I'll preface this by saying I'm a huge fan of Ben Gordon and he's one of my favorite Huskies ever, but this is nonsensical on a number of levels for both parties. For starters, Ben Gordon's play on the court ever since he left to Chicago has been on a steady and substantial decline - in 290 games with the Pistons and Bobcats, he's averaging 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists on 42/38/85 shooting splits. Add those numbers to his notoriously dreadful defense, and he's the very definition of a one-dimensional player (who hasn't even been that good at that dimension). He also has the reputation around the league as being somewhat toxic - coaches and executives have questioned his work ethic, attitude, and pretty much everything else about his character. That Charlotte kicked him in the nuts this past season the way that they did is all I need to know in regards to how he's perceived around the league. Why Orlando would even want him on their team - which is going to be rebuilding for at least the next couple years - I have no idea. Why they would want him to be around younger players who he could potentially influence is even more confusing to me. Again, he hasn't exactly been renowned as a mentor to this point.
Ben Gordon needed to be on a team with a solid infrastructure in place where he would be more willing to accept his role - somewhere like Oklahoma City, even if potentially to the detriment of Lamb's development, would be a perfect fit. Miami, Houston, Memphis, and Golden State would also be good situations. I have no idea how he managed to get 2 years, 9 million, but if he's happy in Orlando and with that contract, good for him I guess.
