Earl Clark has become an important player in the Laker rotation. Ever since he put up 22 points and 13 rebounds in a loss against San Antonio, he’s emerged as a starter for the Lakers while Pau Gasol has been put on the bench. We conducted a poll to Lakers Nation on who Earl Clark reminds them of: Trevor Ariza or Robert Horry?
Why those two? Because they were both integral players for NBA championships. Robert Horry is basically a legend in terms of clutch shooting for championship teams. No one can forget the shot he made against Sacramento in Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals. As for Trevor Ariza, he made big shots and plays in the 2009 NBA Playoffs. No one can forget the steals he made against the Denver Nuggets in the 2009 Western Conference Finals. Then he made big three-pointers against the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals.
As the poll indicated, Trevor Ariza got 86.6% of the vote while Robert Horry only got 13.4% of the vote. Horry had a longer body of work for the Lakers and, as mentioned earlier, he made big basket after big basket for a long period of time. Earl Clark is athletic and has made a few plays so far. He had been unheralded thus far in his career and is starting to get some recognition. Clark could be due for a payday soon. Trevor Ariza was in the same situation a few years ago.
Still, if Clark wants to remind everyone of Horry, he’d have to make a few game-winners.
