After Pistons practice ended Tuesday, Ben Gordon stayed to shoot jumpers with assistant coaches, lower-level team personnel, pretty much anybody who wanted to challenge him.
In some ways, little has changed for Gordon, who often did the same at the Berto Center before ending his five-season Bulls tenure in July when he signed a five-year, $59 million deal with Detroit.
In most ways, everything has changed.
“The transition here has been really comfortable,” Gordon said. “I watch the Bulls a little and talk to guys like Luol (Deng), Joakim (Noah) and Tyrus (Thomas) just once in a while. I’ve moved on.”
Gordon, who will test his sprained left ankle Wednesday to determine if he will face his former team at the United Center that night, says this matter-of-factly, not maliciously. He consistently has spoken positively of his Bulls experience and continued to do so Tuesday.
But failed negotiations on a long-term extension during the summers of 2007 and 2008 left Gordon if not scarred, at least savvy.
“I learned early on it’s a business,” Gordon said. “My rookie year, I was the third pick but nothing was given to me. I had to work. I came off the bench. I had to earn everything.
“It’s frustrating going through that. But it made me better in the long run.”
In a previous sports era, five-season tenures that resulted in four playoff appearances would create lasting bonds. But save for strong feelings for the city — “I’m still trying to rent my place there; can you print that?” — its fans and certain members of the organization, Gordon moved on quickly because he had plenty of time to embrace the concept.
“It wasn’t like me leaving happened in one year,” Gordon said. “After my third year, I didn’t get re-signed. So I thought, ‘Hopefully I can re-sign after my fourth.’ That didn’t happen.
“I changed my thinking mentally. As time went on, it became a reality I wouldn’t be there long term. That made the transition easier. When I came here, I fit in right away and didn’t feel like I missed anything in Chicago.”
If he plays, Gordon said he expects a mixture of boos and cheers from fans. Gordon said the fact the Bulls have planned no special acknowledgment along the lines of a video tribute “doesn’t surprise me at all.”
“I don’t think I left on bad terms,” Gordon said. “People who followed it closely saw the business side. Maybe the reaction will be 50-50.”
Gordon, who planned a quiet night with friends Tuesday in Chicago, got off to a torrid start before cooling off just before badly spraining his left ankle on Nov. 25 against the Cavaliers. He is averaging 19.8 points on 44.3 percent shooting, not much different from his career averages of 18.6 points and 43.7 percent shooting.
Pistons coach John Kuester said it’s “a privilege” to coach Gordon. He answered quickly when asked why he called Gordon’s number for the last shot Nov. 15 against the Mavs despite Gordon missing 15 of 16 times.
“Every time he shoots, I think the ball is going in,” Kuester said. “He has proven that he makes big shots. I can’t begin to tell you how impressed I’ve been with his professionalism and how he takes care of himself.”
When he left in July, Gordon made comments about Pistons President Joe Dumars’ commitment to winning, which some took as a knock against the Bulls.
“Nah, I didn’t mean that at all,” Gordon said. “I was just giving Joe credit for the way he has built teams. What he has told me is that he’ll work every day to try to get the team back to championship status. And those aren’t idle words. He has won titles in the past.
“That’s my ultimate goal, to win a championship.”
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kcjohnson@tribune.com
Inside: Ben Wallace right at home with Pistons. Page 3
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