Ben Gordon moving on to Motown
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| In this Friday, Nov. 7, 2008 file picture, Chicago Bulls' Ben Gordon reacts after making a three-point shot against the Phoenix Suns in the fourth quarter during an NBA basketball game in Chicago. Gordon is an unrestricted free agent and was in Michigan on Wednesday, July 1, 2009 for talks with Detroit Pistons president for player personnel Joe Dumars, according to a person close to the talks. ((AP Photo/Paul Beaty)) |
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After performing a high-wire act so many times with clutch shots, Ben Gordon stayed at that altitude Wednesday, taking the high road as his five-year association with the Bulls ended.
Gordon, the team’s leading scorer the last four seasons, has agreed to a five-year, $55 million deal with the Detroit Pistons. The veteran guard will sign his contract once the free-agent moratorium ends July 8.
The deal is slightly more than the five-year, $50 million and six-year, $54 million deals Gordon rejected from the Bulls the last two summers.
“I don’t have any regrets, and I don’t have any bitter feelings for the Bulls,” Gordon said in an interview after returning to Chicago late Wednesday. “Business is business. I’m going to a situation now where winning is the No. 1 priority. I’m happy with my decision.
“The Bulls and Pistons always have had a great rivalry. It will be exciting going against [the Bulls], especially here because this is one of the best sports towns anywhere. I’m definitely going to miss the fans. But being on the other side will be fun too.”
Sources said Raymond Brothers, Gordon’s Los-Angeles-based agent, fielded calls from approximately 15 teams when the free-agent recruiting process began at 11:01 p.m. Tuesday Chicago time. That included interest from playoff teams who only could offer the mid-level exception.
But Joe Dumars, the Pistons’ president of basketball operations, made it clear to Brothers that Gordon served as his No. 1 off-season target. Along those lines, Dumars then hosted Gordon and his former Connecticut teammate Charlie Villanueva, whom the Pistons also signed, for a tour of the Pistons’ practice facility and lunch on Wednesday.
“Joe’s passion for winning is really evident when you speak to him,” Gordon said. “He has such a competitive edge to him. And he has a knack for putting together really good teams.
“He’s a proven winner whose only priority is to win titles. That’s my ultimate goal too. I feel fortunate where the guy at the top [again] feels just as passionate about winning as I do.”
The Bulls, opting to be reactive rather than proactive, didn’t call, content to utilize the assets acquired at February’s trade deadline. John Salmons will slide into Gordon’s shooting guard spot, forming a backcourt rotation with Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich.
And the Bulls own roughly $25 million of expiring contracts for the stellar 2010 free-agent class.
“I always said since the jump this was somewhere I would’ve liked to retire, have a 15-year career, get a couple of rings,” Gordon said. “That was my idealistic thing the day I got drafted. But you never know in this business.”
Once presented with Dumars’ formal offer, Brothers contacted the Bulls. But management chose not to enter luxury-tax territory to re-sign someone who averaged 18.5 points per game, shot 41.5 percent on three-pointers and became the first player in NBA history to win Sixth Man of the Year award as a rookie in 2005.
“Once I tried to sign their offer last year and the deadline passed and I signed the qualifying offer, I knew leaving was a possibility,” Gordon said. “Really I don’t have any mixed feelings. I’m just excited about my future with the Pistons.
“I’m sure there are fans with mixed emotions. Some will remember me positively. Some will remember me negatively. One thing I hope they remember me for is being professional, competing hard and never giving up on the game. I just always tried to help my team win.”
Gordon file
Age: 26
Position: Guard
The deal: 5 years, $55 million
2009: 20.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists per game
Career: 18.5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists per game
FYI: Drafted by the Bulls with the third overall pick in 2004. ... First player in NBA history to win Sixth Man of the Year award as a rookie (2005). ... Bulls leading scorer the past four seasons.
