Will Derrick Rose's Injury Lead Chicago Bulls Back to Nate Robinson?

Just when it looked like the Chicago Bulls' point-guard carousel had stopped spinning, disaster struck. 

Late Tuesday night, the Bulls announced Derrick Rose had been diagnosed with a medial meniscus tear in his right knee—the exact same injury that limited him to 10 appearances last season. Until Rose undergoes surgery to repair the balky piece of his knee, a timetable for return will remain elusive.

Now, the Bulls need to find floor generals who can pick up the offensive slack.

Kirk Hinrich, Aaron Brooks and E'Twaun Moore comprise the rest of Chicago's depth at point guard, so it could certainly be worse. But among that trio, Brooks is the only player who can be counted upon to create his own shot even semi-regularly.

With a roster spot presumably opening up, and after losing their first post-Rose game 98-86 to the shuffling Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, the Bulls are once again in the market for a stopgap solution.

And like it or not, one familiar face is making his services available, according to USA Today's Sam Amick: 

So Nate Robinson—who was waived by the Boston Celtics in January after getting traded from the Denver Nuggets—wants back in. 

And before sarcastically rolling your eyes, remember that the pint-sized point guard served the Bulls fairly well during his one-year stint in the Windy City.

When Rose sat out the entirety of the 2012-13 season to rehabilitate his torn ACL, Robinson stepped up and made 23 starts while appearing in all 82 games. During that stretch, he averaged 13.1 points and 4.4 assists while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and a team-high 40.5 percent from three. Robinson also recorded the team's second-highest player efficiency rating (17.4) behind Joakim Noah. 

No, Robinson's not the picture of stability. For his career, he's shooting 42.4 percent from the field and an even 36 percent from beyond the arc. But there is undoubtedly comfort in familiarity, and the Bulls know what Robinson can offer and how they can accentuate his strengths.

In January, Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau spoke to reporters about the positive impact Robinson had on Chicago during trying times, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley:

"

Nate’s a character. He did a great job for us. The thing about Nate I always say is he’s scaring both coaches right now. He was wonderful. I got a lot of respect for him. Obviously, I coached him in Boston too. He’s a great teammate and did a great job for us.

We were shorthanded that whole season. And at the end, we lost a number of guys through quirks really. And Nate was one of the guys who stepped up and played great. I got a lot of respect for that. He’s a great competitor. He brings energy. He brings juice every day to the team. And I like that about him.

"

Following Rose's injury, Thibodeau didn't provide a definitive answer regarding the team's interest in a reunion with the diminutive volume scorer, according to ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell:

The front office might be deliberating, but this is a move Chicago needs to make—even if the offense is in a more stable place than it was two seasons ago thanks to Jimmy Butler's emergence and Pau Gasol's savvy in the post. 

Robinson's erratic, sure. He's also the type of streaky scorer capable of propping up Chicago's offense during times of stagnancy. Since the Bulls shoot just over 34 percent "very late" in the shot clock, per NBA.com, and rank in the 45th percentile in isolation scoring, Robinson's fearless approach couldn't hurt. 

"They need somebody that is explosive," CSN Chicago's Will Perdue said. "They need somebody that can score. It would seem reasonable that Nate [Robinson] would be that guy because he knows the offense."

Past results indicate Robinson is more than capable of playing in 2-guard alignments with Hinrich, too. In fact, when the odd couple shared the floor two seasons ago, Chicago posted an offensive rating of 115.1 and a net rating of plus-14.9. According to NBA.com, that was the highest offensive rating of any two-man unit on the Bulls (minimum 250 minutes) by a whopping seven points.

While Robinson often assumes the form of a ball-dominant gunner, he can curl off screens, slash into the lane, hit catch-and-shoot threes and blow past defenders via dribble handoffs. So not only can Robinson operate out on an island, but Hinrich is also capable of initiating sets that result in Robinson buckets. 

Remember Game 4 of the 2013 Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Brooklyn Nets?

That style of play lends itself to maddening moments characterized by supreme self-confidence, but Robinson is more than a heat-check artist. 

Within the confines of Thibodeau's offense, Robinson prioritized more efficient shots in the paint and beyond the arc, as his heat map from NBASavant.com illustrates: 

Credit: NBASavant.com

Despite conventional wisdom suggesting past performance isn't an indicator of future results, Robinson's track record hints that he can at least soften the blow of Rose's third knee surgery since 2012.  

The Bulls are also in a spot where they can't afford to get picky. Chicago ranks 22nd in bench scoring, per HoopsStats.com, and the point guards will need to score by committee in order to fill the 18.4-point-per-game void Rose left behind.

So after his last trial run produced some surprisingly encouraging results, the least Chicago can do is give Robinson a callback. With offensive slippage looking likely and title hopes on life support, the reward associated with signing the high-octane Robinson for the rest of the season far outweighs the risk. 

All statistics current as of Feb. 25 and courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.