Gordon thinks he will be traded, also considers playing in Europe

[Warhawk]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3537868

The slow, drawn-out negotiations between Ben Gordon and the Chicago Bulls took a turn toward closure Friday night when the free-agent guard said he doesn't think he'll be a Bull next season.
Ben Gordon

Shooting Guard
Chicago Bulls
Profile

2008 Season StatsGMPPGRPGAPGFG%FT%7218.63.13.0.434.908
"I guess it's safe to say I've played my last game in a Bulls uniform," Gordon said.

Gordon, who has led the Bulls in scoring the past three seasons, said his agent, Raymond Brothers, has been speaking with other teams about sign-and-trade possibilities.
"I'm pretty optimistic it'll happen," said Gordon, who averaged 18.6 points last season. "It's very likely."
Brothers refused to name the teams he's spoken with, but added playing in Europe is also a possibility. He said the only certainty is Gordon will not sign the Bulls' one-year qualifying offer of $6.4 million.
Bulls Executive VP John Paxson did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Gordon admitted he's frustrated and "feels slighted" by the slow pace of negotiations with the Bulls. He said at this point it would be best for him to play elsewhere since Chicago's backcourt is seemingly full, with Derrick Rose, Larry Hughes and Kirk Hinrich.
"It's a numbers game," he said. "Last season at the trade deadline, they brought in more guards and I saw my minutes drop and didn't understand why. This year, the problem's still the same. I don't see it getting better, so maybe it'll be a better situation for me personally somewhere else."
Chicago offered Gordon a five-year, $50 million contract last season, but he turned it down. This summer, reports have surfaced saying Gordon believes he should be the Bulls' highest-paid player since he's their leading scorer. Chicago recently signed Luol Deng to a six-year, $71 million deal.
"I've just got to wait and see what happens," Gordon said. "It's a tough time."
Gordon spoke at the "Bowling Bash and Celebrity Fundraiser" thrown by his New Life Foundation in Yonkers, N.Y. The event was seeking to raise money for the sports department at Mount Vernon High School, Gordon's alma mater. The school, which has a vaunted basketball program that's produced several NBA players, is in danger of losing its winter and spring sports teams.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Elton Brand, Charlotte Bobcats forward Emeka Okafor, UConn coach Jim Calhoun, rappers Irv Gotti and Heavy D and former world boxing champion Iran Barkley were among the celebrities in attendance.

 

[Bricklayer]

This is a classic ego writing checks situation -- yo Ben, you are short and one dimensional. You ain't all that.

 

[bajaden]

This is a classic ego writing checks situation -- yo Ben, you are short and one dimensional. You ain't all that.

Ditto that.

 

[NewMonkey]

This is a classic ego writing checks situation -- yo Ben, you are short and one dimensional. You ain't all that.

I'll agree that Gordon is short, but how much worse of a player is he than Kevin Martin? Martin is better in a few areas (height, rebounding, efficiency), but I don't think Gordon is really that much worse. Is Kevin Martin one-dimensional?

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Yes

 

[NME]

Kevin averages five more points on the same amount of shots as Gordon, which is pretty significant. Efficiency is what makes Kevin special, so if you take that away you have a slightly above average scoring guard, and if you take away his height you have a slightly above average tweener. That's basically what Gordon is.

 

[bloom]

I like this guy, I wanted to see Ben Gordon in a Kings uniform, but sadly (as do many NBA players) he thinks he deserves much more than he was offered (I partly also blame a lot of agents for this kind of thinking). I do understand the fact that he sees that his own teammate (Deng) gets a higher offer this summer and because of that, he wants the Bulls organization to give him more, but is 10 million a year not enough? I’m sure he has some sort of endorsement to add up on top of that. I guess he calculated his 10 million after taxes and what he has to pay his agent.

And this is another problem I have with NBA/general athletes in today’s time. They don’t play the game for love. There’s only a few people who really get on the court and play with that kind of passion and excitement. 1st your dream was to make the NBA and win that ring, but then you play for a couple years and then you’re willing to jump overseas. If a player was getting something tiny and they deserved more, I can understand their position, but a lot of people are getting much more than they deserve.

I do hope he stays in the NBA, I think if Ben really wants a lot more money he’s going to have to improve his all around game.

 

[bajaden]

I like this guy, I wanted to see Ben Gordon in a Kings uniform, but sadly (as do many NBA players) he thinks he deserves much more than he was offered (I partly also blame a lot of agents for this kind of thinking). I do understand the fact that he sees that his own teammate (Deng) gets a higher offer this summer and because of that, he wants the Bulls organization to give him more, but is 10 million a year not enough? I’m sure he has some sort of endorsement to add up on top of that. I guess he calculated his 10 million after taxes and what he has to pay his agent.

And this is another problem I have with NBA/general athletes in today’s time. They don’t play the game for love. There’s only a few people who really get on the court and play with that kind of passion and excitement. 1st your dream was to make the NBA and win that ring, but then you play for a couple years and then you’re willing to jump overseas. If a player was getting something tiny and they deserved more, I can understand their position, but a lot of people are getting much more than they deserve.

I do hope he stays in the NBA, I think if Ben really wants a lot more money he’s going to have to improve his all around game.

I'm not sure where we would play Gordon if we had him. I don't think he wants to come off the bench. He's certainly not a defensive juggernaut. Of course, neither is Martin. But lets be honest here. Martin has the tools to be a better defender than Gordon could ever become. Martin is a better shooter when you look at the attempts vrs made shots. I mean you can always find a place on your team for a good shooter, but not a good shooter thats 6' 2" tall and is not a point guard. Unless he's Bobby Jackson, of course. My gut tells me that he's going to regret not taking the 10 mil a year offer. Maybe someone should give him Bonzi's phone number.

 

[One and Done]

I don't know where this guy could go...he would be a nice addition to teams in need of a SG (I'm thinking New Orleans, Cleveland, maybe the Clippers), but no one can afford him.

Europe seems like a strong possibility...

 

[bloom]

I'm not sure where we would play Gordon if we had him. I don't think he wants to come off the bench. He's certainly not a defensive juggernaut. Of course, neither is Martin. But lets be honest here. Martin has the tools to be a better defender than Gordon could ever become. Martin is a better shooter when you look at the attempts vrs made shots. I mean you can always find a place on your team for a good shooter, but not a good shooter thats 6' 2" tall and is not a point guard. Unless he's Bobby Jackson, of course. My gut tells me that he's going to regret not taking the 10 mil a year offer. Maybe someone should give him Bonzi's phone number.

Right now, I agree with you, there’s no spot for Ben on this team (even if we trade John for him). But before, I would’ve loved to see what he could have done on this team, with Kevin and Cisco…It’s the big contract/money that he’s demanding that’s also turning me off; we don’t need any more of that.

I think you're right, he's probably going to regret not taking the money. But who knows, the NBA is full of suprises.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

I know a lot of us inherently apply the undersized-2-gunner-guard moniker to Gordon and then throw him in the dust, and I agree with that consensus; because he's just so one-dimensional particularly in his shooting/scoring mentality, he's definitely not worth the contract he desires and explains why he's garnering so little interest. But upon closer reflection of his stats, I think it's quite impressive he's shot 40%+ from three point land in his four years in the league, and this year alone he put up rock solid shooting numbers at 43% FGs 41% 3FGs 90% FTs; I think his sweet stroking ability tends to get overlooked because of his gunner mentality. I don't think it's a fluke (he's a really good shooter) but he just needs a high volume of shots to justify it and be truly effective. I was under the consensus he tapped out his potential his rookie year (when he put up an amazing 15 ppg off the bench) because ever since then, he hasn't improved much; clearly, his scoring ability has only gone up proportionately with his minutes, and everything else has stagnated. Such is the life of undersized gunner two guards--scoring, scoring, a little bit of shooting, but mostly scoring, only.