Ben Gordon Has the Knicks On His Mind

January 24th, 2009 by Andrew Wamboldt

Last August, it was reported by Steve Rosenbloom that Ben Gordon wanted to play for the New York Knicks. Donnie Walsh tried to bring Gordon in via a sign and trade last summer, but the Bulls declined the deal. Once again, Ben Gordon is talking about the possibility of playing for the Knicks.

The questions about New York come all the time. He hears them from family, friends, old coaches, old teammates. He’s played more games at Madison Square Garden than he can count and has always loved the history of the arena. So would he consider signing with the Knicks?

“Who wouldn’t be interested in playing here full time?” he said. “I think the changes they’ve made have been really good. (New president of basketball operations) Donnie Walsh has been good for them. It’s good for the city, too, and the league. New York is one of those teams that should be in the playoffs every year.”

Gordon also praised new coach Mike D’Antoni, who runs a wide-open offensive style that appeals to him. “He’s a great coach,” Gordon said, “and he has a unique way of pushing that style. Some guys might be afraid of it but he does it and he makes it work.”

Source: New York’s Lower Hudson Valley

It is pretty simple to see what Ben Gordon is looking for. He is looking for an established role, a good head coach, and a winning team. The Bulls right now are presenting none of those things to Gordon, and that makes Chicago a very unattractive option for Gordon.

During the coaching search, Ben Gordon was one of the main proponents of Mike D’Antoni. It’s easy to see why, Ben Gordon would be among the league’s scoring leaders with D’Antoni as his coach.

The scary thing about New York is their financial situation. The Knicks could sign Gordon to a three year MLE deal, and then give him a massive extension after that with bird rights in hand. By getting Gordon on the MLE, the Knicks will still be able to be major players in 2010 free agency, while having another piece, other than D’Antoni, to lure players in with. Once the 2010 free agents are in place, the Knicks can give Gordon his large extension.

Hopefully the Bulls begin to accomodate Gordon at the deadline, and pave the way towards re-signing Gordon. But if the Bulls choose not to do that, New York looks like a pretty good situation for Gordon.