Бен Гордон: «Безумно жаль расставаться с Уоллесом»
Защитник «Чикаго» Бен Гордон прокомментировал переход своего звездного одноклубника Бена Уоллеса в «Кливленд».
«С ним было здорово играть в одной команде. Во многом именно заслуга Уоллеса состоит в том, что «Чикаго» в прошлом сезоне дошло до второго раунда плей-офф. Без Бена нам будет тяжело. Я понимаю, что подобные обмены часть бизнеса, являющегося частью работы каждого из нас, но безумно жаль расставаться с Уоллесом», цитирует Гордона AP.
Bulls guard Ben Gordon was sorry to see Wallace go.
«He was a great teammate,» Gordon said. «I think he definitely helped us to get to the second round of the playoffs last season. I guess management felt that they didn’t reach expectations that they wanted him to. That’s part of the business.»
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-080221-ben-gordon-bulls,1,740550.story
The acquisition of Larry Hughes means the Bulls have $23 million, $22.8 million and $23.1 million invested over the next three seasons in Hughes and Kirk Hinrich.
Given the recent solid play and high hopes for Thabo Sefolosha′s future, suddenly the Bulls′ backcourt is a crowded and pricey place.
Ben Gordon turned down a five-year, $50 million contract extension in October and will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Gordon views himself as a starter and, obviously, wants more than $10 million per season.
Did somebody say sign-and-trade?
«You have to think this trade has an impact on everybody,» Gordon said diplomatically.
«How, I don′t know. Only time will tell.»
General manager John Paxson emphatically denied the trade affects the Bulls′ desire to keep Gordon.
«This has nothing to do with Ben Gordon′s future,» Paxson said. «It really doesn′t. Since [interim coach Jim Boylan] took the job, he has been our sixth man. He′ll continue in that role. He provides a huge component for us as a scorer. The whole thing with Ben coming off the bench is a size issue.