Training camp kicks off in just over a week and Ben Gordon remains unsigned. Unable to drum up a viable offer elsewhere around the league (or convince anyone that he's received a legitimate offer overseas), his hands are tied.
Right now, his only options are to sign Chicago's $6.4 million qualifying offer or stage an ill-advised hold out. Even though negotiations have dragged on for months, Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf thinks this whole mess will be settled soon enough. From the Chicago Sun-Times:
''It has to be resolved,'' Reinsdorf said Wednesday. ''You know, we have a business disagreement relating to the money, but he's still a Chicago Bull, and I expect him to play for the Bulls. I expect him to play hard, and I'd be surprised if it's anything other than that.''
[...] ''I expect Ben Gordon to be playing for the Bulls this year, one way or another,'' Reinsdorf said. ''I don't know if it will be resolved before training camp, but I do expect him to be playing for the Bulls."
Gordon has flatly denied that he'll ever settle for the qualifying offer and is on the record saying he's probably done with the Bulls, but when push comes to shove, I'm guessing he'll come to his senses that $6.4 million is better than nothing.
The Bulls have zero pressure to compete this year, and while I won't go so far as to say they're better without Gordon, they could do a lot worse than a four-guard rotation consisting of Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, Larry Hughes and Thabo Sefolosha. Simply put, Gordon needs the Bulls more than the Bulls need Gordon -- a holdout would be absolutely pointless.
