out there.

REALLY?!

ARE YOU F-ING KIDDING ME? WHAT THE HELL? WHAT THE HELL?

When you have Mobley at the 1 with Tim Thomas not having scored any points(who's obviously not taking the game seriously), and Corey Maggete out for the majority of the fourth, you're asking to lose against the Timberwolves... And it looks like we succeeded tonight. I mean... Really now? The Timberwolves? The TIMBERWOLVES?

I mean... You guys didn't have to come out playing like superstars. You guys didn't have to look sharp. You guys just had to care a little about the freakin' game.

Oh, and f- you Tim Thomas. F- you. I hope you get waived this year because this team doesn't need your unmotivated ass.

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE.

Okay. I'm calm.

So we all know Al Thornton is an outstanding athlete, and more so, he's turned out to be an excellent crunch time/fourth quarter player. We've seen him raise the Clips' spirits down the stretch these past few weeks, and I think we can give him a nickname right about now:

"Energizer Bunny" as stated by Corey Maggette.

Jinx, but my hopes for Al are still incredibly high to compete for RoY as we've had a taste of during preseason and summer leage. Let's hope Donald Sterling keeps vouching for him so he continues to produce while he gets his minutes from MDsr.

Do I get any amens?

NOTE: The following Diary by Citizen Redmosa was promoted from the Diaries section...

2008 NBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING WESTERN CONFERENCE

Centers: Yao Ming (Hou) 439,125; Amaré Stoudemire (Pho) 286,401; Erick Dampier (Dal) 101,878; Marcus Camby (Den) 94,473; Pau Gasol (Mem) 73,461; Mehmet Okur (Utah) 51,017; Chris Kaman (LAC) 40,256; LaMarcus Aldridge (Por) 35,601; Tyson Chandler (NO) 32,595; Andris Biedrins (GS) 29,026.

Now, I'm not saying the people above Chris in the polls aren't as good as he is, but the stats don't lie.

-Third in blocked shots.
-Third in rebounds.
-Third highest scoring Center in the western conference and fourth in the NBA.

Chris has put up a better defensive game than Yao, Amare, and Pau Gasol have throughout the season.

Erick Dampier? Are you serious? COME ON!

Kaman has been more consistent offensively than Marcus Camby and puts up nearly the same number of BPG and RPG.

Mehmet Okur... Yeah... More consistency please?

Voters are so blind it's ridiculous. Chris is number 1 in double-doubles for centers in the western conference and by far the most consistent, yet I hear no praise or news on his stellar play. I'm starting to believe that, like EB, he's going to be looked down on and be one of the most underrated players in this league. It's pretty sad if you think about it. I mean, the voting for all-star is still a popularity contest overall, but I still feel that Chris is going to be the unsung hero. However! At least there's news that Dwyane Wade had some good things to say about Kaman and that the coaches have really been praising Chris for his career year. The thing that disturbs me though is that it had to come from D-Wade to get any attention. Don't get me wrong though, I love D-Wade, but oh well, maybe Chris will get the coaches pick, you never know. But stats don't lie and it's a shame that the Clippers will have another extremely skilled underrated player.

My predictions for Kaman this year:

- All-Star reserve (Coaches pick)
- All-NBA second team
- All-Defensive Team
- Most Improved Player
- Close runner-up to defensive player of the year next to Marcus Camby