Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf revealed that the team decided a year ago not to make a long-term commitment to guard Ben Gordon, who signed with Detroit as a free agent, and admitted the signing of Ben Wallace in 2006 was a mistake.
These were some of the issues that came up when Reinsdorf held a rare extended interview session with reporters who cover the Bulls. He started by shedding light on the Gordon saga. "We made a decision a year ago not to commit long-term to Ben," Reinsdorf said. "We tried and he turned it down. Near the end, John (Paxson) and Gar (Forman) decided that it probably wasn't a good idea to make a long-term decision. So we withdrew the offer we had on the table. Ben ultimately came in and said he would take it, but it was too late.
"Now fast forward to the end of the year: We have a heck of a three-guard rotation with (Kirk) Hinrich and (John) Salmons and Derrick (Rose). Ben wasn't going to get a whole lot of playing time. So Ben just no longer really fit. He's a terrific player, but he needs minutes."
Losing Gordon does put the Bulls in position to chase one of the premier free agents next summer. The last time that happened, the Bulls ended up signing Ben Wallace away from the Pistons for $60 million over four years. He was traded to Cleveland before getting even halfway through that deal.
"The only way you can avoid making a mistake is not to make a decision," Reinsdorf said. "Even Jerry West had made mistakes and he's probably the best in the business. Red Auerbach made mistakes.
"Was Ben Wallace a mistake? Probably, because what we didn't think about was that Ben needs to play alongside somebody that can score a lot of points. I don't think it's the thought of Ben Wallace that makes us be careful. It's just the thought of, when you make a mistake, you own that mistake."
