Potential Ben Gordon Replacement?
by dakoose on May 17, 2009 7:00 PM CDT
Email
PrintThe way things look right now, Ben Gordon will not be a Chicago Bull next year. I'm not saying it won't happen; it just doesn't look very likely. With that said, it's time to start thinking about a replacement for BG. What does Ben bring to the table? Scoring, scoring and some more scoring. There's nobody on the market this offseason that can fill it up like Ben, but there is someone that can be Ben Gordon-lite.
I'm talking about Von Wafer. Wafer and Ben have very similar statistical profiles, shooting almost identical percentages from the field and from three point land. Ben has the edge at the stripe, while Wafer is slightly better in the thievery department. Physically, Ben is short and powerful and Wafer has significantly more height and is a bit smoother moving with and without the ball.
What I like about Wafer is that he offers scoring off the bench and can play alongside Derrick Rose as he doesn't dominate possessions and isn't a high-profile player like Ben is, making it easier for Rose to have full control of the offense. Wafer would be a great kick-out option for Rose and is seemingly a perfect fit for the style of basketball that VDN wants to play.
What do y'all think about bringing in Mr. Wafer?
FanPosts are user-created posts from the BlogABull community, and are to be treated as the opinions and views of that particular user, not that of the blogger or blog community as a whole.
17 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
no
Asked what kind of player he expects to be in the next five years, he said: "Not a star, but like, a superstar. Something around, like, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, something like that."
by BigBenign on May 17, 2009 9:00 PM CDT reply actions 2 recs
I like him
but I wouldn’t necessarily see him as BG’s replacement, more like a good option off the bench.
I am like your Dan Aykroyd and biglow would be Jane, the ignorant slut. -Chad
by thecoolest on May 17, 2009 9:37 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
"Doesn't dominate possessions?!?"
seriously watch a couple more games and you’ll be choking on your words…. Ben Gordon is almost Stockton-esk when compared to Wafer… Wafer litterlly runs thrugh every possible shot selection before (if ever), he passes the ball. No possible way we sign him. Theres a reason he’s been seen as garbage by his pervious 2 teams…. and you can make JR Smith comparisons, and how they were both dumped around before they finally proved themselves. But JR Smiths overall talent and shooting touch are above and beyond Wafer’s potential(god i hate that word).. Paxon wont touch that scrub
He dominates the ball when he's the only scoring option on the floor,
as he often is when he plays along side the Rocket’s second unit. I think he would be a very useful player in the “system” the Bulls run.
I think Ben is really underappreciated
People don’t realize how good of a scorer he is. Most people would just give him the role of 3-point shooter to kick out to when they were making a team. He’s not just a guy you kick out to, he’s a guy that can command a double team in crunch time, take over a game with his scoring, create his own shot, and is huge under pressure. He didn’t get those arms with steroids, he’s a gym rat. If he was in just a scoring contest with Kobe, he would lose, but it would a lot closer than you’d think.
Things could be worse. We could have kept Boylan.
by stupidgenius on May 17, 2009 10:23 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Thus the term
Ben Gordon-lite. I’m not saying he would step in and fill the enormous offensive shoes of BG, but the Bulls need someone who can come off the bench and score, and he can do that.
How about instead of trying to
find someone like Ben but “lite” for SG (as your suggestion seems to be) we instead try our best to use BG to invest in a scoring PF/C and simply find someone who would be the best fit for Rose at SG. Perhaps even, gulp, a tall SG with defensive skills and a decent enough shot though nothing BG-lite like at all.
We don’t have to get just any old guy who reminds us of BG on his less than best days to fill in at SG. It will have to be someone who looks good next to Rose. There isn’t another BG out there available and BG-lite is a dangerous prospect because doing it not as good kind of ruins that type of player IMO.
Everything I post is speculation. I have no insider information nor ideas deemed concrete enough by those who are self-elected to regulate post content.
That's pretty much how I feel.
If we want a Ben-type player on the team, let’s just keep Ben.
If we aren’t keeping Ben, I actually don’t think we need to focus on SG as a position right now. If someone pops up who is a nice fit with Derrick, then great, but otherwise we have high quality guards that can play together. I’d rather roll with John and Kirk next year if keeping Ben doesn’t work out than pick up a Ben-lite to try to work in. The frontcourt is a much bigger issue on the team. The Bulls would need to compensate for losing Ben’s scoring somehow, but that doesn’t all have to be scoring from a newly brought in SG.
Man-slave, bring me my PB&J!
Yea
The bulls arent in a bad situation right now at all. If they trade hinrich they probably will collect some piece that they need, plus they have Nelson who, as far as i can tell, is supposed to replace hinrichs defense. If they trade/dont sign gordon then they have john salmons, who has shown that he can definetly start, and can definetly score in the bulls “offense”. If they trade Deng (which most likely wont happen) they have salmons again who has shown he can fill that void.
The biggest problem we have is our front court. Do they keep tyrus and see if he “Gets” it for an entire season finally, or do they trade him with one of the aforementioned pieces above and try to get an upgrade at the pf position? Noah, as prevenge would gladly point out, definetly gets it, and knows how to play with rose and keep his ground on defense. Bulk him up and he is set. Miller is great off the bench doing all those wiley veteran things he does. Then we have a draft pick left….
I think they should take tyrus and one of our perimeter guys, and try to get a huge upgrade at pf.
a few ideas are
*Gordon and Tyrus for Bosh (my favorite)
*Hinrich and tyrus for a sign and trade for boozer (assuming he goes to the pistons)
*hinrich and tyrus for amare
*Deng and tyrus for bosh
Also moving hinrich on his own to portland is the most realistic (and id say most likely trade) to go down, since it gives all parties involved exactly what they need…and you can still do the first trade (gordon and ty for bosh) afterwards…
On Behalf of Sue, Wjb, majoyenrac, Bullshooter and all the other Hinrich fans...Ill keep the Hinrich Hope coming...There will be light!
These are the type of Posts that irritate BG supporters
Comparing a 20 point scorer in the leaguge to a guy who shoots in spurts of the bench. Why not just go get Janero Pargo while you’re at it. Sheeesh. Look, Rose won ROY with BG at the 2-guard spot and BG had probably his best year as a pro. As far as what Rose can do with Wafer, I think you guys who think BG is so easily replaceable better start wondering how good Rose is going to be next year without a 2-gueard demanding a double team. Because trust me John Salmons and Luol Deng won’t be demanding one and neither will Von freaking Wafer.
Has anyone actually read my post??????
Never once did I say I expect Wafer to do for the Bulls what Ben has done. I’m merely stating that Wafer offers the same types of things as Ben, albeit at a lesser level. Wafer can play, and I think he made that clear this year. He had strong percentages and in my opinion, was restricted by the system that Rick Adelman ran. He seems like a perfect fit for the Phoenix-type system VDN was brought here to implement. He can finish at the rim and is well above average from distance.
He scored 9.7 ppg in slightly less than 20 MPG. I could easily see him putting in 15 PPG coming off the bench and getting 25 minutes.
And for those of you looking for a legit starting replacement for Ben at the 2 spot, there isn’t one out there this off-season. There are a couple of decent bigs to be had, but in terms of bringing in some scoring from distance, Wafer is as good as anyone available.
Can't you just compare Wafer to, say, Jannero Pargo?
Comparing Von Wafer to Ben is kind of like comparing him to Ray Allen at this point.
Three things you must know:
-"Ben Gordon is a bundle of muscle and clutch. That's all he's made of. Drink BG7 energy drink, you'll grow a pair of balls on your balls."
-Pau Gasol: The defense of a seven foot ladder paired with the post presence of Manute Bol.
-Joakim Noah is better than you.
From a percentages standpoint, Pargo is significantly worse.
Pargo shot (slightly) worse than 40% from the field, and was worse than Wafer from three point land. Wafer also brings more size and more slashing ability. I think Wafer brings a much more complete offensive package to the table than Pargo did. My memory is a bit unclear, but I don’t recall Pargo attacking the basket all that much. I like the tools and skill-set Wafer has much more than Pargo’s.
I agree that Wafer is very Ben Gordon-lite
that is exactly what went through my mind when I see him play.
But I think we have enough young guards on the bench right now: Demarcus Nelson and Anthony Roberson
"...Lies, damned lies, and statistics."
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- Days of NBA Lives: Wherein Roy Hibbert tap-dances to Maine
- Grizzlies Valentine’s Day cards are the key to love
- Kevin Love would like the NBA to take the MLB’s approach on All-Star games
- Kobe Bryant fires a few hilarious salvos at Jeremy Lin
- Brandon Jennings states the obvious regarding his 2014 free agency, everyone goes nuts
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
