then he will start Rose with Gordon, and Kirk will be first guard off the bench. Don’t know why that would change, especially when Hinrich just returns from a long-lasting injury.

….the Bulls will likely start Hinrich alongside Rose. If that happens then it’s a travesty!! Ben Gordon is not all-star, but what has he done to warrant being brought off the bench YET AGAIN??? The only acceptable reason for Hinrich starting, in my mind, would be if it’s to showcase him and raise his trade value. If the Bulls truly think that Hinrich is a better option alongside Rose than Gordon then I’m done with this years Bulls…and if Hinrich starts and doesn’t get traded then we can likely forget about seeing Gordon in Bulls uniform past this season…and who could blame him for not wanting to come back after that?

Is both in the front and the backcourt. The backcourt’s defense has been pretty awful (letting too many guys get in the lane) but oddly Gordon’s been playing avg starting SG defense…..which has been a real surprise given his still solid/consistent production on Offense.

Hinrich’s a better defender though, but I agree, keep BG on the starting line, he’s too damn explosive and beats his man in matchups more often than Kirk will.

Rose has to improve his defense….

I think having a stopper inside will help quite a bit though make up for the only avg to overall slightly below avg guard d.

Hinrich will help a bit too, but I like him as the lone backup for both BG and Rose. WHile Kirk’s not a real SG, he is a combo guard, he can hit the jump shots, and he can pass, and will do well enough to man the SG spot when he’s giving BG a breather, and might be a nice bonus in the 4th with his typically solid D.

If the bulls are going to shed contracts for 2010 then Ben is going to have to be a key element in the trade. I believe he has a no trade clause (or something like it) because of the tender offer he signed.

However, here are my thoughts if the Bulls were to decide to put Kirk in the starting lineup at some point over Gordon.

1) It’s not like BG won’t get 30+ MPG still.

2) Gordon coming off the bench could possibly give him extended minutes against a lesser player, which affects the game flow in a variety of ways.

3) His “suspect” defense will most likely be against a lesser scorer more often, which conversely if Hinrich truly is the better defender allows Hinrich to cover the better scorer in the game more often

4) His offense may be even better because he could have an easier matchup at times against subs. It may even allow Gordon to go in his patent 1 vs 1 mode because the other guards will have already spent a lot of energy in earlier minutes and which ever of them is still on the court can play off the ball on more possessions

Having said all that, if you are talking about PGs and SGs, Ben Gordon is a WAY better offensive SG than Kirk Hinrich. Kirk may have slightly better D, but it doesn’t give the Bulls enough to start him at a SG position over BG (IMO). However, there are offenses that can be schemed that would allow two PGs to flourish on the court at the same time. A long while back I read up on the DDM offense that Memphis runs, and I think that offense was an example of that! I don’t have links now, so I could just be remembering incorrectly.

My whole point is, I just want to win. Who ever starts, the game plan better be utilizing the players’ and team’s strengths!

…is capable of playing lock down defense and giving you 20+ ppg a game? Joe Johnson plays a reasonable amout of defense as well. But besides the forementioned guys, there isn’t a shooting guard who is THAT MUCH better than Gordon defensively. The 4 guys I’ve named are perennial all-stars (because they play both ends probably), but outside of those guys you won’t find many more capable of great defense.

So people, let’s stop beating Gordon over the head about his defense. He is an average defender. Far from great, but far from being as bad as people perceive. He’s not quite the defender Kirk is, but what Kirk gives you defensively Gordon gives you offensively….and vice versa.

last year was they were trying to copy the spurs. And they started that this year. I highly doubt that Michael Finley would be seen as a better player than Genobli by any Spurs fan. Or anyone for that matter