NBA Rumors: Explosive Eric Gordon Is Worth a Max Contract

Conservative doesn’t translate to titles anymore.

To win a championship in today’s NBA, you must roll the dice. Contenders that stubbornly build through the draft and refuse to make major roster moves via trade or free agency are long gone.

On that note, Eric Gordon—the player with perhaps the highest risk/reward in all of free agency this summer—is worth the gamble of a max contract.

According to The News-Herald’s Bob Finnan, there are indeed rumors that Gordon will receive an offer for a max contract this offseason. While he’s a restricted free agent, the New Orleans Hornets aren’t guaranteed to match such a massive offer. It wouldn’t be wise for a rebuilding team to commit to such a large chunk of their salary cap to an injury-prone player, either.

That is the risk that comes with Gordon. He fought through wrist injuries in 2011 and more recently his knee required surgery. In the past two seasons, he’s missed 83 games due to injury.

Why in the world would a team offer a max contract to such a brittle player?

I call it the Andrew Bynum effect.

Bynum’s injury history is far worse than Gordon’s. The Los Angeles Lakers center’s knees have endured nearly unequaled wear and tear (I say "nearly" because of Greg Oden). Bynum’s critics preached that LA should trade him while at the same time warning other teams not to take him because he couldn’t stay healthy.

As it turns out, he’s now without a doubt the second best center in the league behind Dwight Howard.

Gordon doesn’t have Bynum’s ceiling, but he does possess the potential to become one of the league’s top two-guards. When he managed to suit up over the past two seasons, Gordon averaged over 20 points per game while shooting 45 percent from the field. He’s talented enough to be the second best player on a championship-caliber club.

He’s worth the risk. When teams sit back and wait for their up and coming team to develop, that’s when the Portland Trail Blazers and Atlanta Hawks of this world are created. When franchises combine commitment to the draft and are willing shake up the roster with a transaction or two, that’s when the Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s of this world are created.

If a contender has cap room and is one piece away from battling for a title in 2013, they’d be foolish to pass on Gordon.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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