Not to steal Charlie’s “Thunder”, so to speak, but here are a few quick items you should also check out (but either before or after you do so, you HAVE to read Charlie’s piece).

Found Objects – 7.28.11 (Click read more for full article)

• In today’s installment of his power forward rankings, Chris Palmer put Blake, not Dirk, as the top 4 man in the league (Dirk, Amar’e, Kevin Love and Pau Gasol round out the top-5 for you local folks). Here’s Palmer’s claim:

Think it’s too soon to anoint Griffin? His talent, skill and numbers say otherwise. Even in the raw, early stages of his development, Griffin possesses the most positive attributes of any power forward and he’s far and away the best athlete at the position. He was the first rookie in 41 years to average 22 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the previous player to do it.) How many other active power forwards have rung up a triple-double of 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists? Hint: zero. Griffin is built for contact and thrives as the game becomes more physical. Griffin averaged 8.5 free throw attempts per game; only Dwight Howard got to the line more. Griffin’s 3.8 assists per game lead all power forwards and his 12 boards were good for third. He seems to get better every time out and is bent on adding new phases to his game. By the middle of the season he was bringing the ball up court and surprising his coaches with his ability to not just go coast-to-coast for the dunk but by making positive decisions passing the basketball.

By the end of the season, he was an ace passing out of double-teams, assisting on more 3-point shots than any power forward. He’s also developed one of the most effective spin moves in the game. His most pressing need is a consistent jump shot from 18-20 feet, which happens to be yet another skill he’s rapidly developing. But let’s not forget those dunks. With his soaring slams, Griffin not only succeeded in intimidating seasoned veterans — opponents stopped jumping with him by January — but did the impossible by making the Clippers must-see TV.

• Today’s 5-on-5 covered the league’s power forwards (in accordance to the rest of the week’s theme). Blake didn’t get any votes for best PF (they all went to Dirk, with one Zach Randolph) or most underrated, but he did receive a lot of love when talking about the league’s most promising power forward:

4. Who’s the most promising power forward in the NBA?

Henry Abbott, TrueHoop: Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge are leading a pack that includes all kinds of potential in the likes of Derrick Favors, Thaddeus Young, Michael Beasley, Derrick Williams and Bismack Biyombo.

Justin DeFeo, Nets Are Scorching: In his rookie season, Blake Griffin proved he is a lot more than just a human highlight film. He showed his blend of athleticism and power were simply too much for opposing forwards to deal with. He averaged a double-double this past season and still has yet to add different dimensions to his game.

Rahat Huq, Red94: All that stands in the way of young Blake Griffin and ultimate greatness is the Krispy Kreme curse to which his 1990s Seattle-based forebearer fell victim.

Bret LaGree, Hoopinion: There’s essentially no level of accomplishment Blake Griffin could achieve that would surprise me. Already, he can score, rebound and pass at an elite level. Should his defense and free throw shooting improve to anywhere north of average, he’ll have an argument to be the best player in the NBA.

• Ben Golliver of CBS Sports’ Eye On Basketball Blog ranked the Clippers’ roster the fifth best in the NBA:

5. Los Angeles Clippers

Assets: Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Bledsoe, Chris Kaman and Randy Foye’s expiring contracts, salary cap flexibility

Anchors: Mo Williams

Questions: Youth, depth, future of DeAndre Jordan

Analysis: Surprised? Cut though the history of incompetence associated with the Clippers franchise and you’ll see a dynamic inside/outside combination in Griffin and Gordon that complements each other perfectly. Both players have All-Star potential and are currently on rookie deals, meaning they are maximized assets in the here and now. The only somewhat questionable contract on the books is Mo Williams, but he fills a positional need and is certainly tradeable. Otherwise, there’s young talent in Aminu and Bledsoe and flexibility in the form of cap space and expiring contracts. The Clippers offer two extremely exciting core pieces and a clear path to constructing a very bright future around them.

• Neil Paine of Basketball Reference compiled his rankings of “Who Ruled the Top Defenses in 2011?”. EJ (#14) and Blake (#20) made appearances as top players vs. below average defenses, while Bledsoe (#262) and Aminu (#263) made appearances as the second-to-last and third-to-last (worst) players against above average defenses. Aminu also ranked 238th vs. below average defenses, whereas Bledsoe (#221) had one of the worst disparities when comparing his performance against above average defenses to below average defenses (hat tip to Nick Flynt).

Twitter: @JovanBuha

At any given time over the course of NBA history, you could probably state that a significant portion of the teams were “building through the draft.”  Or at least trying to.  Pick the team with the best collection of young talent and you can bet that team would be classified as The Model for that time.  More...

Found Objects – 7.26.11

• In today’s 5-on-5, ESPN and TrueHoop writers discuss and debate the top shooting guards in the NBA. Naturally there was a debate between Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade for the best 2-guard, Monta Ellis was labeled the most overrated at the position and Michael Jordan was unanimously named the best shooting guard (player) ever. What came as a surprise was all of the love EJ received from the five writers. One picked EJ as the most underrated SG and four picked him as the most promising. Here are their thoughts:

2. Who’s the most underrated shooting guard in the NBA?

Dan Feldman, Piston Powered: Eric Gordon. If he weren’t playing with the NBA’s breakout superstar, Blake Griffin, maybe Gordon would’ve gotten more credit. I guess averaging 22.3 points, 4.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game, mixed with stellar defense, isn’t enough, though. If Gordon keeps producing like this, people will eventually notice. They definitely will if he improves, which very well could happen.

4. Who’s the most promising shooting guard in the NBA?

Hayes Davenport, Celtics Hub: Eric Gordon. Maybe he’s been in the league too long to be up-and-coming, but he’s still only 22: less than three months older than Blake Griffin. Gordon’s going to be a great scorer for a long time, and his defense continues to improve. There’s also the fact that shooting guard is the weakest position for young players in the game.

Ryan DeGama, Celtics Hub: Eric Gordon. Injuries and Blake Griffin dunks overshadowed the continued improvement of Gordon, who is going to be an elite scorer in this league sooner or later. The questions are around whether the rest of his game will rise to that level.

Dan Feldman, Piston Powered: Eric Gordon. Not only is Gordon the NBA’s most underrated shooting guard, he has the potential to get much better. He’s improved each year he’s been in the league, and it’s only a matter of time until all his skills — outside shooting, penetrating, defending and passing — come together at once.

Noam Schiller, Hardwood Paroxysm: Despite my affection for 2010 draftees Evan Turner and Paul George, your man here is Eric Gordon. EG was one of many players to make huge strides after his Team USA experience last summer, and he complements his extraordinary inside-outside scoring game with an aggressive defensive mentality, solid court vision and an adorable baby face.

• ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Palmer, in similar accordance to 5-on-5′s rankings, will be ranking the top-5 players at each position all week. In today’s installment, he ranked the league’s five best shooting guards. EJ came in at #5 (behind Kobe, D-Wade, Ellis and Manu Ginobili). Here’s what Palmer had to say:

Gordon entered the league during the same season as Russell Westbrook, and despite not receiving the same level of attention as the Thunder’s star point guard, Gordon put up numbers from the 2 spot that were comparable this season in every major statistical category, except assists. Gordon has flown primarily under the radar thanks to very little national television exposure and the fact that he’s yet to make a playoff appearance in his three-year career. But make no mistake: Gordon is as skilled as any young shooting guard in the league and could be this season’s breakout player.

Gordon is a master at creating his own shot off the dribble, with his herky-jerky in-and-out dribble being one of his most reliable weapons. He loves to pull up and sling his quick release trey on the break, and he connected on 36 percent of his 3-point attempts despite being plagued by a wrist injury, which caused him to miss 26 games.

Gordon could be, pound-for-pound, the strongest player in the game under 6-foot-4. Forwards who outweigh him by 30 pounds bounce off his sturdy frame as he bullies his way to the rim. He also possesses deceptively good leaping ability. With a full, healthy season, there’s little reason Gordon shouldn’t contend for an All-Star berth at shooting guard.

• Chris Kaman will be joining Dirk Nowitzki and the rest of the men’s German team in the upcoming European Basketball Championship next month.

• Disable players, including LA Clippers wheelchair team member Felix Tapia, want a more sincere apology from Laker center Andrew Bynum for parking in handicap spaces without a placard.

• Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, in a special to ESPN, writes about the lockout, its problems and complexities, and offers some advice on how to solve the issue. Interestingly, he takes a jab at former Clipper (and #1 overall pick) Michael Olowakandi, criticizing his work ethic:

I have seen this process firsthand. When I coached for the Clippers, I had to deal with Michael Olowokandi, a player who perfectly fit the description “talented but uncoachable.” At practice, I would attempt to point out Mr. Olowokandi’s faults to him, ones he constantly repeated and resulted in lost possessions for the team or personal fouls that sent him to the bench. His reaction to my attempts to correct his bad habits was to take my input as a personal insult and embarrassment. He told me point-blank that he would not be criticized in front of the team. He stuck to his word and, as a result, had very few successful moments on the court playing the way he wanted to play. He took his place on the list of athletically gifted washouts who have been in and out of the league in the past 10 years.

Twitter: @JovanBuha

Trying to characterize Shane Battier is one of the more difficult tasks as a basketball writer. How do you find the perfect balance between describing the nuances that make Battier a special player without overstating the clichés that have come to define him?

The Battier Scouting Report: He’s selfless. He only cares about winning. He does the little things. He’s an intellectual player. He’s an excellent defender. He’s the ultimate role player/glue guy.

Now that we’ve established those well-worn traits, we can evaluate and assess whether Battier, an unrestricted free agent this offseason, fits into the Clippers’ plans.  More...