John Paxson may have to pull those old Gordon Lightfoot records out for some sage advice. In the next level of the ever-escalating Ben Gordon contract standoff, noted Russian basketball juggernaut CSKA Moscow has reared its ugly head and is reported to be making a substantial offer to the Bulls' shooting guard. The report is dubious on several fronts. First, it comes from a Greek news site that was then found by a Bulls blog and then discovered by Blog-A-Bull's community. If you fancy a laugh, give the poorly translated version of the site a read. It's almost as ridiculous as Gordon's contract demands this summer. Second, it sounds as if the offer is significantly less than the top dollar amount that Gordon is rumored to be asking from the Bulls, supposedly demanding to be the highest paid player on roster. So if he were to go overseas, you'd assume he'd only go for more money than he could make here, or else he's just looking to put the hurt on the Bulls. Which isn't beyond belief, given Gordon's growing bitterness towards management, but still unlikely.
If for some reason this rumor does have legs, you have to wonder how far Bulls management will go to make a point. Will they just swallow Gordon's cap space this year? Will they just let their leading scorer go to Europe, a guy who's clearly a fan favorite (in some circles, anyway)? How far are you willing to go to prove your point? And if you're Gordon, how far are you willing to go to show you're serious about your own sense of self-worth? The most reasonable solution at this point is a sign and trade. And given the complexities of a trade involving a player under a qualifying offer? That shows how truly unreasonable this whole scenario has become, and we're not even to camp yet.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ben Gordon should go back to England;
The british are very good in football ( soccer USA) but not basketball;
Gordon doesn't have any business rejecting a decent contract
in the NBA, he may find himself with no takers after all;