Gordon doesn't want to be traded

For the record, Ben Gordon left the Berto Center empty-handed Wednesday. In other words, the contents of his locker remained in his locker.

A day earlier in Los Angeles, a radio rumor that Kobe Bryant had cleaned out his locker set off another frenzy of trade speculation.

Bryant and Lakers coach Phil Jackson tried to set the record straight. Bryant may have tidied his locker, but it wasn't emptied.

The ongoing Bryant rumors affect Gordon because much of the speculation has the Lakers' high-scoring star headed to the Bulls and taking over Gordon's spot at shooting guard.

"Hopefully I'll be here," Gordon said. "You don't really think about it much. You don't really focus on it. You just hear the rumors every single day."

Gordon skipped another practice Wednesday to rest a sprained left ankle. While the Bryant rumors are mostly for entertainment, Gordon has a legitimate distraction in the form of an Oct. 31 deadline to sign a contract extension. If no deal is reached, he will become a restricted free agent next summer.

Is he taking a long time to recover from the ankle injury because of pressure to perform well once he returns to the court? After all, a new contract is on the line.

"Not really. I'm always under pressure to perform well," he said. "The extension, that's just another thing if you allow to get in your way and distract you from doing what you normally do … it can very easily happen."

Likewise, there is no reason to think Gordon is sitting down because he's disappointed in the negotiations with the Bulls.

"I love playing. I love being around the game," he said. "Sitting out, it's a little frustrating. But I realize at this point in the season, it's not worth the risk of reinjuring it and having this thing linger any further.

"I've missed two games in three years. Regardless of what anyone says, I wouldn't just be sitting out. My trainer has taken X-rays and MRIs. If the fans want to look at that, they can feel free to come and check it out."