I think it's great that Eric Gordon has Baron Davis around both to help on the court, and as a teacher in helping him develop. Fantastic for Gordon.
I think the key, or biggest variable, to Clippers season will be scoring. There's a good idea of what they can bring defensively and on the backboards, but the scoring is a huge variable which could play out in a lot of different. Right now there's too much reliance on Baron Davis to both score and create in the offense, so others have to step up and help him out. The two youngsters, Gordon and Thornton, are the one's best equipped to answer the call and how they perform this season I think will decide their playoff hopes. Thornton showed good talent last year but he needs to do a better job scoring within in the flow of the offense, plus more prolific and more consistent, so he has big steps to take.
I really like Mike Taylor. He's a solid prospect, especially for a late second rounder. He's been playing very well in training camp and has caught the eye of Mike Dunleavy ... he may push Jason Hart for the primary backup point role. Long term if Taylor continues working to his strengths, and understanding what they are, he could be a real nice player in this league. Long way to go though.
DeAndre Jordan is another player who's doing well in training camp there. Depending on how they use Camby (just PF, or mix of PF and backup center), Jordan could get minutes. He was a lot further ahead in summer league than I expected him to be, plays within his limitations too which is very important .... I don't think he's that far behind of Brian Skinner, he could catch him later on in the season.