Ben Gordon Has Turned It Around for the Chicago Bulls

Ben Gordon has turned it all around for the Chicago Bulls.

Back in his rookie season, I liked Ben Gordon's game. He came off the bench, provided a scoring punch, and even hit a buzzer-beater or two.

He seemed like he was playing well beyond his years, and it resulted in a Sixth Man of the Year award.

News soon came around that he may be able to play on the Great Britain team, just putting him higher in my good books.

But the years wore on, and my liking for Gordon began to fade.

During 2007 (perhaps the Bulls' best year of this decade) he averaged a career high 21.4 PPG, as well in career highs in assists (3.6), rebounding (3.2) and FG % (45.5)

The Bulls soon started to fall apart though, and it seemed Ben Gordon went with them.

Basically all his numbers went down in 2008, the same as the number of Bulls' wins. There were reports of Gordon not getting on with teammates and not being a positive in the locker room. Much in the same way as Shawn Marion was being displayed in Phoenix.

(Just as a sidenote, very few of us actually know whether or not Gordon was a negative influence behind the scenes, but that's the vibe that was given out.)

Last summer, it seemed that Gordon started acting like a Prima Donna. Gordon was never in the headlines for anything on the court.

It was always contract issues...extensions, refusals of big deals, holdouts...it seemed Gordon was only interested in the money.

There was a lot of discussion as to whether Gordon would even return to the Bulls, and at the beginning of the season it seemed almost definite that this year would be the last of Gordon in a Bulls' uniform.

That still could be true, but even if it is, then Ben Gordon is throwing himself one hell of a going-away party...

This year, while most of the hype has been devoted to the newly-crowned Rookie of the Year (congratulations Mr. Rose, well deserved), a rookie coach, an injured main man, and new players thanks to a hugely successful trade deadline day deal.

He has raised his scoring back to 20.7, and posted a new career high in rebounds at 3.5. The Bulls have had a hugely successful season, reaching the seventh seed in the East.

By now, you should all know about the upset the Bulls pulled in game one. And they came very close again in game 2, they couldn't have much made it much more difficult for the Celtics.

In Game One: Gordon didn't have a great shooting night, going 6-17 from the field, including 1-5 from 3-point line. 

However, he did still go for 20 points, as well as adding five assists.

His stat line may not have been as impressive as Derrick Rose's (an amazing 26 and 11) or maybe even Joakim Noah's (11 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocked shots) but he did hit some big important shots in the fourth.

It was game two, though, that really showed what Ben Gordon is capable of.

He went for a game-high 42. More importantly, 25 of these came in the second half. He hit six treys, going head to head with fellow UCONN Husky Ray Allen.

But more than the numbers...was the sheer brilliance and importance of these shots.

They were incredible. He often had two Celtics right in his face, and he was often falling on them. They were those time-out inducing, teammates falling over on the bench type shots.

They were shots that had no business going in, yet Gordon made them.

I think what impressed me most was the way Gordon seemed to truly care. This wasn't just about getting himself more money next year, he wanted to win. He had that killers instinct. He took the big shots. He made them too.

For the rest of this series, and maybe the next if Chicago is successful, Ben Gordon will be a big factor. He may not be the main guy on this team, but he is certainly one of the most important.

What will interest me to see is if Gordon goes cold, what else will he bring to the table?

But either way, win or lose the series, Ben Gordon has at least shown himself to care about his team again. Puts him back in my good books at least.