Eric Bledsoe is proving his worth with Clippers Eric Bledsoe wants Chris Paul back on the floor as much as anyone in the Los Angeles Clippers organization. Paul is, after all, a mentor and friend to the younger Bledsoe – not to mention the epicenter of all that is good for this team that enters Thursday night's game at Minnesota with the second-best record in the Western Conference (30-9). But while Paul continues to recover from a deep knee bruise that has forced him to miss the last two games and is expected to keep him out against the Timberwolves, no one could blame Bledsoe if he was secretly hoping that Paul takes his time in returning. He's not alone in that regard, either, as this is the sort of unofficial, starring-role audition that rival teams were hoping to see for one of the league's most dynamic under-the-radar talents. As the Feb. 21 trade deadline looms, the third-year point guard out of Kentucky is expected to attract serious attention from rival teams that are already convinced he could be their starting point guard. But being teammates with Paul and venerable veteran Chauncey Billups means there will be more time spent in the shadows than the spotlight – until now. This is the sort of consistent playing time Bledsoe has been lacking since Paul came to the Clippers via trade New Orleans in Dec. 2011, and he's made the most of it while leading the Clippers to road wins over Memphis (14 points, four rebounds, three assists) and Houston (19 points, seven rebounds, five assists). He was already the benefactor of an injury, as Billups has played in just three games this season and is out indefinitely with a foot injury. Bledsoe, a relentless defender who was nicknamed "Mini LeBron" for his remarkable athleticism and versatility, is averaging 8.8 points, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while playing just 18.8 minutes per. He has become a YouTube favorite for the most ardent of NBA fans, with his most viewed highlights from this season including a high-flying, backpedaling block of Miami's Dwyane Wade on a dunk attempt on Nov. 14 and a Paul-to-Bledsoe alley-oop on Dec. 22. "I'm pretty excited that I'll be getting to play a lot…showing people what I can do and how hard I worked on my game over the summer," Bledsoe said in a phone interview with USA TODAY Sports. Bledsoe has had to be patient before. He played behind (and mostly next to) No. 1 pick John Wall in his one season at Kentucky, then started 25 games for the 32-50 Clippers as a rookie (averaging 6.7 points, 3.6 assists and 1.1 assists while playing 22.6 minutes per) before being relegated to a reserve role when Paul arrived. The irony, of course, is that former Clippers general manager Neil Olshey (now in Portland) made it a priority to not give up Bledsoe in the deal for Paul. But rather than dwell on the ripple effect of Paul's presence, Bledsoe has embraced the chance to learn from the future Hall of Famer. "The only thing I want to do is get him a whole lot better and have him make me 10 times better," Bledsoe said of Paul. "We were talking one day, and I was like, 'You know, I've learned a lot from you Chris.' And he was like, 'Man, I'm learning a lot from you.' It felt good to have one of the best point guards tell me that." While Clippers vice president of basketball operations Gary Sacks did not want to discuss the prospect of whether Bledsoe could be traded, it appears unlikely that he'll be going anywhere, in large part, because his bosses are his biggest fans and there is an internal concern about what a possible trade of any kind could do to the team's unique chemistry. Paul will be a free agent this summer and the outcome of the playoffs will likely play part in his decision-making process, but the Clippers are confident that he will return. Bledsoe, who was taken 18th overall out of Kentucky, has one year remaining on his rookie contract. "He's been unbelievable," Sacks said of Bledsoe. "Even in the role he's been playing coming off the bench as a backup point guard, he's been unbelievable. And then the last two games, running the show, he's been great. He can really run an offense, run the team and still plays the way he plays – attack, get to the rim, block shots and do all the other things that he still does. He's really grown as a player." The growth hardly started this season, though. His breakout showing came during last season's playoffs, most notably the seven-game series win in the first round against Memphis in which he played stifling defense on Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley during his limited time (13.7 minutes per game). "(The playoffs) just helped me a lot coming into the season with a focused, confident mindset just to do what I can while I'm on the floor.," Bledsoe said. While Bledsoe is well aware that he could finish the season elsewhere, he insists he's just fine where he is - especially with Paul on the shelf. "Right now I'm just focused on getting better," he said. "The only thing I can go out there and do is compete every night." 由於Chris Paul的因伤缺阵，快艇队的Eric-Bledsoe 在最近迎来了首发机会，而他的表现 也是可圈可点。昨天赢下火箭队的比赛中， 有“迷你LBJ”之称的Bledsoe得到了19分7个篮板和5次助攻。 “我很兴奋我能够得到很多上场时间…可以向人们展示我能做的， 以及我在夏天努力训练的成果。”Bledsoe在接受电话采访时表示。 本赛季至今，Bledsoe场均上场18.8分钟， 可以贡献8.8分2.7个助攻和1.5次抢断。 谈到队友Chris Paul，Bledsoe表示自己希望能从保罗身上学到更多的东西。 “唯一一件事是我想让他变得更好， 然後让他使我自己的比赛变得十倍好，”Bledsoe谈 到保罗，“有一天我们就是这样聊天的，我跟他说， ‘你知道的，我从你身上学到了不少东西，Chris。’ 然後他就说，‘夥计，我也从你身上学到了不少东西。’能从最优秀的 一名控卫口中听到这样的话，这感觉真的很好。” 相比上个赛季，如今的Bledsoe在场上打得更有自信。 “季後赛的经历帮了我不少，让我在场上带着更加集中的注意力和自信去比赛，” Bledsoe说道。 Bledsoe表示，自己目前就是集中一切注意力去提升自己的比赛， 让自己变得更好，他表示自己只想走上场後去努力拼搏。 http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2013/01/17/los-angeles-clippers-eric-bledsoe-chris-paul/1840771/? --

※ 发信站: 批踢踢实业坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 114.44.81.53 ※ 编辑: oppo5566 来自: 114.44.81.53 (01/17 15:35)