Ben Gordon's Selflessness A Nice Change For Pistons

Posted: Nov. 20, 2009
Ben Gordon's selflessness a nice change for Pistons
BY VINCE ELLIS



PORTLAND, Ore. -- With shooting guard Ben Gordon on the bench and the Pistons trailing by 20 at the start of the fourth quarter against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday night, it looked like the beginning of garbage time.

Only Pistons reserves were on the floor. And considering Gordon also was fighting a slight cold, it seemed like a good time to rest up for the last two games of this Western Conference swing.

Then the lineup predominantly consisting of Austin Daye, DaJuan Summers, Rodney Stuckey, Ben Wallace and

Charlie Villanueva made a stunning rally. After Villanueva's lay-up with 1:05 remaining, the Pistons trailed by only one.

They eventually lost, 87-81, but when the Pistons were at their best, Gordon was on the bench. He didn't play one minute of the fourth quarter. You'd think that a player with Gordon's credentials would have been doing a slow burn afterward.

But Gordon later said he agreed with first-year coach John Kuester's decision to go with the hot group.

"The last group that was out there was playing really well," Gordon said. "I thought it was important to let those guys stay out there. They had a great flow going. They got us all the way back from down 20, so, at that point, Coach saw (no) point to interrupt that lineup.

"I was in full agreement."

There's some insight into Gordon's personality.

One of the common questions I've been getting from readers recently is what happens when shooting guard Rip Hamilton returns from his severely sprained right ankle.

The worry is that it might upset the chemistry of the Pistons' three-guard offense, which has worked well early this season. The unspoken question is whether Gordon will respond well to returning to the sixth-man role he occupied before Hamilton's injury.

Gordon, who is averaging 21.1 points per game, doesn't appear to have a gigantic ego -- unlike the guy who was here last season and just left the Memphis Grizzlies.

Of course, Gordon, who was going through a 4-for-12, 11-point performance Wednesday, might have been singing a different tune if he had been having a great shooting night. But he appeared sincere and not just politically correct.

"I had been sitting for a while," Gordon said. "Towards the end of the game, (Kuester) gave me look a few times. I guess he was thinking about putting me in, but at that time, the flow of the game was in our favor, so I think he just decided to keep those guys out there.

"I thought it was a good move."

And that's a good attitude for maintaining a harmonious locker room.