LeBron James Free Agency: Bulls Should Not Be Concerned About 'Fit'

Like all great players, LeBron James is a polarizing figure.

Some love him and some hate him. Some want him on the Bulls, some want him to stay far away from Chicago.

But to say James should not play in Chicago because the Bulls already have Luol Deng at small forward is beyond silly. It's stupid. Idiotic, even.

The typical argument I see out there is this: The Bulls have Derrick Rose, Deng, and Joakim Noah. Therefore, the Bulls should go after a shooting guard like Joe Johnson and a power forward like Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, or Carlos Boozer. That way they will have a complete starting five.

That suggests that despite the Bulls having a legitimate chance at landing James and Bosh, two of the top three free agents, they should instead focus on building around Deng.

See how foolish that sounds?

Look, in a traditional free agency period, it makes sense to go after a "need." The Clippers, for example, are really just a small forward away from having a complete starting five.

But this is an unprecedented time in the NBA. It's not free agency as usual.

Instead of having stars signed and building around them, teams are vying for star free agents.  Basically, it is the reverse of what is traditionally done.

Because of this, the Bulls need to forget about signing the players who best complement their current roster. Which, quite frankly, does not amount to much in their current position.

If the Bulls can sign LeBron, they should do it instantly. Sure, he and Deng play the same position. But Deng could probably be shipped somewhere (like the Clippers) or used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Then the Bulls could target a more natural shooting guard to space the court for Rose and LeBron. There are several shooting specialists available for cheap in this free agent class.

Is LeBron the perfect "fit" on the current Bulls roster? Absolutely not. But when you're the best player in the league, it really doesn't matter.

James is the centerpiece for whichever team lands him this offseason. You build around a guy like him.

You don't try to fit him into a spot.