Gordon the Odd Man Out?
Between the luxury tax implications and the team’s general disappointment with some aspects of his game, restricted free agent Ben Gordon is unlikely to receive the large, long-term contact he’s been hoping for. The Bulls do not want to exceed the salary cap and enter luxury tax territory, which leaves the team approximately $9.8 million to offer the shooting guard per year. That number is less than the average yearly salary of a contract offered to Gordon by the team last offseason, which he turned down.
Gordon has been the team’s leading scorer for the past three seasons, but The Bulls have been a pretty underwhelming offensive club in that span. Under former head coach Scott Skiles, the team was a defensive-minded unit that was jump shot-oriented on offense. The clubs has lacked a consistent inside scoring presence and has depended heavily on outside shooting for points. Gordon does provide this, but is he really worth $10 million per year? With a logjam in the Bulls backcourt, Gordon may be the odd man out. It appears that the team is not looking to move combo guard Kirk Hinrich, which was the initial sentiment following the team’s drafting of Derrick Rose. The team likely doesn’t want to lose Gordon for nothing, which would be the likely result next summer should he sign a one-year qualifying offer this year. A sign-and-trade could be their best option.
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Gordon Seeking Big Pay Day
In the matter of the Bulls re-signing restricted free agent Ben Gordon, both sides remain miles apart as far as terms of a deal go. It appears that Gordon is seeking a contract slightly more lucrative than the six-year $71 million deal that forward Luol Deng received last week. Gordon and his agent have reportedly expressed the opinion that they feel Gordon should be the highest-paid player on the team. Gordon averaged 18 points and three assists per game last season.
While Gordon is a talented scorer, it appears that he is overvaluing himself. When Gordon came out of UConn in 2004, it was thought that he’d be more of a combo guard that a straight two. But his inability, or perhaps unwillingness, to make plays for other players has relegated him to the shooting guard position exclusively. At the two, Gordon is undersized at 6-3 and is not known to his defensive prowess. He’s pretty one-dimensional as a scorer, and is a streak scorer at that. He can light it up on any given night, but relies heavily on outside shooting when scoring his buckets. He should be rewarded with a solid deal, but his performance has not warranted the kind of money he’s seeking.
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Deng Officially Signed
The Bulls have officially signed restricted free agent Luol Deng to a six-year deal. Deng will receive $71 million in guaranteed money with the potential to make up to $80 million. Deng took a step back last season but still managed to averaged 16 points, six rebounds and two assists per game. The 23-year-old forward played just one season at Duke before being drafted by the Bulls with the seventh overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.
Deng noted the responsibility that comes with a contract of this magnitude, something that must be music to Bulls fans ears. You’ve got to love to hear a player of such a young age acknowledge what comes along with being paid this kind of money. Deng is known for his high character and is truly a model citizen, just the kind of player you feel comfortable giving a big contract. He, along with Derrick Rose, is now officially the face of the Bulls’ franchise. The versatile swingman still has a lot of upside and is really still honing his game. The primary reason for his lackluster 2007-2008 season was his mental state resulting from incessant rumors regarding him being dealt for Kobe Bryant last offseason. With his future as a Chicago Bull secured, Deng should be much more focused and have a bounce back campaign.
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Bulls Eyeing Miller
The Bulls are reportedly in talks with the Sacramento Kings to acquire center Brad Miller. Rumors have pointed to Andres Nocioni as the primary piece Sacramento would receive in return. Were the Bulls to make this trade, it would signal that the team is eyeing the playoffs this season and are confident that, with Miller, they’d have the pieces in place to make a postseason run. The Kings are in apparent salary-dump mode now that they’ve traded Ron Artest and are probably looking to build around their young talent.
This would be a questionable deal in my mind. Miller would provide the Bulls with some scoring inside, but not much. Despite the fact that he’s a center, Miller likes to take jumpers more than bang around in the paint. He’s not the player he once was and I don’t see him making much of an impact for the Bulls. He would be an upgrade over what the club has now, and Nocioni plays the same position as Luol Deng and is therefore expendable, so it wouldn’t be a bad move. As long as the Kings weren’t looking for additional compensation in the form of draft picks, it would probably be worth the risk. A better option to explore may be to feel out the Lakers on if they would consider some kind of Lamar Odom for Kirk Hinrich swap.
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Deng Deal Imminent
The Bulls have reportedly reached a verbal agreement on a deal with restricted free agent Luol Deng to the tune of $71 million over six years. Deng, entering his fifth year in the NBA, gave the Bulls a small timeframe in which to complete a deal last week and apparently it worked. The Duke product has been the Bulls best player the last two seasons. Though he did take a bit of a step back last season, he still managed to post averages of 17 points and six rebounds per game. Deng admitted that he was distracted by the incessant rumors concerning a potential Kobe Bryant trade in which his name was being thrown around.
This was a move that the Bulls had to make. Deng may not be a superstar in every sense of the term, but he’s an impact player that is capable of receiving a few All-Star nods before his career is over. He’s the prototypical small forward for the era and should be a great running mate for Derrick Rose. With Deng and Rose, the Bulls have two cornerstones of their franchise in place and will likely look to build around them for the foreseeable future. Look for a bounce-back year from Deng, who should be in a better mental state this season now that his future with the team is secure.
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Sign-and-Trade Coming?
With negotiations between the Bulls and restricted free agent Ben Gordon apparently stalled, the best option at this point may be to find a partner for a sign-and-trade. Gordon has reportedly said that there have been talks with other teams concerning that option. Gordon averaged 18.6 points per game last season, leading the Bulls in scoring.
Gordon and the Bulls do not appear to be on the same page as far as how much he’s worth financially. Gordon is probably seeking a deal in the $50 million range and it looks like the team is not ready to give him that kind of money. The club could sign him to a one-year qualifying offer, but that would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer and the Bulls would likely lose him without getting anything in return. The Bulls now have a crowded backcourt after drafting Derrick Rose, so trading Gordon makes a lot of sense. Gordon is a one-dimensional player, yes, but he can score. There are always teams that need guys to put the ball in the basket, bottom line. Were the Bulls to find a team willing to pay Gordon in the range he is seeking, Chicago could get something in return for Gordon instead of just letting him walk next summer.
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Ellis Deal Could Affect Gordon Situation
The likelihood of the Bulls striking a long-term deal with guard and restricted free agent Ben Gordon may have just decreased. Warriors combo guard Monta Ellis received a six-year deal from Golden State worth approximately $66 million. Ellis’ payday could affect Gordon’s compensation expectations. The Bulls and Gordon were reportedly far apart as far as terms of a deal were concerned before the Ellis signing and things should only get worse because of it.
At a glance, Gordon and Ellis seem like similar players. They’re both undersized for their natural position at shooting guard and both can score the ball. But Ellis can also spend some time at point guard while Gordon is strictly a two. Ellis uses his lightning-quick first step to get to the rim and Gordon relies heavily on outside shooting. Ellis consistently puts up solid scoring numbers while Gordon will drop 30 one night and 12 the next. Ellis is also just 22 years old and Gordon is 25, not old by any means but one would think he’d have developed more of an offensive repertoire by now. Ellis looks like he has the potential to develop into one of the top scorers in the league while Gordon seems destined to be a streak shooter and not much else. While Gordon led the Bulls in scoring last season, it seems that his signing a one-year qualifying offer and becoming unrestricted next summer becomes more imminent by the day.
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Rose Learning From the Best
Bulls guard Derrick Rose has been getting a crash course in NBA stardom this week, serving as an opposing player in scrimmages against the U.S. Olympic team. Rose and slew of other NBA youngsters, such as Kevin Durant, have been squaring off against the top players in the NBA all week in Las Vegas. Rose says he’s comfortable being around the NBA’s greatest and he’s earning a lot from the veterans. The Memphis product pointed out that he’s not only learning on the court, but the seasoned pros are schooling the young guns on how to be a professional and the responsibility and commitment that comes with it.
This is a great learning experience for the number one overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Just think about the competition Rose is up against on a daily basis. He’s guarding the likes of Jason Kidd, Chris Paul and Deron Williams and hopefully studying their every move. Rose has the ability to propel himself to the upper echelon of floor generals in the NBA and time spent with these All-Stars should only help him reach that level. As far as learning things about behavior off the court, Rose is one of the last guys who needs help in that area, but it’s beneficial for him to hear it from the best nonetheless.
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How The Bulls Have Changed
The Chicago Bulls are no longer the Baby Bulls. Just a few years ago, the club was considered to be an up-and-coming team that had a ton of cap space and was on the cusp of becoming a powerhouse. But hesitation and some bad signings derailed the Bulls train that once appeared headed towards a title. Ben Gordon has revealed himself as a one-dimensional, streaky scorer instead of the superstar that many thought he was on track to be. The team’s signing of Ben Wallace looked like a fantastic move at the time, but Big Ben turned out to be on the down slope of his career. To make matters worse, the Bulls traded Wallace after paying the first couple of years of his frontloaded contract for duds Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden. Gooden is inconsistent and Hughes doesn’t know how to play team basketball.
But all is not lost for Bulls fans. The team was blessed with the number one pick in the draft and landed hometown savior Derrick Rose. They’ve still got some promising young guys like Thabo Sefolosha and Tyrus Thomas, but they need to make sure they re-sign Luol Deng. Deng is, at the worst, a great number two option for a team offensively. He’s long, athletic, skilled, a hard worker, a great character guy and only 23, yet the Bulls are hesitant to give him a big contract. The Bulls need to lock Deng up or they’ll regret it down the road.
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Bulls and Gordon Far Apart
It appears that the Bulls and restricted free agent Ben Gordon are not on the same page. All indications are that the team and the shooting guard are far apart when it comes to the terms of a potential deal. Gordon turned down an extension from the Bulls last offseason that was worth around $50 million and he’s probably seeking something in that range now, though the Bulls are unlikely to give it to him. Gordon hasn’t lived up to the team’s expectations that the team had set for him when they selected the UConn product third overall in the 2004 draft. Gordon did average 18.6 points last season and shot 41 percent from three-point range, but he’s a fairly one-dimensional player. He can score, but he’s streaky and undersized.
It looks like this relationship could be coming to an end. Gordon, in all likelihood, will not receive an offer sheet from any other teams. There is a good chance that he signs a one-year qualifying offer and hits the market as an unrestricted free agent next summer. Gordon could be seen as expendable with the addition of Derrick Rose if the team decides to keep combo guard Kirk Hinrich, a management favorite, and shift him to the two. While Gordon can light it up from the outside, he’s also prone for having those 4 for 17 shooting nights as well. The Bulls can afford to let him walk next summer.
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