Luol Deng's had a highly quotable offseason, and he's not stopping now.
From a Jon Greenberg feature on the Spurs game - which also features a video on Derrick Rose's jumpshot that seems slightly out of place - Deng dropped another doozy on us, when he alluded to the lack of competititveness that has plagued recent Bulls teams.
"I feel like we have a great group of guys that care about winning," Deng said. "I've said it before, but I couldn't really say that the last few years."
This game sounds like fun, so let's play; who could Deng possibly have been talking about?
Significant departures from the Bulls in the last three years (an arbitrary number of years that I just chose) include the following:
Ben Wallace
Larry Hughes
Drew Gooden
Tom Dore
Ben Gordon
Chris Duhon
Scott Skiles
Jim Boylan
Thabo Sefolosha
Tim Thomas
Anyone who was on the 2007/2008 team has to be considered a prime candidate for nomination here. That team imploded early and limply dragged its way through the season; by the end, not even us fans wanted the team to win. Players and personel that left during or after that difficult time include Wallace, Skiles, Boylan and Smith
In the last few years, we've also had a few selfish players. Between diva-esque moments (Wallace) shameless stat hoarding (Gooden) and little-to-no understanding of rhythm on the basketball court (Hughes), the Bulls have been lumbered with some unproductive and counterproductive players that didn't improved the basketball product any, nor smile much. Paid highly yet playing badly, those players took bad shots, played worse defense, and generally couldn't have looked much more apathetic about playing for the Bulls (Larry Hughes's playing time gripes notwithstanding).
Perhaps they are the most likely candidates.
The real issue here, of course, is whether or not we think Deng is talking about Ben Gordon. Let's be honest - that's what we're all wondering about. Gordon was here for five years, and played a significant role in all five years, and Deng was is cohort for all of them. But Gordon is gone now, a new era has begun, and Deng seems to prefer it this way.
Is Gordon specifically the change that Deng refers to? Was he subtlety taking a potshot at the departed Gordon? Is Luol's inference that the locker room is a brighter and happier place without Ben, and that we are now to believe that Gordon was some kind of jilted lover, broody and sulky even in spite of a fairly successful season last year?
I vote no. But it's fun to speculate.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Tags: ben gordon, chicago bulls, Luol Deng, quotes, Tom Dore, Winning Culture
Are working hard and wanting to win the same thing? Working hard can be an entirely self-gratifying gesture.
Are you guys just talking to yourselves today?
Would Deng take shots at his hometown friend? I want to doubt it but I cant. Drew and Hughes were not even here that long but they seem to fit the quote. Or maybe Deng herd something that Ben said behind his back that we dont know, who knows.
I think its most definately Gordon he's talking about. Living in happy land if you think otherwise. The contract fights etc..It was obvious he was peeved Deng got the big contract first, lets not kid ourselves...Gordon last year seemed concerned about his stats first and foremost. Black hole IMO. Gordon played a good media game and claimed he only cared about winning and wanted to be in Chicago, but at the end of the day he didn't. Those are all just vanilla things to say to the media while you work for a contract from a new team all year.
He left for money and has been ticked at management over giving Deng the big contract for years. Gordon playing a great media game as nice guy was great, why wouldn't he? It just made him out to be an even more sought after FA.
The first half of the season as well, watching the games it was always noticeable that Gordon didn't like passing the ball to Rose. I think he thought it should be his team...A little threatened by the new Rookie me thinks. Toward the end he seemed to get over it. But saying it was only Hughes and Gooden who played selfeshly the 1st half of the season is a joke. Gordon was every bit the stat whore / shot jacker that those two were.
Gordon a few years ago vs Gordon and Dengs relationship last year, IMO are two diff. things. I think they were both cool about it publicly, they are both professionals afterall. I just think the Gordon feeling slighted by Deng getting the $$ over him issues (as well as going in a new direction with Rose) were more of an issue than they ever let on. Gordan knew he was going to be with a different team all year. So did the Bulls.
He was playing for a contract.
Was Gordon the ONLY issue with Deng, I doubt it. Im sure Hughes and Gooden etc are in that statement as well, but there is no way I would believe Gordon isn't one of the primaries in it as well.
Further, All of a sudden with Gordon etc now gone, this year we hear constantly about team camaraderie from all the players. Everyone finally likes each other. Even towards the end when things were getting better, you never saw the players GLOAT about how well they all like each other like they do now...Gordon was well known as a loner, why would it be shocking to find out he didn't mesh with the new teams identity?
Not trying to hate on Gordon, he will be missed. But pretending things were peachy with him just because he played a professional media game is a bit naive, but who knows, maybe they were holding hands and singing Kumbiaya : )
Nah. Tom Dore was painfully optimistic. Cringeworthily so. He always wanted the Bulls to win, and he always thought they could. Tom Dore was not a cancer on this team.