# Eric Gordon available...do we bite?



## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

Apparently New Orleans is getting closer to trading Eric Gordon. It was only a matter of time, as he never wanted to be there to begin with and even tried signing with Phoenix in the off-season.

While his injury history is a huge concern obviously, he seems pretty healthy now and I've always been a fan of his game, much moreso than other recently available 2-guards like OJ Mayo or Tyreke Evans. Great mix of speed, strength, slashing, shooting, and playmaking. And he is only 24 years old. It was not long ago that I drooled at the thought of Rose & EG being backcourt partners; what a nightmare for opposing teams, a legit 1-2 offensive punch. 

Almost surely it would take Luol Deng at a minimum. The good news is that Luol and EG make almost the exact annual salary. New Orleans desperately needs a guy like Deng; veteran leader, solid all-around game, and plays a position of need (SF). And overall I'd have to think Deng and EG aren't too far apart value wise (mainly b/c of EG's injury history and him forcing his way out).

So, should the Bulls make a play for EG?


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## Gonzo (Oct 14, 2004)

Apparently he's already having issues with his back. Unless you can pick him up for cheap, I don't think it would be a good idea for any team to mess with him.


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## thebizkit69u (Feb 12, 2003)

Undersized, injury prone 2 guard with commitment issues. Not sure if its a good fit.


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## BlakeJesus (Feb 1, 2006)

Well what would you be giving up? I can't imagine the asking price on him is something the Bulls would be willing to pony up for, especially considering the kid is paid the big bucks but can't stay on the court.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

Suns sure dodged a bullet.


But we are still the Suns...so that sucks.


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## Marcus13 (Jul 17, 2002)

Nah, not with the injury issues combining with that contract


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

thebizkit69u said:


> Undersized, injury prone 2 guard with commitment issues. Not sure if its a good fit.


Not really concerned about the undersized or commitment parts. He is a borderline freak athlete when healthy and when combined with his skill level it helps mitigate any size disadvantage. Plus the SG position has shrunk in general, you don't always need a 6'6 guy manning the position these days. As for commitment, he's never struck me as a bad apple; just got sent to a crappy franchise. Also he and Rose are friends and former AAU teammates, that can't hurt at all.










I am definitely concerned about the health part. But that is really the only reason he is available, so it's a risk-reward tradeoff. 

To be clear I am not 100% in favor of this without knowing more specifics about his medical history. Just saying it's a "buy low" opportunity and that he and Rose would be awesome if they are both healthy together.


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

BlakeJesus said:


> Well what would you be giving up? I can't imagine the asking price on him is something the Bulls would be willing to pony up for, especially considering the kid is paid the big bucks but can't stay on the court.


I would assume Eric Gordon for Luol Deng as the principal parts. Salaries and value are both in the same ballpark, and both teams fill a need out of it.

Although I could see using it as an opportunity to flip some other parts around as well. New Orleans is way under the cap, maybe they can absorb Hamilton for us to avoid luxury tax. Could also make a minor swap as part of the deal like Marquis Teague for Aminu to fill the backup SF slot behind Jimmy Butler if Deng indeed got moved here.


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## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

Is Gordon really better than Deng when you look at the whole picture? I'd say No and I bet Thibs would piss vinegar if you asked him to sign on to that deal. He loves Deng and Gordon is a freaking Prima Ballerina in sneakers.


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

Diable said:


> I bet Thibs would piss vinegar if you asked him to sign on to that deal.


Yeah I know. GarPaxDorf love Deng too. And they should. The deal is very unlikely to happen, but part of me wishes they put would give a serious look at it, if they haven't already. Say that EG goes back to his pre injury form and gets himself right again, I won't be able to help but feel regret for not snagging the opportunity.


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## PD (Sep 10, 2004)

If we can still keep our main pieces intact, then definitely. Those pieces Rose, Noah, Deng, and Boozer. Gordon is actually a decent defender. I think he is good for this team.


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

he is a very good basketball player...but unless the hornets are willing to center a deal around boozer , garpax should let it pass...

gordon doesn't create offense for others , nor is he particularly efficient which makes him a 3rd option at best on a championship caliber team.


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## thebizkit69u (Feb 12, 2003)

Da Grinch said:


> he is a very good basketball player...but unless the hornets are willing to center a deal around boozer , garpax should let it pass...
> 
> gordon doesn't create offense for others , nor is he particularly efficient which makes him a 3rd option at best on a championship caliber team.


Second option on this team.


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## Luke (Dec 7, 2008)

He'd be awesome but I wouldn't give up deng for him. Luol is too important to what you guys do on a nightly basis.


Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


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## thebizkit69u (Feb 12, 2003)

Luke said:


> He'd be awesome but I wouldn't give up deng for him. Luol is too important to what you guys do on a nightly basis.
> 
> 
> Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


Which is what?

Winning regular season games,struggle during the playoffs and then lose to the better team? Doesn't sound like a truly important thing IMO.


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

thebizkit69u said:


> Second option on this team.


he's not enough of an upgrade to seriously improve the bulls prospects vs. the heat , the bulls would still be better off going all in as currently constructed.


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## thebizkit69u (Feb 12, 2003)

Da Grinch said:


> he's not enough of an upgrade to seriously improve the bulls prospects vs. the heat , the bulls would still be better off going all in as currently constructed.


Can't hurt can help. As is,nobody believes the Bulls can beat the Heat. So honestly would it even matter in the grand scheme of things if we took a chance on Gordon?


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

thebizkit69u said:


> Can't hurt can help. As is,nobody believes the Bulls can beat the Heat. So honestly would it even matter in the grand scheme of things if we took a chance on Gordon?



even without rose this team wins on defense and rebounding ...if you add scoring but not scoring that would put you over the top at the expense of defense and rebounding it could easily wind up being a net loss...even if gordon is the best player in the deal.


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

I am surprised people doubt Eric Gordon's fit as a player here. Question his health, of course, but I am seeing comments (not just here) about him being too short, or not good enough as a playmaker, or too streaky. 

If he's not a fit, then who is? We're not going to get a prime Kobe or Wade. So given that, EG is a pretty damn good SG and right there is that 2nd tier if he can get healthy again. And he is young. With how hard it is to find well-rounded SG's these days, you'll be hard pressed to find someone better. He's just like Ben Gordon, but with better athleticism, size, playmaking abilities, slashing, and defense.


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## thebizkit69u (Feb 12, 2003)

Da Grinch said:


> even without rose this team wins on defense and rebounding ...


Yeah only regular season games. What the heck did they do without him against an inferior team in the playoffs last year? Even the year before that, every playoff series was a struggle.


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

Yeah I'm a strong believer you need to have, at a minimum, BOTH a top 10 defense and top 10 offense to realistically be a contender. And at least one of those sides of the ball needs to be top 5. The Bulls have had the top 5 defense (even top 2-3) the past few years and it HAS carried into the playoffs in general, but the benefit is not really capitalized unless you make opponents pay at the other end of the floor. 

I knew 2 years ago we were unlikely to truly contend with Keith friggin Bogans as our 2-guard, and only a top 15 offense, though they put up a good fight anyways and kept scores very close with Miami.

Last year I felt our chances went up considerably with Rip Hamilton replacing Bogans. Our offense legitimately became top 10 (I remember being ranked as high as 5th or 6th at some points in spite of injuries) while maintaining the top 3-5 defense. And when you see how Miami almost lost to Boston in the playoffs, you've gotta think a healthy Bulls team had a shot to take them down. But then Rose's ACL thing happened...(sheds tear)

In any case, the point remains that with Rip going downhill fast, and Boozer to a certain extent, and Deng continuing to be inconsistent on that side of the ball, I really feel we need an injection of scoring talent for when Rose comes back. Otherwise we're positioning ourselves for just another average top 15 offense like 2 years ago, and yet again putting too much offensive burden on Rose to bail us out.


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

yodurk said:


> Yeah I'm a strong believer you need to have, at a minimum, BOTH a top 10 defense and top 10 offense to realistically be a contender. And at least one of those sides of the ball needs to be top 5. The Bulls have had the top 5 defense (even top 2-3) the past few years and it HAS carried into the playoffs in general, but the benefit is not really capitalized unless you make opponents pay at the other end of the floor.
> 
> I knew 2 years ago we were unlikely to truly contend with Keith friggin Bogans as our 2-guard, and only a top 15 offense, though they put up a good fight anyways and kept scores very close with Miami.
> 
> ...



i agree with most of what you posted.

the bulls last season had a top 5 offense and defense the heat actually only had a top 5 defense (they were 8th on offense)...but i never felt they were a legit threat to topple the heat , 

in the regular season rose while not being incredibly efficient is pretty decent, but more importantly he draws so much attention he allows the other players to be much more efficient

in the playoffs when things slow down the bulls offense gets much less efficient, rose gets much less efficient but his ability to get his teammates to shoot much more efficiently through the attention he generates is compromised too...basically they shoot similarly to the way they do now without him and their offense is 21st in the league.

getting another guy is fine but if he isn't the kind of player that substantially creates open shots for his teammates or is very efficient himself its not going to be all that helpful when the bulls need him most which will be against the top defenses in the league or in the playoffs .

eric gordon is neither(ts%.529)
boozer is neither (.503) last season with rose(.549)
deng is neither.(.506) last season with rose (.500)
noah can be decently efficient with rose (.561) but not without him (.515)
rip has been disappointing with rose (.500) or without (.492)
nate's been good (.544) butler has been good (.576) 

top teams tend to have guys who do both....while also playing good to great defense.

bosh is very efficient (ts .611)
wade is decently efficient (ts .568) and creates for others 4.8 assists
allen is very efficient (.596)
chalmers is average (.540)

lebron has been ridiculous (.637) and is one of the best facilitators in the league.

at the end of it all if the bulls are going to make a deal to upgrade the 2 guard spot at the expense of their strength at the other spots and their defense and rebounding is core to their success, that player is going to have to substantially help them on offense by being very efficient himself or by helping the other players be more efficient ...and gordon really doesn't do that .

the bulls formula of defending like heck while pounding the boards to acquire more possessions to offset their lack of efficiency seems to be their best bet.

and its not just the heat , if by some miracle or lebron injury the bulls get by them other top teams follow the same formula.

the spurs 
parker(.597) duncan(.553) green(.598) leonard(.608) manu (.589)and splitter(.640) , their starting 5 and 6th man 

the thunder(best offense in league)

durant (.657) westbrook (.522) ibaka (.594) martin (.617) thabo (.600)

the clippers 

paul (.597) crawford (.548) griffin (.574) barnes (.559) jordan (.578)

the bulls aren't built to outgun these teams and frankly gordon isn't enough to offset this if he cant convert at a very % or be the kind of facilitator that substantially improves his teammates ability to make shots.


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## Ronny (Jan 12, 2013)

the guy is undoubtably a good shooting guard . Replacing him for Rip Hamilton won't be a bad option .


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

Ronny said:


> the guy is undoubtably a good shooting guard . Replacing him for Rip Hamilton won't be a bad option .


i agree but in this league you got to give something of value to get something of value...and the bulls who seem quite risk averse have proven unwilling to do that.

replacing rip with a better player is fine...but the bulls wou;d have to give up someone important for that to happen he isn't worth it.


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