Farewell, Ben Gordon. Good luck with that, Detroit.

The Ben Gordon era in Chicago is officially over. 

Wednesday, the free agent guard agreed to the terms of a contract with the Detroit Pistons.  The soon-to-be-former Chicago Bull wasted no time in bolting out of town, agreeing to the deal less than 24 hours after the start of the NBA’s free agency period.

Gordon quickly became a fan favorite after being selected by the Bulls in the 2004 NBA Draft.  His late-game heroics and incredible shooting ability propelled him to the honor of becoming the first rookie to receive the league’s Sixth Man of the Year Award.  He was runner-up for Rookie of the Year honors, narrowly losing out to his college teammate Emeka Okafor.

Very few NBA players possess Gordon’s clutch scoring abilities.  His skill is only rivaled by the likes of superstars such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.  However, unlike these premiere players, Gordon is pathetically inept in virtually every other aspect of the game.

Gordon embodies the concept of a one-dimensional player. He excels in a singular area: scoring.  He is lacking in the areas of handling the ball, passing, rebounding, defending, challenging shots, setting a screen and moving without the ball. 

Listed at a generous measurement of six foot, three inches tall, Gordon’s has the body of a point guard.  Yet he lacks the skills and decision-making ability to run an NBA offense.  As a result, he is often placed in the role of shooting guard or small forward.  While he excels at scoring, even against taller players, he is a liability on defense.  Players exploit his lack of defensive skills, scoring with impunity while Gordon flails his arms around and pretends to care. 

I admonish Pistons fans about the perils of becoming Ben Gordon fan.  The experience will be delightful when Gordon rescues games that would seem otherwise unwinnable.  Other times, the streaky shooter will experience a slump, mindlessly dribbling around the court searching for a difficult shot that will inevitably clank off the side of the rim.

Fans of the NBA are familiar with Gordon’s clutch performances, but bad nights are not worthy of a highlight on SportsCenter, so they have gone virtually unnoticed outside of Chicago.

Gordon’s final game in a Bulls uniform is emblematic of his notoriously inconsistent performances.  In Game 7 of the this year’s epic playoff series with the Boston Celtics, Gordon scored 33 points and didn’t miss one of his 15 free-throws.  Yet in more than 46 minutes of action – more than any other Bulls player – he shot 7 for 23 from the field.

In what was arguably the biggest game of the 26-year-old sharpshooter’s life, he made just over 30 percent of the field goals that he attempted.

Coach Vinny Del Negro decided to leave Gordon in the game for the fourth quarter, despite the fact that he was clearly having a bad night, shooting 6 for 16 from the field and hitting one of nine three-point attempts in the first three quarters.   Gordon took seven shots in the fourth quarter, connecting on one. 

One cannot fault Del Negro for his unshaken confidence in Gordon, because Ben Gordon’s game is a potent opiate that is difficult to kick.

Gordon’s clutch performances have an addictive quality that affects both coaches and fans.  Once hooked, the individual has little chance of recovery.  Each time that Gordon hits a game-winning shot, a massive rush of endorphins are released into the addict’s brain, creating an unparalleled sensation of euphoria. 

After Gordon submits a woeful performance, as he did in Game 7 against the Celtics, the addict writhes on their bathroom floor, vomiting and trembling, pledging to never again abuse the drug known as Ben Gordon.

The addict is clearly lying to himself, too hooked on the rush of extraordinary late-game performances to commit himself to quitting cold turkey.  Without fail, when the team is down by eight with two minutes left, Gordon’s name is called by the junkie coach.  Many times, Gordon’s offensive skills are the impetus for a win.  Other times, his streaky shooting and defensive ineptitude result in a loss.  Regardless, the junkie coach gets his fix and the vicious cycle continues.

Seasoned NBA coaches are far less susceptible to such an addiction.  Former Bulls’ coach Scott Skiles did a far better job of managing Gordon’s minutes, leveraging his skills when necessary.  Del Negro abused the Ben Gordon drug with reckless abandon, leaving him in the games at times when he clearly was not capable of the heroics that defined his career.  Game 7 against the Celtics is the prime example of this trend, which extended throughout Del Negro’s first season as head coach. 

I sympathize with Del Negro’s misfortune.  Undoubtedly, the young coach will find himself in a situation where his team is team is down by 11 in the fourth quarter.  He will turn to his bench, calling Gordon’s name in hopes of his quick fix.  But Gordon will be 250 miles away, wearing the jersey of a Central Division rival. 

Unfortunately, there is no treatment for Ben Gordon junkies; there are no rehabilitation centers or drugs such as methadone to help a recovering addict.  Del Negro will certainly struggle with withdrawal symptoms as he attempts to break his habit cold-turkey.

It is unclear whether Detroit will rely as heavily on Gordon, as the team’s head coaching position is currently vacant.  Regardless, Gordon will certainly become extremely popular in Detroit once he demonstrates his spectacular scoring ability.  On some nights, he will contribute gaudy numbers and hit game winners.

On other nights, Gordon will be ice cold.  He will take a series of bad shots in hopes of breaking the slump.  Pistons fans will curse his name as he dribbles the ball while meandering around the court, ignoring open teammates and searching for his next ill-advised field goal attempt. 

The Ben Gordon era in Chicago was a tumultuous experience for fans, as he was simultaneously a tremendous asset and a glaring liability.  He would follow an incredible late-game performance with an atrocious shooting night, single-handedly losing games for the team. 

Farwell, Ben Gordon; you are Detroit’s problem now. 

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1. Wow. Totally agree with everything in this post. Now the Bulls are gonna have to sign someone. Let’s go, Gar Forman!

   Shak

   07.04.09 11:02 AM

    

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