Hooped Up

Ben Gordon tosses a great no-look alley-oop pass to Hakim Warrick who skies for the jam. Yes, of course the Bobcats lost again.

Last night in Denver Ben Gordon hit all nine of his 3-pointers for the second time in his career. He and Latrell Sprewell are the only players to hit that many 3s without a miss in NBA history.

The 2012 Olympics Games in London are just around the corner (Mayan Calendar be dammed) and the focus on British basketball and basketball in Britain has intensified to a degree never seen before. The NBA has already slated 2 regular season games to take place in the O2 Arena in 2011 to drum up some attention to basketball in the UK .

Natives Sam Neter and Silky Slim from The Mirror “In The Paint” blog, decided to take a different approached to hype up British basketball. With a short film to rally support for the host nations troops that still need to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. Enjoy this video with a spot of Tea plus some bun and cheese.

Add Ben Gordon to the list of limping Pistons. Gordon went down hard during on his left ankle and sprained it during Wednesday night’s game. He’s listed as day-to-day, but it’s unlikely Gordon will play tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers.

If that’s the case, he will join Richard Hamilton (severely sprained right ankle) and Tayshaun Prince (small ruptured disc) on the sidelines.

“We’re dropping like flies,” Rodney Stuckey said. “We just have to fight through it. That’s pretty much it.”

The question is how? Where will the scoring come from? With Gordon, Hamilton and Prince, that’s 58 points per game out of the lineup.

Detroit News

Back to the labor!  One of the The newest members of the Detroit Pistons Ben Gordon recently sat down with Hoopshype for an interview and when he was asked “Did it make you feel bad that the Bulls, the team you had led in scoring several years, didn’t show more interest in re-signing you?” This is what Gordon had to say about the Chicago Bulls situation.

Yes and no. After being there for five years, I had a great understanding of how the organization operates. I had a better understanding from the inside, that people on the outside don’t see, of how things work. And at the end of the day, it’s a business. Everybody in that position is going to make the decision that they feel is the best business decision.  As a basketball player, obviously with everything I’ve done [in Chicago] and the potential of the future with this team, to not be made an offer is kind of a slap in the face,” Ben Gordonsaid. “But from a business standpoint, I fully understand why everything happened the way it did. I don’t have any bad feelings. It’s time to move on and start a new chapter in my career.”

In reality Ben Gordon should be a Bull and he knows it just like everybody else does and the Bulls not offering him a deal was a slap in the face. Then again, having Ben Gordon come of the bench for all those years was a spectacular slap in the face too.

Hello, fuel to the fire of the Detroit vs. Chicago rivalry.

Via Hoopshype

The Pistons wasted no time signing free agents as fast as they could and as a result Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva will now call Detroit home.

According to league sources, Ben Gordon has agreed in principle to a deal worth $55 Million over 5 years and Charlie Villanueva has agreed in principle to a $35 million pact with Detroit for the same length of time. Last season with the Bulls Gordon averaged 20.7 points for the Chicago, leading them in scoring for the fourth straight year and should be able to keep near that average in Detroit.

Charlie Villanueva, who turns 25 next month, averaged 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds last season for the Milwaukee Bucks. Villanueva went from being a restricted free agent to an unrestricted one when Milwaukee chose to not make him a qualifying offer.

I’m officially confused about what Joe Dumars is trying to do in Detroit.

Via Press Release

Ben Gordon might have a strained left hamstring, but his sense of humor and shooting touch are still intact. 

“He will undergo an MRI exam today, which will help determine if he can play in Game 5 on Tuesday in Boston. “I was driving and I heard something pop,” said Gordon, who incurred the injury while shooting in the second quarter. “It’s sore; hopefully it’s not too serious. I’m going to do what I need to do [to play].” Gordon rode a stationary bike near theBulls’ bench during the third quarter to keep the hamstring loose. “It started affecting me right away,” he said. “I couldn’t do some of the things I wanted to do. But a game like that, you’ve got to play through it.” Gordon’s celebratory gesture after drilling the tying three-pointer at the end of the first overtime likely will draw a fine from the league. “If Mr. [David] Stern asks, it was my groin [bothering him],” Gordon joked.”

Via Chicago Sun Times