Is it time for concern? Rip Hamilton has sat out more games
than he’s played and he’s been hurt in the one he has.
Management does not, nor does the Bulls’ fan base, know what
to expect upon his return, and it seems that his return in itself is another
mystery. I really thought that management was sitting him until after the
all-star break but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
He’s had a groin and thigh issues and Sam Smith of Bulls.com
has suggested that Rip is holding himself out based on his own medical
conclusions.
Maybe this is another chance to rest Hamilton since the
Bulls are facing a cupcake (New Orleans Hornets), but it certainly doesn’t come
off as a positive. Because Hamilton is expected to be the third, possibly the
second option on half court high-pick and roll, floppy and chase sets, his return is important for
the first unit to gel—yes, a bit of a sports cliché.
Miami has figured what to do on offense and it’s terrifying.
The task of getting by Miami grows more daunting by the week. As Wade and
LeBron play Nerf hoop with the rest of the league, Derrick Rose ails and Luol
Deng fights off surgery.
Hamilton’s return would also lighten the load for the second
unit, which hasn’t been itself this season since so many guards are asked to
pick up the slack and Omer Asik and Taj Gibson have both regressed.
Ronnie Brewer has returned to the guy many remember from
last season as mostly a defensive sniper with the occasional ability to knock
down a shot when left wide open.
So much rests on the Bulls “meshing” and “evolving” into a
more complete attack that will get by the vaunted Miami Heat—and even then, I’m
wondering how easy it will be to get by the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers
and even the Atlanta Hawks—that it’s almost silly to expect this much from Rip
Hamilton.
Meanwhile, the trade deadline nears and the Bulls don’t have
many options that would be considered an upgrade. The Howard thing is mostly a
myth as it’s fairly clear the Orlando Magic are calling his bluff, the Bulls
have nothing logical to offer the Lakers, Monta Ellis is still very intriguing,
but I’m coming around to thinking that Bulls management will never revert to a
small two-guard like they had with Ben Gordon because of how much it
compromises Tom Thibodeau’s defense.
So, in short, we’re all waiting for the return of a player
that is probably only above average at this point of his career.
Contact Mike Mitchell
at michaelkennethmitchell@gmail.com.
4 comments:
Even if we suppose Hamilton returns this season and does fairly well, I think it's clear that the Bulls have roster issues that raise questions not only on their ability to beat Miami, but to fend off the rapidly rising Pacers and 76ers.
It's common to think of the Bulls as a first class team, in the same area code as the Heat and Thunder, but I wonder how viable that first class status is in both the short and long term.
The key players on all three teams--Wade, James, Bosh, Durant, Rose and Westbrook are at the peak of their games and will--with the exception of Wade--remain prodigiously talented for a fairly long time (in NBA time).
The Thunder's supporting cast--Ibaka, Harden, Thabo, Perkins--are younger and better than the supporting cast of both the Heat and Bulls. Given the Bulls showcase only one stud to the Heat's three, and with the rise of teams like the Pacers, Clippers, and even the 76ers, I think it's clear to see how quickly the Bulls can descend from the top of the NBA's hierarchy unless they undergo some serious reconstruction.
Now I am taking a long-term perspective on this, I still do think the Bulls can compete this year. But with Deng, Noah, Brewer and Boozer already playing at the apex of their capabilities, I don' see how this team as currently constructed can withstand the expected improvement of teams like the Thunder and Clippers, let alone compete with the Heat's trio of three stars playing at the top of their respective games.
So is it time to rethink the Bulls place in the NBA hierarchy? We cannot confuse Rose's potential with the Bulls' potential; they are different things. It is easy to conceive of a time where Rose is playing brilliantly while simultaneously being undermined by a lack of surrounding talent (think James in Cleveland, Howard in Orlando, Garnett in Minnesota, Bryant after Shaq, and so on)
That's a great, great line: We cannot confuse "Rose's potential with the Bulls' potential; they are different things."
I think that's why we often hear the term "young" with the Bulls, but really Noah and Deng are in their playing primes at 26 and Boozer and Rip are well beyond their best days.
That's where this gets scary: The Thunder have so many young pieces that are attractive league-wide, the Heat are as good as long as LeBron is the best player in the league and the Clippers are built around two of the top 10 players in the league, who are both young.
The Bulls have one guy. They have a really nice player in Luol Deng, a valuable (though his contract says otherwise) commodity in Joakim Noah, but the way the other "young" players have regressed (Taj Tibson and Omer Asik) it's difficult to see how the long-term view is as glowing as the teams as you mentioned.
Derrick Rose is already one of my favorite players of all time (he is must-see television), but he simply can't do this with a team that is limited offensively.
I don't blame the Bulls for not unloading Omer Asik last season, but it's time to cash in if you're going to go for the title.
I don't know if there is a trade that makes sense (which is usually the mindset of fans: make a move for the sake of making a move), but resting on Rip Hamilton as some savior that is going to elevate the team's play, seems outlandish at this time.
"The Bulls have one guy. They have a really nice player in Luol Deng, a valuable (though his contract says otherwise) commodity in Joakim Noah, but the way the other "young" players have regressed (Taj Tibson and Omer Asik) it's difficult to see how the long-term view is as glowing as the teams as you mentioned."
Right, and to get even more cynical here, it's not as if Asik and Gibson--at the height of their potential--would significantly raise the Bulls' chances for success. In other words, there is no player on the roster whose expected development would give the team the multi-dimensional punch it currently lacks on offense. At best I think we can speak of Asik as an asset who can either be traded in a larger deal to acquire a star, or fill in for Noah and produce similar numbers. But you cannot rely on Asik himself to give the Bulls a better chance.
GarPax have themselves a really nice team that can trade punches with the best teams, but I think a lot of many fans' off-season concerns about the lack of true sidekick are slowly being realized.
Well, there is Hamilton, but I meant in a long-term sense as you clearly cannot depend on Hamilton for more than a couple years or so.
Deng and Noah are in the prime of their careers, and Boozer is probably heading downward. Given that we already know Deng and Noah are inadequate if they're your second and third best players, the question for the Bulls is still that second guy to complement Rose.
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