The Curious Case of Benjamin Gordon

Perhaps no current Bulls player elicits a wider range of responses from fans than Ben Gordon. 

You ask one fan what he thinks of Gordon and he praises his prolific scoring and his ability to create his own shot. You ask another and all you hear about his how he is a ball hog who is playing for a contract, not playing defense, and killing the team.

The truth must be somewhere in between.

And now that the 2008-2009 season is looking more and more like a (*GULP!*) rebuilding season, it is time for the Bulls to decide just what they think of Ben Gordon.

When he burst on the scene in 04-05, Gordon was a sensation.  For the first time since “you know who” the Bulls finally had a guy who fans wanted to watch carry the team in the fourth quarter.

Gordon only started three games that season and played an average of 24 minutes a game. However, his 15 points a game made him one of the league’s most explosive scorers when he was on the court.  He made a habit of scoring 10 or more points in the fourth quarter almost every night.

The problem is that you could easily argue—and plenty of Bulls fans will—that Gordon hasn’t gotten any better during his four years in the league. 

The stats largely back up that statement.  His points have increased but only because his minutes have.  His assists have stayed fairly steady while his turnovers have declined just slightly. 

For the most part, Ben Gordon is still good at what he was good at his rookie season.  He shoots 40 percent from long range, he is a great foul shooter, and he can get as hot as anyone on any given night at any single moment.

Defensively, Gordon is undersized as a shooting guard.  I think fans often forget this, and unfairly label Gordon a defensive liability.  On some nights Gordon may have a hard time shutting down a bigger guard like a Carter or a James, but he does play hard on every defensive play.

So the real question isn’t what Gordon will give you every night, because if he is anything he has been consistent.  The question for Bulls fans: Is he a good fit on a winning team?

The notion that Gordon is a ball hog, in my opinion, is off base.  The guy is a scorer, he has always been a scorer, and that’s how he was taught to play the game. 

You can’t blame the guy for being what he is.  He isn’t jacking shots to fill out his box score.  He is jacking up shots to score points for his team and to help his team win the only way he knows.

I, for one, don’t blame him for it. He has played his whole career on a Bulls team that lacks any real offensive “go to” guy.  Ben Gordon plays hard.  He takes the ball to the hole and gets hammered in there by bigger players. 

He gets to the line more than anyone on the Bulls team and is their leading scorer.  Take away Derrick Rose and that lucky lottery ball and he is the Bulls' best player.

But does he fit in the team’s future? 

John Paxson wants to see what players will fit in around Rose.  Gordon seems like he should.  Rose should be able to penetrate and kick to Gordon for three balls all day long.

For whatever reason, these two haven’t really clicked.  It has sort of been a one-or-the-other situation.  In any given game, the offense is either going through Rose or Gordon.  That seems to suggest that the two do not really make each other better. 

But does a Bulls team without Ben Gordon scare anyone else? 

Who is going to score points?  I know Derrick Rose is the man, but he isn’t designed to be a leading scorer type guy.  At his best he should be a 17-point, 10-assist, Steve Nash type of player.

If you take Gordon away there is really no one on the team aside from Rose who can make his own shot.

Kirk Hinrich is a good player but is not at his best trying to play one-on-one basketball.  Luol Deng is paid like a guy who can create his own, but he can’t.

Love him or hate him, Ben Gordon is a necessary component if THIS Bulls team is going to put on any kind of run for a playoff spot. 

As for the future, who knows? 

Ben Gordon—take him or leave him, Bulls fans.