The process must've been even more bizarre for Ben Gordon on Saturday night when the Bulls were eliminated by the Boston Celtics: One minute he's doing everything he can to get his team to the second round, the next he's wondering if his Bulls career just ended.
The biggest decision for Bulls management this offseason is what to do with Gordon, an unrestricted free agent after playing under a one-year qualifying offer for $6.4 million this season.
Do they aggressively try to re-sign him? And if the answer is yes, how much should they be willing to pay the sharpshooting guard?
Of course, the Bulls have tried to sign Gordon to a long-term deal the last two offseasons without success. They've made generous offers both times -- five-year deals worth at least $50 million -- only to be rebuffed.
Tough stance
Eventually, the Bulls pulled their long-term offer late last summer after they became frustrated with Brothers' approach. It remains to be seen if the relationship between Bulls management and Brothers will play a role in whether Gordon is re-signed.
'At the end of the day, it's a business,' Gordon said. 'I'm able to put my feelings aside. If there's animosity, the organization needs to be able to do the same thing.Gordon isn't worth the kind of money he has asked for the last two years because he's a one-dimensional scorer. You don't give star money to one-dimensional players. Sure, you can argue that Deng isn't a star-quality player, either, but that doesn't mean the Bulls should compound that mistake by signing Gordon to a similar deal.
Still, if the Bulls want to make a major step up the Eastern Conference ladder next season, they'd be wise to keep Gordon in the fold. There's no way they would've extended the Celtics to seven games if not for the 24.3 points Gordon averaged in the series -- despite playing the final 3½ games with a strained left hamstring.
'I've always been that kind of player,' he said, 'but this series, I'm definitely happy with the way things went -- with the way I played, the way my team played. We were facing a lot of adversity the entire time, so there's a lot to be proud of.'
Gordon is a hard worker, and you won't find a player who represents the team in a classier fashion off the court. And remember, 20-point scorers -- even ones who sometimes have defensive liabilities and ballhandling issues -- are far from plentiful in the NBA.The Bulls would be smart to re-sign Gordon and put him in a backcourt rotation with Derrick Rose and John Salmons. Even though Gordon started this season, I would start Rose and Salmons and bring Gordon off the bench.
All three players would play starter's minutes -- Salmons also can split minutes at small forward with Deng -- so being a starter mostly would be about ego.
'It doesn't matter,' Gordon said of starting. 'I know what kind of player I am and what kind of impact I can have on the game.
'I just want to be somewhere the organization is trying to win a championship because that's what I'm all about.'
The biggest downside of re-signing Gordon is it undoubtedly would mean that Kirk Hinrich would have to be dealt in the offseason because of luxury-tax issues. It would be virtually impossible for the Bulls to have both on the roster without surpassing the tax threshold.
Then again, leaving town might be the best thing to happen to Hinrich at this point of his career, especially because Rose figures to assume an even larger role next season.
