HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- Over course of his six seasons with the Rockets, Eric Gordon has generally carried himself in a quiet manner, but behind closed doors he's far from silent.
"He's always laughing," Rockets guard Josh Christopher said Sunday. "He might be one of the most loudest laughers I've heard. When he laughs it's contagious."
Gordon and his laugh will remain in Houston the remainder of the season after the Rockets elected to hang onto the remaining link from the James Harden era when Thursday's trade deadline passed, and that has his teammates relieved.
"Can't put an amount of how much I wanted him to stay," Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. said after Thursday's trade deadline. "It would have been hard on me and the team if the trade did happen. We're glad that it didn't. We want Eric here as long as we can have him."
In his 14th NBA season, Gordon, 33, could've gone to the organization and asked to be moved to a team competing for the championship he nearly won with the Rockets a few years ago. He has the stature and clout to do so, he didn't, and instead, told general manager Rafael Stone he wanted to stay. That gesture meant a lot.
"It means we're doing things the right way," Rockets head coach Stephen Silas told SportsRadio 610. "We have a solid organization. He sees growth from the young guys, he sees progress from the group, and he is comfortable with the people that he's around every day, so it means so much because he's a really good basketball player on both sides of the floor, and for him to want to be here makes me feel good."
Many of Gordon's teammates were trying to memorize their multiplication tables when he entered the league as a top-10 pick in 2008, but despite the age difference, Gordon says he's enjoyed being around this group.
"I know what I was getting into this year, and there's always going to be ups and downs, especially with a young group. We got a bunch of young guys and things are not always going to be as smooth as ever, but you definitely want to see the guys grow."
While Silas said he appreciated Gordon's faith in the organization and the program he and Stone are trying to build, the Rockets guard says it felt good knowing his teammates want him around and understand much he can help them moving forward.
"I'm like the only older guy on this team, but it's all about work ethic, and I think they like what I bring to the table. I like to help and talk to the guys. I'm all about bringing competitiveness and good energy towards the guys, and that's how I think it should be."
Christopher disclosed he's learned what it takes to be a pro from spending time around Gordon this season, but he's also learned how to maximize his skills from him and how to best use them during games, noting the 31-points on 9-of-10 shooting night Gordon had in San Antonio last month.
"It's insane," Christopher said. "He's been a really good vet, a good person to be around."
The Rockets were never going to make the playoffs this season, and that fact was enhanced when the team started the season 1-16. Gordon could've asked out, he could've pouted and been miserable until getting what he wanted, but instead, he took the opposite course of action, and Silas says he hopes the rest of the team understands how much that matters.
"It should make them feel like, 'Wow, this guy is ready to go through the ups and downs and the failures and the successes with us' and not just, 'I want to go somewhere else.'"
