Eric Gordon

Last year we debuted the “Highs and Lows” system — previewing the NBA season by predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team. Same theme, different season…

Added: Blake Griffin, Rasual Butler, Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith, Kareem Rush

Lost: Zach Randolph, Mike Taylor, Fred Jones, Paul Davis

Ceiling: Playoffs
Seriously. I know, we’ve all heard this before — most recently at the beginning of last season, when homecoming king Baron Davis was expected to lead a talented group of Clippers to at least relevancy in the West. While that plan fell apart, this version of the Clips again has talent, depth, a good mix of youngsters and veterans, and a motivated (and in-shape) leader in Davis … Blake Griffin and Baron will get all the hype, but Eric Gordon is a quiet star in the making. While Davis struggled and was in and out of the lineup last season, Gordon got a lot of reps as L.A.’s go-to scorer and had his number called in crunch time, experience that will only help him in Year 2. He could be a 20-point scorer this season … Very few teams have two centers as good as Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby; if they can only stay on the court, the Clips’ frontcourt is strong, especially with promising third-stringer DeAndre Jordan, Rookie of the Year candidate Griffin, and backup PF Craig Smith, who’s something of a middle-class man’s Big Baby Davis … Rasual Butler is a good shooter who can spread the floor, while fellow SF Al Thornton is an explosive scorer who is probably ideal leading the second unit … The Clippers could conceivably grab second-place in the Pacific Division ahead of Phoenix and behind the Lakers and sneak into the playoffs if everything falls into place.

Basement: Putrid
And just when you want to ignore talk of a Clippers curse, the eve of the new season brings news that Griffin will miss up to six weeks with a knee injury. Last season the Clips’ potential was (among other things) shot due to injuries to key players, and apparently the trend won’t stop. Even the most optimistic L.A. fan has to count on Camby and Kaman missing at least a handful of games apiece with whatever injuries will catch up to them this season, and Baron is certainly no Lou Gehrig … Even if he is healthy, Baron was terrible last year. He couldn’t shoot, seemed disinterested in driving, and looked like he’d mentally checked out pretty early into the campaign. When the Clippers did find themselves in competitive games, Baron killed them in the clutch. Was it just a one-year fluke for BD or the beginning of a downward spiral? And is anyone comfortable with Bassy Telfair as Baron’s backup? … Given their history, I’d guess something in the range of just a harmless Lottery season wouldn’t be a bad goal. Even before the Griffin injury, it would’ve been risky to bet on a playoff appearance from a team that has — in many people’s opinion — the worst owner in the NBA (Donald Sterling), the worst coach (Mike Dunleavy Sr.) and the worst player (Ricky Davis).

*** *** ***

10/26 — Indiana Pacers
10/26 — Philadelphia 76ers
10/23 — Dallas Mavericks
10/23 — Washington Wizards
10/23 — Minnesota Timberwolves
10/22 — Utah Jazz
10/22 — Orlando Magic
10/22 — Phoenix Suns
10/21 — Charlotte Bobcats
10/21 — San Antonio Spurs
10/21 — Miami Heat
10/19 — Oklahoma City Thunder
10/19 — Milwaukee Bucks
10/15 — Portland Trail Blazers
10/14 — Chicago Bulls
10/13 — Golden State Warriors
10/12 — Toronto Raptors
10/9 — Houston Rockets
10/8 — Detroit Pistons
10/7 — Memphis Grizzlies
10/6 — New York Knicks
10/5 — New Orleans Hornets
10/2 — Atlanta Hawks
9/30 — Sacramento Kings
9/29 — New Jersey Nets
9/28 — Denver Nuggets

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