The Golden St. Warriors have done the Bulls a favor in helping to set Gordon’s market value. The Warriors agreed to terms to resign their restricted free agent, Monta Ellis, to a 6 year deal worth $66 million according to the Contra Costa Times.

Here is a quick comparison of the stats of Ben Gordon and Monta Ellis.

Ben Gordon

• 2007-2008: 18.6 PPG 3.1 RPG 3.0 APG 43.4 FG% 41.0 FT% 55.8 TS%
• 2006-2007: 21.4 PPG 3.1 RPG 3.6 APG 45.5 FG% 41.3 FT% 57.2 TS%

Monta Ellis

• 2007-2008: 20.2 PPG 5.0 RPG 4.1 APG 53.1 FG% 23.1 3PT% 58.0 TS%
• 2006-2007: 16.5 PPG 3.2 RPG 4.9 APG 47.5 FG% 27.3 3PT% 54.5 TS%

Gordon’s scoring numbers are a little bit less than Ellis’ as the result of playing 6 more minutes per a game than Gordon. Ellis was not restricted in minutes as he was a starter and Gordon was restricted by the Bulls coaching staff to a bench role for the majority of the year. Ellis’ rebounding and assist numbers are also inflated over Gordon’s because the Warriors played at a 6% faster pace than the Bulls. Combining the pace and minutes they played together, Ellis had 23% more opportunities than Gordon to accumulate stats.

Statistically speaking, Ellis played better than Gordon this past year by a little bit, but in the past 2 years Gordon has played statistically better than Ellis. It also has to be taken into account that Ellis did what he did seeing a lot less defensive pressure than Gordon did. Overall in their careers, Gordon has experienced more team success than Ellis.

In a July 9th interview with Chuck Swirsky, John Paxson said that he hoped that the market would dictate the value of these guys. This signing by the Warriors should dictate Gordon’s value. Paxson cannot offer Gordon much less than Ellis, as he would not have any credibility in giving Gordon a fair offer.

The signing of Monta Ellis should set Gordon’s value within the $60 million to $70 million range. This offer should act as a catalyst in the Gordon negotiations, so hopefully something can get done soon.