<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'> It may not get as much press as Luol Deng's globe-trotting ways, but Ben Gordon was doing his own similar deal over the weekend in his hometown, cheering up the community while dressed for apparently some super-cool funeral. </p> Got me thinking (this is what happens during the down days of the NBA offseason, sorry) about how Ben and Luol are so interlinked. Both became Bulls on the same night and thus started their all-important contract clocks simultaneously. They're the most productive players on the team, individually and in tandem. </p> But whenever their future is discussed by fans, Deng's position is always assumed secured while Gordon is on less stable ground. And some of that, as was discussed on the bullsbeat podcast last week, is from the idea that Deng's more likely to take some sort of 'hometown discount' to stay with the team. It makes sense due to his famously charitable ways, but Deng's still an NBA player with no reason to not get every penny of his true worth. And heck, maybe charity is a reason for Deng to demand more money, not less. </p> Deng's also always lauded for being the hardest worker on the team, although by all indications Gordon shares that trait in abundance. In one of the several vignettes on Deng shown on national TV over the season, there was a quote from John Paxson regarding Deng's work ethic (and I'm paraphrasing off of memory) saying that when he sees a car at the Berto Center when he's there in the morning, he first thinks it's Ben Gordon, and if not Gordon then Luol Deng. </p> I don't care to question who does more charity or who spends more time in the gym, I'm trying to get at why Deng and Gordon can be so similar yet their perceived futures so different. My reasoning for this discrepancy is while they may get equitable in praise from management, only Gordon gets those bad knocks as well. </p> Some of it is explicit, as in Paxson's quoted desire to get more size in the backcourt over the offseason (speaking of which, that didn't exactly happen did it). But the biggest reason to perceive Gordon's future as more tenuous is how he's been jerked to and from the starting lineup by Skiles. No matter what merits you may see in a firestarting 6th man, it's never a glowing endorsement to be replaced in a lineup by Chris Duhon (police lineup, maybe). It probably eats at Gordon as well, knowing his value has likely been hurt around the league as they see a supposedly limited gunner when he believes (and rightfully so in my opinion) that he can be an elite scorer. He's more Gilbert Arenas than Juan Dixon. </p> In the near future it's possible both Deng and Gordon can continue their parallel careers with fat Pax-signed long-term contracts in hand. But the feeling I've gotten over the years is that while Deng is certain to get his paper, they're still not sure on Gordon. And it's not the headlines from being the NBA's finest citizen that gives Deng this edge, it's that Pax and Skiles still don't seem to know what they have with Gordon. It's been a while since the last time he was coming off the bench, so for all I know he is now as loved by the organization as Luol. But if there's even a whisper of 'Ben seems to give us a better lift off the bench' I'll know they won't be paying him to stay.</div></p> LINK</p> One thing I'd point out, is while Gordon has been jerked to and from the starting lineup, Luol Deng wasn't a consistent starter until this year.</p> Also, I think Gordon is just looking at comparable contracts like Billups, Hinrich, Martin, which makes his contract less than 60 million, making it more likely to be done imo. Luol Deng has Leon Rose as his agent, and Paxson has never been able to complete an extension with Leon Rose....well, he's never been able to hammer out a contract with Rose, without signing and trading a player.</p> Should be interesting. </p>
These of course, were very neccesary extensions. Both Gordon and Deng are going to play a huge role in Chicago's future and I expect both of these guys to fight for the #1 scoring option this season. Now Chicago has two pieces of their young core secure for some time to come.
My biggest worry is not that the Bulls won't pay Ben Gordon, but that they'll go overboard in what they pay Deng. When NBA contracts start to get big, lots of folks just sort of stop looking, but there's probably about $5-6M a year difference, just in the first year, between what a guy like Rashard Lewis makes ($14.9M this year) and a guy like Tayshaun Prince ($8.7M) makes this year. That's a whole MLE player's worth of difference, and because the cap inflates at something like 4% and most contracts inflate at something like 10%, it ends up making a huge difference.</p> </p>
Look at Ben's current mood on his myspace.</p> Mood: good </p> Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was at </p><div class="empty"> Mood:distressed </div><div class="empty"></div><div class="empty">the other day.</div><div class="empty"></div><div class="empty">Do we have a deal near completion? Or is he happy about something else?</div><div class="empty"></div> </p>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BG7 Lavigne)</div><div class='quotemain'> Look at Ben's current mood on his myspace.</p> Mood: good </p> Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was at </p><div class="empty"> Mood: distressed </div><div class="empty"> </div><div class="empty">the other day.</div><div class="empty"> </div><div class="empty">Do we have a deal near completion? Or is he happy about something else?</div><div class="empty"> </div> </p></div> you've got to be kidding me haha. i could not help but to laugh at that...sorry</p> that could mean something....if he actually goes on his myspace.</p> it could mean that he got anew contract....or that he got some booty. who knows.</p>
Interesting. I asked a member of the Chicago media about the Ben Gordon extension (won't disclose which person).</p> A very good nugget of information. Luol Deng is not represented by Leon Rose, and is actually represented by Josh Nochinson.</p>
