August 16, 2008 – Dr. J-Water
Jannero Pargo signs with Dynamo Moscow
Just when I was starting to think the Phoenix Suns might finally get that coveted back up point guard for Steve Nash that could legitimately hold down the fort while Nash took his little 2-3 minute rests at the end of quarters, Jannero Pargo decided he didn’t want to wait to finalize an offer with Phoenix and went ahead signing a $3.8 million dollar, one year deal with Dynamo Moscow in Russia. Once again the almighty dollar has been the root cause of another NBA player defection overseas as the contract with the Russian team he signed is probably three times as big as any contract exception offer he would have received from Phoenix, San Antonio, Miami, or his last team New Orleans. All of which were rumored to have interest in signing Pargo. And why wouldn’t they? Hell this cat scored an impressive 10+ points per game for the Hornets throughout their impressive playoff run this year.
The good news is, Pargo’s contract is only for one year. I have a strong suspicion he will go over for a year, get his financial security, then be back in the NBA to contribute to a contending team who’s looking for a speedy guard that can fill it up in a hurry off the bench.
Ben Gordon throwin’ jabs at the Bulls
I’ve never been a huge fan of Ben Gordon’s game, because of the whole I play better coming off the bench vs. starting thing, as I really feel a true scorer can put the ball in the hoop consistently regardless of any little psychological effects on their game. But when I read this ESPN article on Gordon’s latest comments that he has “played his last game in a Bulls uniform,” I had to sort of side with Gordon a bit. He has led the Bulls in scoring for the past three seasons. And regardless of the fact that the Bulls supremely underperformed as a club last year, he did lead them with 18.6 points per contest. And what does he get for it? A $6.4 million one year qualifying offer and some ultra slow contract negotiations that are starting to feel like the Bulls are trying to shake him down or play a game of chicken. Even if the negotiations are truly “deadlocked,” as can happen in contract talks from time to time, given the Bulls overloaded back court with Rose, Hughes, and Hinrich, they should be at least working on a mutually beneficial sign and trade to get something in return for Gordon.
Hell there are plenty of teams in the league that would love a ‘lights out” perimeter shooter, that can hit the long ball under pressure and in the clutch. I swear that watching Gordon this season he hit more three pointers against an expiring shot clock than any other player in the league. The guy has ice water in his veins, I swear. I would find it extremely disheartening if another highly skilled NBA player leaves the USA to head overseas to avoid the stagnant contract negotiations of an NBA franchise. Especially when a high quality team like the Phoenix Suns or the San Antonio Spurs are probably only one “Ben Gordon” away from being the NBA Champions in 2009.
It’s clear Gordon has been insulted enough by the Bulls thus far that he doesn’t see himself playing another game for the Bulls, but what is Paxson thinking? Will he still try and get a deal done for Gordon, or does Gordon’s recent comments back him into a corner of pushing a sign and trade to avoid losing Gordon for nothing to an overseas team that has deep pockets and a crush on high scoring NBA Players. Could Gordon be the biggest NBA-Euro flip yet this summer?
Time will tell.
