<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Earlier this season, a rumor appeared in an out-of-town newspaper suggesting Bulls guard Ben Gordon wanted to be traded to a team for which he could start. No one knows where the idea came from, least of all Gordon. ?Those words never came out of my mouth to anybody in private or public,? he said after Friday?s practice. ?I never said, ?I want to be traded.? I?ve always been a very persistent person through my hard times. I?m just going to fight it out and I?ll prevail in the end. ?I?m definitely happy. This is where I want to finish my career. This is the team that drafted me and gave me a chance to live out my dream. I won?t be going anywhere unless management trades me.? Gordon had a 30-minute meeting with coach Scott Skiles on Wednesday before the game in Charlotte, but that?s not unusual for a team in which every key player has been in the league five years or less. ?Ben was very good the last two days (in practice),? Skiles said. ?I hope I haven?t given the impression that I don?t have anything but total confidence in Ben.? Since he suffered a sprained right knee on Dec. 7, Gordon has averaged 9.2 points and shot 34.5 percent from the field. ?Before the injury, I had a couple good games,? Gordon said. ?I was just kind of hitting my stride. Then, unfortunately, I sprained a knee. It hurts, but it?s not like I can take time off.? Gordon says he isn?t unhappy or confused over his role. He realizes after winning the NBA?s Sixth Man Award as a rookie, he?s now the focus of opposing defenses and needs to adjust. ?I?ve been getting the same shots I?ve been getting before,? he said. ?It?s just a matter of putting the ball in the basket.</div> <div align="center">Source</div>
