OT: Ben Gordon thinks he will no longer be a Bull

by HurraKane212 on Aug 15, 2008 9:40 PM PDT Comment 29 comments

"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."

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

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How much money can be asking for?

He’s not nearly as good as Luol Deng.

8mil a year is fair value to be honest, at 10 you are stretching it. No way I would consider paying 12mil a year for your 6th man.

Disorder
Ive been waiting for a guide to come and take me by the hand,
Could these sensations make me feel the pleasures of a normal man?
These sensations barely interest me for another day,
Ive got the spirit, lose the feeling, take the shock away.

WORD UP. STAY. FRESCO.

by Dheepan on Aug 15, 2008 10:03 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

He's not their sixth man...

He’s the team’s leading scorer and the guy they go to in the clutch. He still plays upwards of 30 minutes a game. He’s the sixth man only on the Bulls where they don’t seem to go with basketball logic. He deserves the money of a solid starter because that’s the production he’s giving them, even if he starts the game on the bench.

by inroywetrust on Aug 15, 2008 10:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with ya

I still say, and have argued this over on Blog-a-Bull, that his one-dimensionality is the biggest problem of Gordon and you don’t necessarily want to lock up big money over 6 years with a guy who, really, does one thing.

The fact that he does it the best on the team is good (scoring, that is) but in a few years if his 19/20 ppg off of jumpers is still your best scoring, you’re in trouble.

And if it isn’t your best scoring, you’re paying him to be a role player. 13 million is a lot for a role player.

The Bulls are trying to lowball their previous offers, but I still say he’s getting more than his caliber of player deserves.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Aug 15, 2008 10:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yep exactly

He’s just a scorer.

WORD UP. STAY. FRESCO.

by Dheepan on Aug 15, 2008 11:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He is clearly mad that the Bulls paid so much for Deng, leaving very little money left before they are in luxury tax territory

And the owner is cheap (for most types of players) and has stated time and again that he doesn’t want his GM to go there. Like it stands now, Gordon would have to take less money than they offered him last year (he should have taken it then, but that’s over). So clearly he is considering the one-year offer to become unrestricted next year or asking for sign and trades.

I would guess his biggest problem that is keeping him from getting a lot of money is his inconsistency. In principle the Bulls (and their fans) really like what he is doing, but you can never be sure if he goes for 30 points or for less than 15 with his drives and jumpers any given night (or how many attempts he needs to get there). That’s not what a max money player does.

Odenied: Asked whether he noticed Oden favoring his right knee, Frye dismissed it entirely. "He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors."

by Norsktroll on Aug 16, 2008 3:59 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wonder if he has

Bonzi’s old agent.

I think that Ben G and his agent are the only guys that think he is worth more than 7 figures a year.

I wonder if Ben G hangs up side down all summer hoping to grow a couple of inches then he could get the money he is asking for.

Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.

by jonestr on Aug 17, 2008 12:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

They should look to trade for a true center

They have five good and/or well paided forwards but not a real big man to be found. I’d offer suggestions for best fit on this kinda trade, but nothing’s coming to mind right away. If a sign and trade did come and I stood in Paxson’s shoes, I would work the deal to be somewhere around the same offer (59ish for six years) that he turned down from Paxson just to see who would give it to him… might embarrass him too if other GM’s balk at that price also…

by Blindsteepler on Aug 15, 2008 10:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I've been wondering what center is available for trade to the Bulls.

Seems like, IF there’s one available in trade, the Bulls should be able to put together a package to nab him.

But that’s a big “if”: WHO?!?
I keep coming up with nothing.
Total blank.

Blazers have a five-on-three...and they pull it back and wait for help.

by QualityPie on Aug 16, 2008 9:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

With Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson in the fold

the Sacramento Kings are rumored to be shopping Brad Miller.

"I've hacked into your brain. You're throwing a party and no one's showing up."

by ignign*kt on Aug 16, 2008 10:05 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's a very good answer.

Gordon for Brad Miller in a sign-and-trade.
Or maybe Sac O’ Mentos doesn’t want Gordon, but takes some other spare parts.

I bet they could put Ty Tom to better use than Chicago does.

Blazers have a five-on-three...and they pull it back and wait for help.

by QualityPie on Aug 16, 2008 10:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I like that trade for both teams

not sure if they’d both feel the same… or if I would start Martin or Gordon at SG, but it could work.

by Blindsteepler on Aug 16, 2008 1:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dampier ;-)

Cubes would do that trade in a heartbeat.

Odenied: Asked whether he noticed Oden favoring his right knee, Frye dismissed it entirely. "He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors."

by Norsktroll on Aug 16, 2008 12:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

not a bad idea

but it could be hard to make the salaries work on that one even if you’re throwing in pieces.

by Blindsteepler on Aug 16, 2008 1:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I posted

Damp without reading yours first.

sorry to bite your style

Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.

by jonestr on Aug 17, 2008 12:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No hard feelings

He definitely is “available”, virtually all the time until his guaranteed years are over (the last one isn’t).

Odenied: Asked whether he noticed Oden favoring his right knee, Frye dismissed it entirely. "He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors."

by Norsktroll on Aug 17, 2008 2:16 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

yep you are right

someone was using their head a little bit by not guaranteeing the last year of that awful contract.

ugly

Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.

by jonestr on Aug 17, 2008 10:34 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I haven't been following the Mavs trade talk

but I’m surprised that you and jonestr are saying they want to unload Dampier, since they’ve already traded Desagana Diop away. Magloire would be the only center on the team. Don’t they know they’re going to need lots of bigs when they play the Blazers?

Asked his specialty in the kitchen, Oden paused and said, "Hamburger Helper and tuna fish."

by MiledAnimal on Aug 18, 2008 12:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Diop was re-signed

He just signed with the Mavs again. Here is a link: www.hahahalinksareforlosers.com

TRICKERED YOU.

Ok, here’s a real link: http://www.insidehoops.com/mavs-sign-diop-070908.shtml

I say Diop is better than Dampier, since Dampier just takes up space while Diop takes up space and blocks shots. See, better.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Aug 18, 2008 12:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I always thought it would be better to be Tweedle Dee

because the other guy was Dum.

Yes, that was that shaky prearrangement the Mavs had with Diop, as I recall…

Asked his specialty in the kitchen, Oden paused and said, "Hamburger Helper and tuna fish."

by MiledAnimal on Aug 18, 2008 1:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I hear Ben Wallace is available ...

by kickbrass on Aug 16, 2008 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

with a wish and

a prayer you could get Dampier out of Dallas. Wait….Dallas would do anything to be rid of that guy.

Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.

by jonestr on Aug 17, 2008 12:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He can go to Euro

and make more Euros,but the man himsef Stern dont like it so you cant do cause the man says so

by southern oregon on Aug 15, 2008 10:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Blazersedge

Not bullsedge

by 1spike62 on Aug 16, 2008 10:12 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Off season = talking basketball

I think it’s fair to talk about anything NBA related when you have over ten weeks before the first game of the season… especially when it’s labeled OT in the header.

by Blindsteepler on Aug 16, 2008 1:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with Blind

I dont even know why this was OT

Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.

by jonestr on Aug 17, 2008 12:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Spike's..

been here five days before writing that comment (which actually brought his comment total to the same number).

I doubt he’s in a position to say what BEdge is and isn’t at this point. Or at least what it isn’t, anyway.

"Well, Travis just showed us that we can go to Travis Outlaw." - Nate McMillan

by 12sharks on Aug 17, 2008 3:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I added the OT:

In case there were people who would be upset that it wasn’t directly blazers related. Though actually there are tons of ways it is and could be Blazers related, such as cap lessons, how to handle young players contracts, etc. Also, before Bayless and Rudy, we might have targeted BG.

Last thought, I wonder if Portland and Seattle’s imminent capspace forced the Bulls and 76ers to overpay for Deng and Iggy.

Blazer's fan since '84, Currently exiled in Tennessee and North Carolina

↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A

by HurraKane212 on Aug 17, 2008 11:42 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Overpaying: Deng maybe, Iggy not so much

Portland was rumored to be highly interested in Deng, and his agent reportedly even used that threat as a very real possibility if he had to take just the qualifying offer. Philadelphia overpaid for Iggy (and I would say not by a lot) to make the acquisition of Brand useful. By the way, quite a lot of teams will have cap space next season, though Portland should be near the top.

Ben Gordon’s situation is now pretty complicated. The Bulls have clearly indicated that they don’t want to go into luxury tax for him and the signing of Deng brought them much closer to that threshold.

If he goes to Europe, he will stay restricted as long as the Bulls make him a qualifying offer (QO) every year (like Childress), so he would be in just the same situation then.
If he takes the QO, that’s a risk because he has to hope for an injury-free and high-performance year (for himself and the team) in order to be in a better situation next summer and really attract offers in the 5 years for $70 million range like he hopes for. If he doesn’t get these offers, he is just a year older and will get the same 50+ million offers.
If he grudgingly takes the money they offered he won’t make that much more than the QO next year, since reportedly they made him the same money offer as last year (when he should have taken it), but for six instead of five years.
And finally he also isn’t in a good situation to demand a sign and trade even if there was a trade partner ready to take him for a lot of money, since the Bulls would also have to accept the players with high salaries given back for him which they don’t really want to do (see luxury tax). And BYC always makes these trades complicated.

Odenied: Asked whether he noticed Oden favoring his right knee, Frye dismissed it entirely. "He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors."

by Norsktroll on Aug 17, 2008 12:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The rumors on offers are 5/$50 last year, but 6/$59 this year

So this year’s would be slightly less per year on average.

Making in the 5 figure range myself currently, I have a hard time seeing the huge difference, but since this is apparently about respect (at least partly) on BG’s end, that less on average sounds like it’s probably a huge issue.

Man-slave, bring me my PB&J!

by wjb1492 on Aug 17, 2008 8:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs