Bulls Rumors: Chicago Should Steer Clear of Overrated JR Smith

A terrible free-agent market has transformed J.R. Smith from a role player into a glorified superstar who will save the team he joins. There's no chance he will live up to the hype, which means the Chicago Bulls shouldn't waste valuable cap space on him.

Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld was the first to report a possible link between the Bulls and Smith:

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The Chicago Bulls have their Bi-Annual Exception at $1.9 million but role for Smith would probably be an issue for J.R. Additionally, a source said Chicago is undecided on whether or not Smith would be the right move for the organization.

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While Smith would be a perfectly fine depth addition, he's going to be expecting a lot more playing time than that after signing with a new team. His short stint with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in China was a complete bust, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see his NBA team suffer a similar disappointment.

The Bulls could use another backcourt player due to the injury concerns with Richard Hamilton, but they would be much better off looking for someone a little cheaper and with a lot less baggage.

Chicago is hoping to make a championship run this season after coming up a little short prior to the lockout. The last thing head coach Tom Thibodeau needs is a player who doesn't fit into the team concept that the Bulls have been pushing.

Make no mistake, if Smith signed with Chicago and didn't get the playing time he was expecting, he would make a stink about it. He's done it before, and he'll do it again if he doesn't get his way. The Bulls don't need that type of distraction.

It's never been an issue of talent with Smith. He's always had the ability to be a very good player, but fringe issues like his attitude have always held him back from taking the next step.

The Bulls currently lead the Eastern Conference by one game over the Miami Heat, so it's clear they don't need any type of significant addition to be a threat in the playoffs. In reality, they might not need any upgrades at all.

It all comes down to risk vs. reward.

The best case scenario is Smith plays well and is a good teammate, at which point he just takes playing time away from Hamilton and Ronnie Brewer. The worst-case scenario is that he doesn't live up to expectations and becomes a negative locker-room influence.

For a team like the Bulls, they would be better off playing it safe.