Everett, Wash.
Published: Thursday, July 2, 2009

Gordon says Bulls never made offer

Associated Press

 CHICAGO -- A day after jumping to Detroit, Ben Gordon told a Chicago radio station Thursday that the Bulls never made a contract offer even though general manager Gar Forman claimed re-signing him was their No. 1 priority.

"I mean they didn't pursue me at all. They didn't even make an offer so it was pretty much a one-man race," Gordon told ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago.

Gordon agreed to a five-year deal worth $50-plus million with the Pistons on Wednesday after leading the Bulls in scoring the past four seasons. Under league rules, that deal can't be announced until next week.

Gordon and the Bulls had tried to negotiate long-term deals the past two years. He wound up accepting a one-year tender offer last year and enjoyed one of his best seasons, averaging 20.7 points, and tied a career-high by shooting 45.5 percent while leading the Bulls to the playoffs.

Once he hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent, the Pistons quickly jumped. The Bulls?

"I just told you there was no offer made," Gordon said in the interview. "So you guys can put it together. I'm happy about my new situation now. I'm looking forward to it."

Forman declined comment on Thursday. He said when he was promoted to GM in May that the Bulls wanted to keep Gordon, but that would have probably meant paying the luxury tax and sacrificing cap space they could have next summer. It also would have meant a crowd in the backcourt.

The Bulls are near the projected $69 million luxury tax threshold, meaning they would pay a dollar-for-dollar penalty if they exceed that. They would also forfeit the approximately $3.5 million rebate for teams under the threshold.

They also have about $25 million in expiring contracts, so they could be major players in free agency or near the trade deadline, if they don't make a deal sooner.

Of course, the big trade the Bulls made last winter and now a commitment to defense also made the sharp-shooting Gordon expendable.

The arrival of John Salmons with Brad Miller in the trade with Sacramento gave the Bulls another scorer and more height in the backcourt while sparking the playoff run. The Bulls also said in recent weeks that they were committing to defense -- a hint that they were ready to let Gordon go rather than sign him and trade Kirk Hinrich.

"I'm happy about the situation I'm going to," Gordon said. "I think (Pistons president for basketball operations) Joe Dumars is really focused on winning, and his priority is winning a championship so that's definitely my main goal as a pro player. So I'm happy about that."

The Pistons hope to have a replacement for the fired Michael Curry in place next week.

Gordon gave a lukewarm evaluation of Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro, saying he "has a lot of room for improvement" after just one season on a bench.

"He seemed like he had a willingness to learn and try and get better," Gordon said. "I never had any problems with him or disliked him."
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA