Filed under: Bulls, Nuggets

Our weekly check-up on the situation of Ben Gordon leaves us further from resolution than ever before. Shoals of The Sporting Blog expresses dismay over Gordon’s self-delusions of grandeur, as Gordon seeks to be the highest-paid Bull after Luol Deng’s massive contract was finalized. How far off-base is Gordon, though? I mean, is he good enough to hold out for $11-12 million a year?

Two players: Man A and Man B. Man A is 25 years old, and the other will soon turn 23. On their four-year careers, both shoot a lot — more than 15 FGAs per 36 minutes. And both score a lot: Man A scores 21 points per 36, and Man B scores 18. Man A has a substantially higher usage rate, and is a better passer. Both stroke the long-ball well (over 40% last season). Man A is a 6′3 two-guard, Man B is 6′6.

Man A is the better player right now, but it’s close. As he’s older and hasn’t improved the last two seasons, you could make the case Men A and B deserve similar salaries. Well, Man A (Ben Gordon) wants to be the highest-paid Bull. Man B (Denver’s J.R. Smith) will probably get a $5 million contract from the Nuggets. Beyond the differences are documented above, the only disparity is in minutes: Gordon has played a ton — almost twice as many minutes as Smith.

Kelly Dwyer — a Bulls fan who knows stuff — doesn’t think Chicago will end up caving into Gordon. I think that’s a good thing. He’s a good player, but he’s J.R. Smith good. Not Luol Deng good.

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