The Clippers have lost starting shooting guard Eric Gordon indefinitely due to a bone chip in his wrist.  Gordon had just returned from missing 18 games due to injury.  In his two games back before he was injured again, Gordon averaged 24.5 minutes, 14.5 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.5 assists per game.  He has now played in 43 games (all starts) for the Clippers so far this year and he is averaging 37.2 minutes, 23.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  The Clippers are going to miss Gordon, but Randy Foye proved last month that he’s not chopped liver.  In 14 games in February, Randy Foye averaged 36.8 minutes, 17.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  Foye will replace Gordon in the starting lineup at shooting guard.  Foye has now played in 44 games (18 starts) overall this season for the Clippers and he is averaging 23.1 minutes, 9.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

22-year old center DeAndre Jordan did a solid job both rebounding and playing defense while Chris Kaman was out of action.  Kaman is back now and the Clippers are starting to cut Jordan’s minutes a bit.  In his last four games, Jordan is averaging 20.8 minutes, 4.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 2.3 blocked shots per game.  Jordan has now played in 59 games (50 starts) for the Clippers so far this season and he is averaging 25.8 minutes, 6.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game.  Jordan is shooting an amazing 67.6% from the floor so far this year but most of his shots are put backs and dunks.  That helps explain the fact that Jordan is only a 45.2% free throw shooter as his range is very, very limited.  Still, kudos to Jordan for a job well done while Kaman was out of action.  Hopefully, he stays focused and playing hard despite having his minutes cut.

The Los Angeles Clippers will be without starting shooting guard Eric Gordon for the next 3-4 weeks due to a small bone chip fracture in his right wrist.  Gordon has played in 41 games (all starts) for the Clippers so far  this year and he is averaging 37.8 minutes, 24.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  They are really going to miss Gordon’s offense while he is out of action.  Randy Foye will be replacing Gordon in the starting lineup until he’s ready to return to action.  Foye got his first start of the season last night against the Mavericks and he responded with 15 points, 1 rebound and 4 assists in 28 minutes on the floor.  He has now played in 25 games (1 start) for the Clippers so far this year and he is averaging 13.5 minutes, 4.7 points, 0.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists  per game.  Foye’s first order or business will be to improve his shooting stroke as he is only hitting 33.3% from the floor so far this year.  The Clippers need Foye to step up or teams are going to start packing the paint defensively which will give Blake Griffin’s job a lot harder.

31-year old point guard Baron Davis has been pretty awful so far this year but in his defense he has had a bum knee.  Davis has played in 11 games (4 starts) for the Clippers so far this year and he is averaging 24.7 minutes, 7.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game.  Davis is only shooting 32.6% from the floor, 14.8% from three point range and 65% from the free throw line so far this year.  His poor start has caught the eye of Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling who has been taunting him from his seats courtside seats.  Davis has now played in 151 games (137 starts) in his first three years with the Clippers and he is averaging 33.4 minutes, 14.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

The Clippers need more out of 22-year old center DeAndre Jordan.  Jordan has played in 18 games (9 starts) for the Clippers so far this year and he is averaging 19.0 minutes, 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game.  He is shooting a stunning 65.1% from the floor but most of his shots have been putbacks and dunks.  Jordan is only shooting 48% from the free throw line so far this year and that’s just not acceptable at all.  With starting center Chris Kaman out of action the Clippers need more out of Jordan.

31-year old SF/SG Rasual Butler needs to step up for the Clippers. He has played in 12 games (2 starts) so far this year for the Clippers and he is averaging 24.1 minutes, 8.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Butler is only shooting 35% from the floor and 34.4% from three point range this season and that just won’t get it done. His shooting stroke is his main skill so if he keeps heaving up bricks he’s just not going to play much.

The Clippers are expecting Steve Blake, Drew Gooden and Travis Outlaw to give them good minutes the rest of the year. Blake has played in 3 games (2 starts) for the Clippers so far this season and he is averaging 29.3 minutes, 5.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game. His problem has been his shooting so far as he is only hitting 35.7% of his shots from the floor for the Clippers. Drew Gooden made his Clippers’ debut last night working 28 minutes in which he scored 10 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and he stole the ball once. Travis Outlaw also made his debut last night for the Clippers as he played 16 minutes in which he scored 10 points and grabbed 1 rebound. Gooden & Outlaw helped the Clippers beat the Bobcats last night.

DeAndre Jordan and Craig Smith will likely see nice bumps in playing time due to the trade of Marcus Camby to the Blazers. Jordan has played in 40 games (6 starts) for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 12.4 minutes, 3.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. He will likely be a better rebounder and defensive player than Craig Smith. Smith however is a much better offensive player than Jordan at this point in his career. Smith has played in 50 games (0 starts) for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 16.0 minutes, 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

Last season Al Thornton looked like a player on the rise. He played in 71 games (67 starts) for the Clippers last season and he averaged 37.4 minutes, 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. The Clippers brought in Rasual Butler over the summer in a trade with the Hornets and he has cut into Thornton’s playing time. Thornton has played in 50 games (30 starts) this season for the Clippers and he is averaging 27.7 minutes, 10.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Unless Butler gets traded next week look for Thornton to continue to see less minutes then he got last year.

SG/SF Ricky Davis just isn’t helping the Clippers too much this season. He has played in 32 games (2 starts) for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 14.3 minutes, 4.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. It almost seems that Davis is going through the motions as he is a more talented player than he is showing. Remember, this is a guy who once shot at his own basket to get his 10th rebound to secure a triple-double that the league disallowed. He is not a team player.