Should BG get paid like Deng?With Luol Deng inking a six-year, $71 million deal to stay in Chicago, the Bulls have satisfied their franchise wing before the August 4th deadline that he set. But they’ve sparked a new controversy with guard Ben Gordon, who believes that he should make as much money as Deng.
Gordon, sources said, is seeking a deal that is at least equal to Deng’s. That’s now impossible unless the Bulls enter luxury-tax territory.
Coming off a season in which he posted 18.6 points per, slightly above his career average and Deng’s ‘07-08 totals, Gordon definitely has an argument that he’s worth as much as his teammate. But the Bulls already have Larry Hughes under contract for close to $13 million this year (and almost $14 mil. for the ‘09-10 season). While Hughes locks up on D, he wouldn’t be able to replace Gordon’s offensive output.
It already looks like Andres Nocioni has been made expendable by the resigning of Deng, so Jerry Reinsdorf won’t want his bench to thin out by two significant contributors overnight.
Could the Bulls endure two years of luxury tax penalties to hold onto Gordon until Hughes’ deal expires?
If you were the Bulls GM would you take on the dreaded luxury tax to keep the nucleus of Gordon, Deng and Derrick Rose?
Related posts:
July 30th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Ta!ented says:
I always felt like Ben was better then Luol..idk mayb thats just me
July 30th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
B-Easy says:
I believe Ben’s better too.Better than Hinrich even..But hey,that’s just me.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
David Brandon says:
COOP!!! what’d i say man!! hahahaha
July 30th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
CHEE says:
BEN IS OVERRATED.
SURE HE CAN CATCH FIRE AND SHOOT LIGHTS OUT TIME FROM TIME BUT HE IS TOO SMALL, NOT TEAM PLAYER AND DOESNT MAKE HIS TEMA BETTER. I WOULD SIGN AND TRADE HIM AWAY. IF THEY GIVE HIM THAT BIG CONTRACT, HE WILL BE ONE OF THOSE GUYS WHERE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO TRADE AWWAY WHEN BULLS REALIZE THEY HAD MADE A MISTAKE.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Brown says:
I’d do everything I could to trade Kirk Hinrich, even if you don’t get fair value in return.
Signing Ben Wallace (and trading him for Larry Hughes) screwed up their cap royally. They need to unload someone, and Hinrich looks like the odd man out with them drafting Rose.
Someone should be willing to take Hinrich, the only question is will they be able to shave enough off the cap to make it worthwhile.
If they can’t make this type of deal, I’d pay the tax. Either that or trade Gordon. That’d be tough to do though because he is their go-to guy in the fourth quarter.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
fallinup says:
Ben is only good when he’s making shots. No D. And he cant run the point. And he’s proven that he can’t for some reason, start. With Rose in, and Deng signed…Ben’s gotta get moved.
No way he gets Deng money unless it’s a sign and trade.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Ross says:
As soon as I heard of Deng’s extension, I knew this was coming.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Blue says:
i wouldn’t have paid $71 million for deng (i heard it was $80 million, anyway). but neither ben nor deng would find anywhere near close to the money that they wanted on the open market.
i think the bulls team, as a whole, have too many mental problems to live up to all of their physical abilities!!
July 30th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Celts Fan says:
If I’m the Bulls, I offer him literally $1 (that’s 1 dollar btw, not 1 million dollars) more than the contract offered last off-season, and invite him to find more on the open market if he can. When he can’t, he’ll either take it, sign the 1 year tender (don’t see anyone turning down set-for-life money for that short-term $, especially coming off the year he’s had. ask Matt Barnes how that can work out,) or go to Europe out of spite and make no more than what the Bulls were offering.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
doc says:
For every game Ben scores 30 he’ll have 2 where he scores 5.I wouldnt pay his ass.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
J-Dot says:
Ben Gordon is that player that you KNOW is slightly overrated, but you would still freak out if he were on the opposing team. Plus, you know everyone else knows that, so any transaction would likely net an unequal trade in favor of the team that acquires him. So, you want to keep him because a) you know he would light your team up and b) you won’t get what you want in exchange, but you wish he would fall back a bit with his playing time and money demands. BG does great things for the Bulls, but I still don’t trust him as the go-to guy in the final possessions of a game. I feel like I’ve seen him hampered by taller defenders in those critical possessions. You can’t leave a 6-8 guy on him all game, which is why I perceive him to perform best quarters 1-3 and early in the 4th. But in crunch time, put a bigger guy on him and watch the show. That said, I just wonder if any other team would be willing to sign him for 12 million a year. In addition, this canNOT be contributing positively to the locker room environment in Chicago.
All in all, I say let go of BG, because the Bulls can’t provide what he’s looking for (starting lineup and double-digit millions per year) and he won’t stop reminding the organization about it…
July 30th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Celts Fan says:
While my proposal’s kind of calous, Ben needs to realize he’s an undersized 2 guard that can’t play the point. He’s a one-dimensional spark off the bench. A damn good one, but just that. Luol’s a starting 3 that’s actually the right size for his position and extremely versatile. Ben’s worth no more than $10M per to a sane, not desperate GM. I like Ben, but come on man, get real
July 30th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
daquest?on says:
ben gordon is out of his mind, i wouldnt pay him. he is undersized, his passing ability is questionable. they already have rose and hughes
July 30th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Celts Fan says:
@JDot, in Ben’s rookie year, he was 5th IN THE LEAGUE in point per 4th quarter (the other 4 were household names.) There was no stat on how many points his man put up on him though…
July 30th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
fiyaman says:
nope wouldnt give him the big chk.. i would keep hughes over him and let him walk.. I think he’s 2 small to be a full time starter at the 2 and thats waayyy too much for a bench player.. I think he’s one of those players thats gonna forever be a roleplayer on a gd team and a half decent player( not a star) on a bad team.. I just hope the knicks arent stupid enough to go aft him
July 30th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
fiyaman says:
@celts $10mill is still 2much for a bench rider he shouldnt more than the mid-level (maybe 7mil the most)
July 30th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Michorizo says:
It’s all about the BENjamins baby!
July 30th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
fiyaman says:
1. Is he the type that the opposing team will game plan for?
2. Is he a full-time starter?
3. Is he an all-star?
4. Is he a leader?
5. How are they in the lockerroom?
6. What are the odds of you regretting the decision?
7. Do they deserve/earn the $$?
These are all question every GM should ask themselves b4 giving bigass contracts to anyone.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Dagomar says:
Ben is a huge liability for his team on defense. He’s undersized and simply doesn’t know how to defend. He’s also not consistent enough to be a starter. He can be a very good shooter at crunchtime but he’s streaky. As a six man he’s good and he should get that type of money, somewhere at around 8 million a season. Anything more and it’s a waste.
The Bulls have to ditch Hinrich or Gordon and of the two Gordon should go. Hinrich had a terrible year last year but he’s big enough to play the 2 and he’s a good creator.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
JA says:
They should sign and trade to Knicks for David Lee and filler. Bulls can use a big guy who rebounds and fits the “team” mold, and BG would fit in as a jacker in D’Antoni’s system.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
weezy f says:
the recent signings are of people who dont deserve as much money as theyre gettin…i hella dont believe okafor should get as much as he did he has proven nothing yet…deng shouldnt have gotten rewarded that much for playing the way he did last season but im sure hes gonna do great this season..i think sasha got too much money..shit if you get money for letting ray allen blow past you sign me to a HUGE contract!!!
July 30th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
fiyaman says:
NO BG WOULD NOT FIT ON THE KNICKS UNLESS HE COMES OFF THE BENCH>> STOP TYPING SHIT LIKE THAT U KNOW WALSH READS THIS SHIT AND WILL PROBABLY GO FOR IT..
http://www.ibeatyou.com/competition/0775d8/best-movie-trailer-spoof/entry/afde0b/boomdizzle-and-me-stepbrothers-in-santa-monica
July 30th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
nick says:
ben is at times the only person that create his offense and create for others. but i wouldn’t pay him 71 mil. i would say he is better then deng however neither are worth the contract that deng just got.
if deng just got 71 million, how much does josh smith deserve?
July 30th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
weezy f says:
lebron bought the whole us team 350 dollar headphones from dr dre
July 30th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Celts Fan says:
@Dagomar, and Heinrich can defend. Slowed down DWade in the Playoffs a couple years ago…
I know $10M is probably too much for a bench guy, but Ben’s a hell of a bench guy and young enough you pay for potential too (and to keep him.) I’m just saying, that’d be my line. Anything over that, see ya later…
Their biggest issue is Larry Hughes though. Maybe with a good PG, he can get back at it, but he’s been HORRID since signing his deal w/ Cleveland (a panic deal to appease LeBron after missing on Ray and Redd that’s resulted w/ them being where they are and trading for Ben’s equally horrible deal.) The good news is that that horrible deal becomes an attractive expiring contract next year, so they could always move it for a nice piece or let it expire to clear room to keep Ben too (though again, his price is about $20M too high if he keeps it where it is and they’re still in the luxury tax these next 2 years if they do that, for a team that’s absolutely not winning a title in those 2 years.)
July 30th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Logan Light says:
You’ve got to trade Ben now… Send him to New York (not that they need a guard), Dallas, Cleavland, Miami…
PACK YOUR BAGS BEN.
LL
July 30th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
Nooooooooooooooooo!! Even though I don’t care for Deng (I thought they should’ve made more of an attempt to trade him) I suppose I can live with it although he is vastly overpaid. But there’s no way I can live with both Deng and Gordon getting paid like that. Please Chicago do not pay Gordon. Trade him for some inside scoring. If the Bulls give Gordon a crazy lucrative contract extension I’m disowning them as my team for this season.
I’m not saying Deng is better than Gordon but we can’t have both these overrated players screwing up our payroll for the next 5-6 years.
July 30th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
How about Gordon and Nocioni for Shawn Marion? Just throwing things out there.
July 30th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Luigi says:
n the fact that Chicago wudnt give him up for KOBE BRYANT! smooth n now Luol is overpaid. he shuda gotten a 50 mill contract deal. n gordon should get a 40 mill deal.
but if u were to trade ben. or kirk. id suggest trade kirk to PHO or LA or but i doubt LA or PHO has the pieces CHI wants. but trading ben is gonna be hard kuz i kant think of a team that wud take Ben
July 30th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
Yeah I have to agree. There’s nobody out there who would want Gordon for $10 million/year in a sign and trade situation at least not right now. Hell let him play out his current contract and see what happens as the trade deadline rolls around I guess.
July 30th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Soopa says:
I completly agree with doc on this one. BG is way to inocnsistent to be earning the big bucks. After all theres a reason why he is a sixth man. The opposing teams doesnt know how he is gonna kill them or if he is even gonna be a factor, problem is niether does the Bulls!
Im not the one to say whos better of Deng and Gordon, all i know is that Gordon is not a type of player that Chicago needs at the moment. Gordon would be really valuble to the Lakers, Celtics or any conteder who has their starting 5 set and needs The Man on their second unit (see Manu), who doesnt needs set plays or systems around them to be effective.
Ashame he wants that much money, if he deserves it or not, because im telling you now he’ll end up on some losing team putting up good stats and getting stamped as “expiering contract” in trades within 3 years.
July 30th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
TG says:
Ben Gordon is a good scorer, but brings little else to the table. He isn’t a playmaker, he is an average defender at best and he isn’t a leader. Luol Deng is a better all-around player than Gordon, is more versatile and is 3 years younger. I thought the Bulls slightly overpaid to keep Deng. They would just be compouning a problem by really overpaying for Gordon — who is basically a $9-$10 million per year guy. I don’t know why he thinks he is worth much more than someone like Manu Ginobili, for example — who will make about $9 million this coming season!
July 30th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
kobeef says:
Bottom line - the Bulls don’t need Ben Gordon.
They already have 2 starting PG’s (Hinrich, Rose) and 1 starting SG (Hughes) who they can’t trade as well as a decent backup (Shefoloha ?)
Where exactly is Ben going to play? If he could run the point they could get something for him but it seems like he doesn’t have much interest in doing that.
Let him play out his contract, free up some cap space.
July 30th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Kudabeen says:
LMAO
Of all the random basketball (non-basketball) related news out there. What is Steve Nash and Baron Davis doing?!?!
http://sportfiends.com/2008/07/19/baron-davis-and-steve-nash-dont-own-mirrors/
July 30th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Kudabeen says:
Ben will probably have to take the qualifying offer and ball his heart out and play defense (yes I said it).
If he does that he gets his dough…next year.
Scorers under 6′3 (not named Iverson) don’t command $$ like that. That plus he hasn’t been able to man the lead guard/setup role on a team that desperately needed scoring. He is in great shape and looks physically strong, but when matched up against other bigger PGs he looks like he is only 6′0 not the 6′3 they list him as.
It’s going to be tough for Ben unless he gets tougher on D.
July 30th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Bron42 had springs before slamball says:
anyone hear about this ron artest to the rockets crap?
July 30th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Chaos says:
If he worked harder on D and was a better distributer he would have an argument but he has none of those things. he is a me first scorer that is in a PG body with the mind of a triggerman. he has the ability to average 18-19 pts for any team ofrf the bench but he wont accept that
July 30th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Sith Lord 24 says:
yea, if Ben is not a starter i dont know how he can ask for that type of money.
July 30th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
d says:
Ben Gordon needs a reality check. He can shoot. That’s it. He’s got no handle and he arguably doesn’t make his teammates better. He’s not a team player, he’s barely even a starter in that system. Statistically he could be a starter, yes. But his stay in Chicago has proved he’s better off the bench. I’m tired of the me-first mentality of NBA players. I hope he ends up bouncing out of the league and going across the waters to ‘greener pastures.’ to that I’d say, good f’ing riddance.
July 30th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
dapro says:
They overpaid for Deng and now they can’t afford to keep Gordon
Living in the Chi I see first hand the contributions of both players but truthfully Gordon is offense. When he is on he balls lights out. When he’s off it choas for the Bulls.
He’s a playmaker, I’ve seen him rack up assist but he isn’t worth top dollar
Deng was way overpaid. I like Luol but you can’t give him max dollars.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Ferdiberdi says:
BG should go to another team who has cap space coz i dont think Bulls would give him that big of a deal.
Bobcats? Who else has cap room? Or maybe fix a deal with the Cavs?
July 30th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
word says:
obviously take luol, ben needs to fix his shooting percentage that cat just jacks shit up like he thinks he jordan. hes wack, and the bulls better do good even though they made a huge draft choice fuck up. beasley over rose anyday
July 30th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
HUH!!!! says:
WHY the HATE on KIRK HINRICH!!! He can play he is the best player ont he bulls team, the team who gets him WILL be ecstatic because he won’t play like he did last season. He is one of the better PG’s for the future along with Paul and Williams (though not nearly as good as those two) he pressured the ball stupendously in the Olympics gave D. Wade hell, and he can shoot it, and he creates opportunities. Get it together guys the guy can PLAY!
As for Ben Gordon BOOOOO…U aint making 12 million nowhere on this earth eat shit, and watch some Better basketball videos and learn how to play defense. You’re PG skills are non existant, and I am a fan. Get your shit together Ben take the 8 million and be happy. You’re really not that Ill.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
heavy d says:
Ben Gordon, to quote the Princess Bride, “Get used to disappointment.”
July 30th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Magnifico says:
how much is monta ellis getting? BG shouldn’t be getting more than that…
July 31st, 2008 at 1:28 am
Ernesto says:
See ya Benny boy! Ain’t no way I’m payin him what he supposedly wants if I’m Pax. Which means, he’ll prob do it. Wouldn’t be the first time he’s overpaid a Ben now, would it?
July 31st, 2008 at 3:50 am
Coop says:
David,
hahaha dude. Nightmare!
Anyone who says Gordon > Deng is an idiot and yeah I’m calling you out! Gordon would get 7mil per MAX from me and here’s why:
Cant defend
Can’t rebound
Doesn’t pass
Streaky
SG isnt an important position unless you’re all-world
Beyond that, Gordon is an idiot or a liar. He comes out and says ‘i want to stay with the bulls’ and then ‘i’ll stay if they pay me what im worth, which is as much as deng’
so either he’s an idiot because he think he actually is worth Deng money and thus doesnt understand his strengths and weaknesses and how that fits into a winning team, OR he knows full well he shouldnt get Deng money and knows a s+t is the future.
Gordon, you’re from England so I like you dude but check your balls and get a reality check.
July 31st, 2008 at 6:56 am
shake&bake says:
When Ben is on, he is one of the best scorers in the league. Too bad he is hot maybe 50% of the time. He doesn’t deserve that kind of money because he is too one-dimensional. I was excited when the Bulls got him out of UConn, but now I wouldn’t care if they got rid of him
July 31st, 2008 at 10:23 am
karizmatic says:
Personally I wouldn’t have resigned Deng for that money and I certainly wouldn’t sign Gordon for that either. But hey what do I know?
July 31st, 2008 at 12:14 pm
chrisGO says:
i dont know why all the hate on Hinrich…id rather have him than Gordon. Hinrich can play the 2 (other than last yr, he’s a decent shooter), he can play the point, he can play DEFENSE (he’s been guarding the premier 2s in the league…and no, im not saying hes the best defender but he does do an admirable job, night-in and night-out)
July 31st, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Coop says:
I concur- Hinrich is overpaid but his contract is frontloaded as i recall and he is a good defender which is the basis of that team. he just needs to stop shooting.
July 31st, 2008 at 5:19 pm
yoyoboyboy says:
BEN GORDON has yet to show people his worth, scott skiles wouldnt allow it.. I can tell you this Ben is the player that if they get rid of him he will haunt them for years to come, especially in the east!! No shooter can get a rythum the way skiles used him thats where the up and down performances come in. SEND HIM TO NEW YORK we’ll take’em and kick the bulls @ss in the play offs 4 years to come!!!!