Via Sloth with a hat tip to Blog-a-bull: I tend to think playing in Europe would be preferable to Ben than the QO. Obviously still being an RFA is a big issue, but there are some advantages. Players often seem to get diminished roles on their team (beyond their merit as players) on the QO. Guys who consistently saw big minutes like Pietrus or Radmanovic saw their minutes slashed when their teams decided they ought to cut their losses and develop replacements. If I were Ben, looking at the Bulls general outlook for this season, at Paxson’s prior statements about me, the various way the team has handled obviously departing players in the past (running the gamut from guys who helped a fair amount like Duhon to guys who were pretty iffy like Marcus Fizer) and about the Bulls sunk costs at SG, I’d consider it highly likely that the Bulls would get a few months into the season and then bench me through little fault of my own. And for Gordon, that’d be pretty awful. On the other hand, if he goes to Europe: 1. He gets paid a couple million more. 2. He gets an “offer on the table” to “set the market” beyond what the Bulls are offering. 3. There’s not the stigma of “he took the QO and could leave for nothing” hanging over the team. By letting the team retain some long-term leverage, the team may retain some interest in bringing him back… 4. … especially if, as might be expected, the Bulls more or less struggle without him. 5. Finally, the Bulls will be able to offer him a bigger deal next year without hitting the tax threshold. They can offer just under $8M this year and that’s what they’ve offered. Next year they’ll able to offer enough in the first year to make a higher offer than what he was offered last summer. Which, I think, is probably a sticking point.
I suspect CKSA wouldn't pay Gordon for just one season, so any chance the Bulls would give him a big deal to come back after a year would be minimal. Right?
Dear Ben, Please take this offer so that I don't have to hear about your contract status for several months Signed, Not a fan of yours
Ben Gordon will not go overseas to play basketball, this is really just a move by him and his agent to try and apply pressure on the Bulls to manuever a sign in trade or risk losing him for nothing. If he goes overseas he will make even less money then the rumored 59 million over 6 years that the Bulls are offering, and the Bulls would also retain his rights as a restricted free agent so next summer if he chose to sign an offer from another squad the Bulls could still have the right to match it.
Excluding the whole net worth stuff, the Bulls are offering him a contract with a starting salary of 9 million a year I believe (if its indeed a 6 year 59 million dollar deal). Why would he leave for a contract worth 5 million after taxes and just a bit less than the Bulls offer prior to taxes?
Well, there's a good chance he simply doesn't want to play for the Bulls. His options are limited - he can sign the QO and it's going to be unpleasant the whole year, he can be released and maybe he'll get a MLE type deal, he can sit out the season and see what happens, or he can go overseas and be one of the best players in that league. It's tough.
Obviously he isn't going to leave for less. There are European teams that could afford more, which is why his agent is asking for it. My point is, it is entirely possible and likely that he could make more in Europe and he would only go over there if he did.
Well in this particular thread the only team in the discussion is CSKA and their offer was less than that of the Bulls (from my understanding), which was my point. I didn't think he would leave for less which is what I was pointing out. Its my opinion and holds no weight, but I do feel this is more of a negotiation plow by his agent then Ben actually considering going overseas, obviously I can be 100% wrong, but its a forum we give our opinions and watch to see how things play out. Like Barkley said a couple weeks ago though no one has ever come up to him asking who won the basketball championship in Europe last year. I would think worst case scenario Ben signs the one year tender and takes his chances as an UFA next yr.
As best I can understand from reading up on it, the European teams offer cash more or less after taxes, and then considerable fringe benefits (drivers, housing, etc) to boot. Hence, the offer was supposedly equivalent to something like $8.9M for the year as we'd count it here. If you're working from the US as a starting point, you can take whatever a guy gets in salary, take about 35% off the top, and you probably get their post tax haul. So $6.4M from the Bulls via the QO is really probably a bit under $4M in terms of what he takes home. Of course, it doesn't matter because someone's fibbin.
LOL, I am sick of the talks too. Im so glad a team has finally stepped up and said "you might think your worth this much,but your gonna eventually suck and were gonna be on the line with your contract"
