Pippen Ain't Easy
Fansided

Some of the most undervalued Chicago Bulls players of all time

By Aymin Bakr

CHARLOTTE, NC - FEBRUARY 8: Kirk Hinrich #12 of the Chicago Bulls handles the ball during the game against Jeremy Lin #7 of the Charlotte Hornets on February 8, 2016 at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - FEBRUARY 8: Kirk Hinrich #12 of the Chicago Bulls handles the ball during the game against Jeremy Lin #7 of the Charlotte Hornets on February 8, 2016 at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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BOSTON – APRIL 28: Ben Gordon #7 of the Chicago Bulls drives the lane against Tony Allen #42 of the Boston Celtics in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at TD Banknorth Garden on April 28, 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON – APRIL 28: Ben Gordon #7 of the Chicago Bulls drives the lane against Tony Allen #42 of the Boston Celtics in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at TD Banknorth Garden on April 28, 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /

4) Ben Gordon

When thinking of former sixth man of the year award recipients, Ben Gordon may come to mind. When thinking about rookies who’ve won the award, ONLY Ben Gordon comes to mind. When the Chicago Bulls selected him with the third pick in the 2004 draft, they were expecting a franchise altering player. While he didn’t live up to the hype, Ben Gordon was far from a bad player.

Gordon is often criticized for inconsistency at times, but he was an unstoppable offensive force when he was hot.  This is really reflected in his overall statistics and his game logs.  Gordon would go from scoring 30-40 points on efficient shooting one night to being completely off and scoring 13 or under. Considering the inconsistency, he still averaged 18.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists on 43.7% shooting from the field and 41.5% shooting from beyond the arc.

No excuses should be made for his inconsistency but the fact that he was able to average near 20 points despite the inconsistent stretches just speaks to the immense offensive capabilities he possessed. Not to mention, he seemingly always showed up in the playoffs. Most notably in the first round of the 2009 playoffs against the second seed Boston Celtics. He averaged an impressive 24.3 points per game but shot just under 40% from the field. In game 2, he erupted for 42 points with some major clutch shots and continued to help extend the series game by game.

Gordon would leave the Bulls in free agency after the 2008-09 season to pursue a bigger contract but his impact was to hopefully never be forgotten. While he didn’t pan out to be the star he was projected to be, Gordon played a major role in Bulls basketball in the mid to late 2000s and was a much better scorer than people may think. He was a serviceable play-maker and ball handler as well and deserves more recognition for just how special he was in Chicago.

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