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The Bobcats have waived Ben Gordon according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
Gordon was traded to the Bobcats in a deal involving Corey Maggette and a future Pistons first round draft pick, which if things stand pat, the Bobcats will be using this draft.
Gordon was with the Bobcats for all of last season and up to this point of this year. Last season he played in 75 games and averaged 11 points a game on 10 shots a game. This season he's only played in 19 games and is averaging 5 points a game. Despite wielding one of the best shooting strokes to grace a Bobcats roster, Charlotte did not care to utilize Gordon even when their poor three-point shooting could have used his talents.
Gordon was never very happy in Charlotte. He had a notorious run in last season with then Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap where he told Dunlap to "Humble yourself" after being asked to stop dribbling a ball while Dunlap was speaking to the team. While Gordon has been much quieter this season you can see that he hasn't been very pleased with the team just by watching him on the bench. He usually looks like the last person that wants to be there.
What's very curious about the waiving taking place today is this tweet by John Schumann of NBA.com.
The Bobcats just waived Ben Gordon, a day too late for him to be playoff eligible with another team.
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) March 2, 2014
It was reported not too long ago that the Bobcats were working on a buyout with Gordon. He was then kept for a short while to provide depth until Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour were ready to be with the team. Neal and Ridnour played against the Spurs and at that point Gordon's time with the Bobcats was essentially finished. Why theBobcats and Ben Gordon could not come to a buyout agreement before the playoff eligibility deadline for waiver acquisitions, I do not know.
With only about a third of the season left, most playoff teams that could use a gunner off the bench will now have look elsewhere. As for Gordon, he will have to choose from the remaining teams likely to not make the playoffs or just wait for the summer to roll around.
With a new roster spot available, the Bobcats will use it to sign Justin Hamilton, a 7-footer playing in the D-League, to a 10-day contract. Having no idea what to expect from Hamilton myself, I highly urge you to read a breakdown of his game from former Rufus on Fire writer Dakota Schmidt, who currently covers the D-League.