Ben Gordon

I think he is good but his size is a minus for me for the position he thrives in (SG).

I believe he was drafted high because of his Uconn team's run in the NCAA tourney last year along side okafor. Imho, Chicago has not draft well lately save for Deng and Captain Kirk.

 

Gordon is a scorer. He's capable of creating his own shot and scoring in bunches. He's a very gifted shooter and athlete (he's got very good shooting forms). If he were a few inches taller I would compare him to a young Ray Allen. However, as what he is (about 6'1"), he doesn't have the size to defend the big SGs in this league, and he hasn't learned how to pass just yet (however, I don't think he is selfish by any means--he's just asked to provide instant offense on that Chicago team; look at his plays at UConn). Overall, I think that Gordon is going to be a player in this league, but I don't know whether he will ever justify his draft position (the No. 3 overall pick). He may become a classic tweener combo guard.

 

Deng and Nocioni put up the ball every time they touch it. They're far worse then Ben, though I really like their games.

As a Bulls fan, I'm angry that he doesn't shoot enough.

How you could call him a "cancer" is beyond me. Not a smart statement. He is extremely well-liked by his teammates and the coaching staff, and has won several games for the Bullies by his lonesome.

 

Huh. Ben Gordon is one of the hottest guys in the league right now. In the month of Demember he scored over 14 ppg in just over 24 minutes. And he shot a sizzling .509 from the field and .553 from behind the arc. The Bull's improved play directly coincided with his turnaround. Sure he's a scorer that's looking for his own shot, but when they are falling like they've been, you get a license to shoot.

 

Sam Bowie was the #2 draft pick, right after Dream, right before MJ. I've met Sam, he is from my hometown of Lebanon, PA. 7footer, all time leading scorer in L-L Sectional history. Went to Kentucky and played there.

Whats my point?

Give the guy some time. Sometimes they pan out like MJ and Dream. Other times, you get Sam Bowie. Nonetheless, it's WAY to early to judge on him yet.

 

To further chime in, anytime a player is shooting over .500 for the past month, he should get a green light whenever he wants. I watched most of Gordon's games last year at Uconn and, if anything, Jim Calhoun had to literally yell at him to get him to shoot more.

 

gordon? jordon ?

both are foolish.

see the resemblance?

 

I was going to start a thread that was almost the opposite of the original poster's post. I was pretty surprised to read what I did.

Ben Gordon is a scorer and is going to be a very good player. I think that Skiles is a horrible coach for the Bulls though and he actually stunts the progress of his players. Going back to Gordon, he struggled a lot at the start of the year but he wasn't getting many minutes either. Somehow Duhon was getting a lot of minutes over him. Of late though Gordon is on a tear. He definitely has the talent and skills to be one of the stars in his rookie class but I think he still needs a little more time.

 

Not directed at you personally, but I hate it when people say that guys like Bowie and Pervis Ellison were busts, when their careers were derailed by injuries. Never Nervous in particular, he was a 20/11 player before he got hurt.

I dunno, it just seems like saying that Lenny Bias was a bust. Just don't seem right.

 

If you were to do it all over agin would you pick him that high?

 

The Bulls have been playing well lately and I attribute that to the new rotational lineup Skiles has used with Gordon off the bench and Duhon starting with Hinrich at the 2 guard spot. Gordon seems to work best off the bench as Vinny Johnson "microwave" type guy. He can come in the game with the reserves and score points to keep the momentum. I am not sure he will ever amount to anything more than being that guy, but nevertheless that is still a very important role. Bobby Jackson has done well in that role in Sacramento.

 

I would. Absolutely. He's the only guy on that team since you know who who can consistently make baskets in the last 5 minutes of a tight game. Not only has he been shooting over 50% for the past month, he's been making a bunch of those in clutch situations. The Bulls would have maybe half as many wins without him. Gordon may not have a well-defined position yet, but he still brings the team a desperately needed sense of fearlessness and confidence.

 

Instead of whom? I'm on record as saying that Livingston will be the best thing to come out of this Draft, but besides Okafor (who gets the ball in his hands nearly every time down court), who is playing better than Gordon at this point?

Even better, his presence allowed the Bulls to trade Crawford (and Jerome Williams' horrible contract) to the genius of the East, one Isiah Thomas.

Gordon may not be the Bulls' best player at this point, but he's the reason they've been in the close games they've lost (since mid-November) and most of the games they've won.

 

In my humble opinion, the Bulls are not going to do jack anytime soon so I would have chosen the 6-7 guard, Shaun Livingston, since he arguably has the greater upside.

Well only time will tell. Remember like I stated earlier, I like Gordon - I just would not have picked him that high. I am not even sure I will take him over Deng but I might be in the minority.

 

By the time Livingston will be able to do anything, Deng, Nocioni, and Kirk will be done with their contracts, Tyson and Eddy would have been gone, Skiles and Paxson would have been gone, and about 9,000 people would have been coming to the United Center ... for hockey. The Bulls would have probably folded.

I don't know how you could argue against a guy who is possibly (though Emeka and Dwight are right there, no doubt) the best rookie in the game so far being picked 3rd overall.

 

Fair points KD.

I am not knocking Gordon. For all we know, Shaun may indeed come into his own as soon as next season. Well we just have to wait and see how it all turns out. I would love to see Chicago back to a reputable position soon. Good luck.

 

i live in chicago and go to a lot of bulls games, and i am going to have to disagree with the thread starter. ben gordon is THE reason the bulls have turned the corner this season, shooting well and stepping up. there's no telling the future with that kid, but i really like his game.

the other thing i disagree with is your guys evaluation of shaun livingston. he's from here, and ive seen him play 3 times(had a couple friends even play against him). he's NOT that good. trust me. one of my close friends, who is 6'4 and plays high school basketball played him one on one(last year) and nearly beat him. not impressive for an nba player. i was very suprised at how much people valued him in the draft, and how much people are valuing him now.

 

You gotta see him when he gets back with the Clippers, though, the guy sees the court like few others. He is going to be AWE-some.

 

it was certainly a shame when he got injured, he was certainly starting to adjust to the speed of the game and playing pretty well