It’s been almost a week and a half since IU’s basketball team finished its season and there has been a lot to talk about since then. With the coaching search at full steam and questions concerning whether or not some players will return, Hoosier hoops fans haven’t had to search very hard for conversation starters. But one thing that hasn’t come up much is the future of Eric Gordon.
Despite the assumptions, Eric Gordon still hasn't announced whether or not he'll return to IU next year.
For some reason, most IU fans assume that the freshman phenom is already gone. But Gordon has not yet declared that he will enter the NBA Draft, and though most fans came into the season with the understanding that Gordon would be gone following his freshman year, a lot has changed since then.
Why Eric Gordon should stay at IU:
There’s no question that Gordon could develop more as a player. He needs work on his ball handling and passing, and his shot selection and decision-making could use some work. While many IU fans have been critical of Gordon all season long, it wasn’t until recently that the “experts” started to notice.
ESPN.com’s Chad Ford, the site’s NBA Draft specialist, finally noticed Gordon’s flaws when the Hoosiers lost to Arkansas in the NCAA tournament. “Eric Gordon is another high-profile freshman who seems to have run out of gas at the end of the season,”
writes Ford. “Indiana's scoring machine completely lost his shooting touch, going 10-for-62 from 3 in his last 10 games. Against Arkansas in the first round of the tourney, he shot 3-for-15 from the field, 2-for-6 from the line and had three turnovers and just one assist.”
Once predicted to be the third overall pick on the site,
Ford now has Gordon going eighth overall. And Ford thinks he could fall even more.
“He'd probably be better suited if he returned for another season at IU, but, with all of the current problems in the program, it isn't likely,” writes Ford.
Other sites also have Gordon slipping.
NBADraft.net also had Gordon slotted as high as third overall during the regular season, but now the site lists Gordon going fifth overall.
My NBADraft.com has the IU freshman going seventh.
While Gordon is still a first-round lock, his falling stock suggests that his game still needs work. He’s not going to have an immediate impact on the NBA, so why not come back to IU and try to win a Big Ten title while polishing his skills?
Why Eric Gordon should leave IU:
There’s no doubt that Gordon came in thinking he was one and done. It’s been common knowledge throughout the season—even early on, when Kelvin Sampson didn’t mention Gordon’s name among the building blocks of next season’s team. Indiana was simply supposed to be a stepping-stone for Gordon to bigger and better things. The only thing that could have made Gordon stay is Kelvin Sampson.
Sampson pulled off the near impossible by bringing Gordon to IU. The North Central standout had already committed to Illinois, but Sampson proved persuasive enough to convince Gordon to back out of his commitment and become a Hoosier. Obviously, there was a strong bond between the freshman and his coach.
That bond remained strong throughout the season; even as Sampson was under fire for violating his NCAA probation, Gordon’s support for the coach never waivered. He said he wouldn’t play for anyone besides Sampson, and that is likely true.
It would be understandable for Gordon to come back to the coach who recruited him, to play in a program that is a competitor. But how could he commit to return to play for a coach that hasn’t yet been named? Why would he risk returning to a program that is in the middle of such turmoil?
The verdict:
Despite his falling stock, Gordon will take his chances with the NBA. As much as some IU fans want him to come back, IU just doesn’t have anything to offer the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
For more on Eric Gordon:
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