Chicago Bulls: Picking Luol Deng over Ben Gordon Was Right Choice

Before the Derrick Rose era, the Chicago Bulls had a team that was centered around the young trifecta of Luol Deng, Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich. The team was an Eastern Conference power in the diluted NBA but was never quite able to put it all together and get past the second round. 

The difficulty with this team came when it came time to sign everyone to new contracts, and when Derrick Rose came into town. The arrival of the superstar point guard made Hinrich instantly expendable. It was sad to see him go, but that move was a no-brainer. Maybe we will see Captain Kirk in a Bulls uniform again someday. 

The real question, however, was between Gordon and Deng. 

In my opinion, Gordon was unquestionably the most important player on the mid-2000s Bulls teams. He was one of the most dynamic scorers in the league for his first five years in the league.

That is not to say that Gordon was a better player than Deng. Deng did, and still does, so much more on a basketball court than Gordon. While Gordon was the vastly superior scorer, Deng is an elite defender, an excellent rebounder and much better at playing off the ball. 

Now let's think of how each player would fit next to Rose. Gordon would have fit pretty well. He would be able to space the floor for Rose better than any player outside of Kyle Korver on this Bulls team right now, and that includes Deng. 

But what we have to take into account is that Deng is a special player.  There are few players in the NBA who can match his combination of height, strength, length, speed, endurance and athleticism. The most impressive part about Deng, and the reason the Bulls kept him, is because he is an excellent complementary player. Doc Rivers called Deng an "All-Star role player," and this is something that could not be more valuable to a championship-level team—much more valuable than just another volume scorer.