7/29/2004 09:26:16 AM|||Shep|||I haven't seen terms, but Ben Gordon and Luol Deng - the 3rd and 7th draft picks this year signed contracts with the Chicago Bulls. Am I happy about this? Of course. These guys are the "building blocks" of the team. I like that the organization learned it's lesson about drafting high schoolers after picking up Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry. I would have rather they taken Shaun Livingston and Luke Jackson, but that's cause Livingston is from Illinois, and I'm from Oregon.

I do like that Gordon is number 7 - my favorite basketball jersey number. I used to like 3, but 7 just looks better on a wider variety of teams, so I'm a fan of that one now. Sorry Tyson.

Fantasy Spin

If the trade involving Jamal Crawford ever goes down, Gordon looks to be a good candidate for a starting guard position. I'm thinking something along the lines of Dwayne Wade - but perhaps I'm being optimistic because I'm biased. Deng will be starting at small forward almost for sure. Even with the deal (unless Harrington comes with it) he's the best small forward the Bulls will have. "They" say he's looking good in the summer league games, so he should be a solid mid-round pick.

From Yahoo:

The 21-year-old Gordon, who left Connecticut a year early, is the school's all-time leader with 242 3-pointers and ranks sixth in points.

Deng left the Blue Devils after his freshman season when he averaged 15.1 points and nearly seven rebounds. He should give the team much-needed depth at the small forward position.

|||109111225612805626|||Gordon, Deng signed