Ben Gordon-Bulls Breakup

Bad news for the Chicago Bulls organization.

Ben Gordon, who led the team in scoring for four years now, has signed a 5-year, $55 million offer from division rivals, the Detroit Pistons.

The Bulls were an up-and-coming team with a bright future. Despite having a core that had not yet hit its prime, and a rookie franchise player/point guard and head coach, this team snuck into the Eastern Conference playoffs as the seventh seed and gave the defending champion Boston Celtics a scare. They had the rookie of the year, and one who is envisioned by many to be a perennial all-star someday soon, in Derrick Rose. They had a frontline of second-year Joakim Noah and third-year Tyrus Thomas. This was a team that was looking forward to the return of starting forward Luol Deng, who missed the end of the regular season and the playoffs. They had two draft picks in 2009 draft, too.

Now, the future doesn't look much of anything. Not that this team is going to stink next season, no. It's just that, you're not really sure where the franchise is headed at the moment. Sure, they're bringing back a solid group with Rose, Noah, Thomas, Deng, Kirk Hinrich, John Salmons, Brad Miller and maybe #16 pick James Johnson. That's not a bad team. But it doesn't have the same kick without the pintsized 20-point scorer, Gordon.

To be fair, Bulls fans should've seen this coming. We endured two, three years of negotiations with Gordon, when he turned down offers of $50 and $54 million the previous two offseasons. We heard the rumors that the Pistons made an $11 million promise to Ben. We knew we could keep him if really wanted to; Gordon stated he wanted to remain a Bull. But we also knew the price had to be right, and the price the organization wanted and the price Gordon wanted would be far apart.

Now, resigning Gordon would've meant compromising some flexibility in 2010. Only time will tell whether the Bulls did the right thing by not overcommitting to Gordon. Rashard Lewis was overpaid, too, but look where that brought the Orlando Magic.

If there was a plan behind this - if keeping Gordon meant giving up on a solid plan that the organization was working towards, then I can live with this decision. Say, a plan to trade for Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire and have the flexibility to resign them and add another free agent next year. But if the plan is to let Ben walk and see if this current roster can win without him, then this would be a very sad loss.

Thing is, only time will tell. Much like the seemingly sound Billups-for-Iverson trade of Joe Dumars, we can only really judge this in retrospect. If Rose and Amare take the team to the playoffs, we'll look back on this day with kindness. But man, this is going to suck if this turns out to be a step back for the Bulls; not after the strides it took last season.

The Bulls Are Going All Out in Playoff Push

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Chicago Bulls were struggling in holding on to the 9th spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Yes, they were actually defending a spot that isn't worth anything. Fast forward to today, and the Bulls are now 7th in the East playoff picture with a realistic chance of catching up with the Miami Heat. The Bulls won their 6th game in 7 tries by beating...the Heat. Dwyane Wade's 31 points was no match to a Bulls team that had 6 players in double figures. John Salmons top scored for the Bulls once again as he is beginning to make the Bulls front office look good by acquiring him during the trade deadline. Since the arrival of Salmons and fellow former King Brad Miller, Chicago's offense improved a lot in terms of flow. Miller's perimeter game and his ability to drive to the basket gives Rookie Sensation Derrick Rose so much options now. And at times when their offense didn't look pretty, they now have Salmons to give the ball to and create something out of nothing.

The Bulls have been playing inspired basketball lately because of the new acquisitions. But one thing was revealed lately during the Bulls' run -- Kirk Hinrich is still valuable to the Bulls. Some critics said that with Rose's arrival, Kirk was a dispensable player. Kirk has proven this to be a fallacy. Kirk has been the stabilizer of the Bulls lately when things get out of control. Plus, when D-Rose was sidelined because of his wrist, Kirk stepped in and gave Vinny Del Negro an All-Star performance at the point.

The Bulls' future is looking bright. So much brighter compared to 2 months ago. Plus with playoff experience just around the corner, I expect to see more maturity in the games of Derrick Rose, Tyrus Thomas, and Joakim Noah come opening night next season. The Bulls are still far from being a contender, but adding one key piece and some post-season experience for the team might just get the Bulls back to the glory days.

The Bulls are Driving Me Nuts

It's always tough to get an accurate read on a team that you root for. One minute you think they're ready to crash the playoffs party, maybe get an upset in the first round and with a little luck, maybe the second round as well -- the next minute your overly-critical mind can't get over how badly your team stinks. It's hard enough to do that for any team you like, but it's even harder when the team you like is the Chicago Bulls.

In 2007, you take out the defending champions in a first round series sweep and take the Pistons to six games. Then, with practically the same lineup, you go out and lose 49 games and miss the playoffs one season after -- a season where a few experts expected you to be the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference.

Everyone expected a rocky start to this season (Derrick Rose being a rookie point guard and Vinny Del Negro a rookie coach) but could anyone have expected this? You blow out the Phoenix Suns (tied for 2nd in the West) in a game where you lose starter Kirk Hinrich to a injury that has him out three months. Then after losing games you were expected to (CLE and ATL) and winning games you were supposed to (DAL and IND), you set out on the dreaded annual circus trip.

You alternate between staying competitive with the freakishly dangerous Lakers, then get blown out of the building by the Blazers. Win against the Dubs, then have a fourth quarter meltdown at Denver. Suck at Utah before pulling off a win at the buzzer in the same game (that's not even alternating -- you sucked and won in the same game). Then you lose by 10 at San Antonio. Everytime the Bulls give their fans any hope that things are getting better, you lay an egg to remind us of how far there is to go.

During the Utah game, I was all set to write about how the more Bulls games I watch, the more I come to the realization that the team, outside of Derrick Rose, really isn't very good. Sure, Ben Gordon is a 20-point guy, and Drew Gooden puts up decent numbers but neither of them play much defense and give up almost as much as they score. I wanted to make a case for more playing time for Noah, Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha, and yet every time they step on the floor, they make a stronger case against it. And what's up with Luol Deng this season? Then Larry Hughes hits a game winner. Larry. Hughes.

These guys are driving me nuts.

The Bulls are at a surprisingly decent 7-9, 10th in the East, especially considering the tough schedule. They're in contention for the low playoff spots in the conference and they've got a light schedule coming up: PHI (7-9) twice, MIL (7-12) and WAS (2-12) to end the week. If you asked me where I wanted the Bulls after 16 games, this wouldn't be far off.

So yeah, I can't make heads or tails off it. One day I'm asking to blow up the roster and fire the coach, and the next I'm perfectly content where we stand. Heck, I'm even optimistic about the near future. Darn you, Bulls. You guys are driving me nuts.