First off, I just want to say that I'm not pining over the loss of Gordon. I loved him when he was here & I still like him as a player, but I am always one to recognize his faults. And his cap space helped put us in the position we are today. However, your 'reason' doesn't sit well with me.
BG is one of the most professional players in the league. He never complains, he never whines. Yes, he answers questions when asked by the media. During the contract dispute, he hardly sat there T.O. style, spouting off about lack of respect, or blah blah blah. He answered his questions honestly. And he never disrespected the team or JR. Not once. He was the best scorer on the team, one of the best players on the team, & he felt he deserved to be compensated for it. I guess that makes him a horrible person or a cancer or whatever. Is he worth $11mill/per? No, but neither is Deng or Hinrich or 99% of the league for that matter.
And if you want to talk about lack of respect I can give a prime example. During contract negotiations for Deng & BG in the off season of '07, JR & Gar Foreman both flew to London to personally handle negotiations & woo Deng with a big contract. BG was given a number by the FO & told 'take it or leave it' & you have by the beginning of training camp to decide. After giving your all for your team for 4 years & performing at a high level, don't you think you'd feel a little bit disrespected if your boss basically told you 'take it or leave it'? I know I sure would. Oh and one more little tidbit. Remember after '09 Gar flat out lying to the entire fanbase that resigning Ben was a priority of the offseason? I sure do. They didn't even offer him a contract. Now who was pushing who out the door?
People boo BG because he was nothing but criticized his entire time here & all that seeped into the drones heads. That's mainly the media's doing, partly management's, & entirely the mindless drones for feeding into it. Is he short for a 2 guard? Yes. Did we need to be reminded of that every single friggin' day he was here? No. Was not good on defense? No, he was average at his best. Did we need to be reminded of that every single friggin' day he was here? No. Did he sometimes take bad shots? Yes, as many NBA players do. Did we need to be reminded of that every single friggin' day he was here? No. Do you see the pattern that is emerging here? BG had his faults, but he was also the most explosive scorer this city had seen since MJ, & was never afraid to put the team on his back to pull out a victory. The guy won us 12 games alone in his rookie season for cryin' out loud. An 'intelligent' fan would not be booing him. An 'intelligent' fan would be cheering him, thanking him for the years of professionalism & the countless exciting clutch performances he gave us over the years.
