Warriors: Pros and Cons of a Klay Thompson-Eric Gordon Deal

Dec 7, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson (11) during the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA Today Sports

A Klay Thompson, Eric Gordon deal, huh? Well that’s a new one.

With the NBA Trade deadline now less than 24 hours away, teams are scrambling to make trades, and although nothing big has happened yet, I’m sure players like Josh Smith will be traded.

Would the Warriors need a deal like this? Right now, preaching offense doesn’t seem to be the solution, as the Warriors are giving up an average of 117.5 PPG over their last six games. I don’t think another offensive piece is the answer.

What are the benefits of a scorer like Eric Gordon, and what are the disadvantages?  Another scorer looks good on paper. Gordon is averaging 16.6 points per game, but there are many other aspects of the game that need to be looked at. For example, how is Gordon’s defense, does he work with Stephen Curry?

Pros:

1. Gordon Knows His Role: Gordon knows his role and is very good at keeping within his limitations. He will not try to be the leader of the team, or the face of the franchise. If he gets traded to the Warriors, he will know that David Lee and Curry are the ones that are going to lead this team to victory. Gordon is a scorer, yes, but he is also very open to ideas. I’m sure he would rather win than pad his individual stats.

2. Thompson’s Shot Selection: Thompson, as he becomes more experienced, will learn to improve his bad habit of launching threes, but as of now, he hasn’t been able to do so. What he doesn’t realize is that he needs to start driving to the basket more, and he will become more of a scorer, not just a shooter. Until he does that, he will only be good. The Warriors may also save a couple of possessions as baskets by getting rid of Thompson’s bad shot selection. Then again, patience in him might be wise.

Cons:

1. Gordon’s Size: At 6’3, Gordon is very undersized as a shooting guard. He may have a tough time defending some of the taller ones in the league like Kobe Bryant, or James Harden, who are both 6’5. Gordon isn’t the best defender either, as his perimeter defense isn’t very good compared to Thompson’s, who has the potential to be an elite defender. It just isn’t worth it defensively.

2. Injury Prone: In making this trade, the Warriors would be going from Thompson, a guy who hasn’t missed a single game in his career, to Gordon, a guy who is the definition of injury prone. This is self-explanatory. I’m sure head coach Mark Jackson wouldn’t exactly be very happy to see his starting backcourt both sitting on the bench due to injury, as Curry also defines injury prone.

3. Thompson is a Rising Star: In his second season, Thompson is averaging four more points per game than last season. This is a huge improvement, and Thompson knows his role. When his shot selection becomes better, he will be an even bigger threat . He is one of the best players in the league at shooting, and he’s only going to be better. Many critics have compared him to one of the greatest, and future hall-of-famer, Ray Allen. Thompson is headed to a long and prosperous career.