It was just four years ago that Gentle Ben was the prince of the NBA playoffs. He’d just finished an epic series for the Bulls, going toe-to-toe with Ray Allen and the Celtics over seven classic games.

Gordon was a scoring dynamo. He’d attack the rim, he was automatic at the line, and he could light you up from long range. In a Game 2 loss, he went off for 42 in The Garden. The Pistons immediately snapped him with a lucrative offer.

Who knew that the guy would never be a factor in the NBA again?

The Brutal Years

His three seasons in Detroit were simply brutal. Quick, name your favorite memory of Ben Gordon in a Pistons’ uniform. Nothing coming to mind? You’re not to blame. There was truly nothing to remember. It’s like one of the old Police Academy sequels. You know you probably saw it, but recalling specific details or lines of dialogue is near-impossible.

There are different theories as to why Gordon flopped in Motown. Perhaps he was one of those guys that got the big bucks and decided to go on auto-pilot.

Maybe it was the instability with the coaching staff, forever yo-yo’ing Gordon’s minutes and shuttling him back and forth from the starting lineup to the bench. Or maybe he’s just one of those guys that got old really fast.

NBA SIberia

Today, Gordon is a 30-year-old waterboy for the Charlotte Bobcats, the modern NBA Siberia. You go play in Charlotte and the rest of the country basically assumes you moved to a different planet. To make matters worse, Gordon isn’t even seeing the floor.

Getting benched by the Bobcats is the ultimate career low; rumors have circulated that Gordon is now entertaining offers from a local B’nai B’rith chapter. The pay will be significantly less, but he’s been guaranteed a starting position and a free men’s club membership to the synagogue of his choice.

Thus far, Gordon has appeared just once in five games; nine sad minutes of mop-up duty in a blowout loss to the Pelicans (still feels like that team name is not real). Journeyman guard Ramon Sessions plays extensively while Gordon, a one-time leading scorer on an NCAA championship and the toast of the basketball world just four years prior, sits at the end of the bench waiting for the final horn to sound. It’s one of the stranger career arcs you will find.

Typically, quality NBA shooters can play forever. Reggie Miller hung around until he was 40. Same for Dale Ellis. Ray Allen will be 39 next year and is still a feared offensive weapon.

But the way things are trending for Ben Gordon, it would be a surprise if he was still an employed professional basketball player two years from now; a swift and mysterious fall from grace that may never be fully explained or understood.