Chicago Bulls: Why Signing Rasheed Wallace Makes Sense

Rasheed Wallace is a polarizing figure. Some love the intensity he brings to the basketball floor, while others despise his antics and deem him a lunatic.

Regardless of one's personal views on the 37-year-old, the fact is he's currently the best available big man (he's shown interest in an NBA return), and the Bulls are in need of an insurance big man to shore up their roster for the playoffs.

Around a month ago, I argued for the Bulls to sign Wallace, but the Bulls have appeared to have had their sights on Joel Przybilla. Those hopes have now been dashed, as Przybilla has reportedly signed with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Now that he's off the table, the options are undoubtedly slim.

Some have lobbied for the Bulls to add Kyrylo Fesenko (who I almost don't want the Bulls to sign simply because of how hard it is to spell his name). 

Fesenko is a massive body (7'1", 280 pounds), but his experience is highly limited. He's very raw and is essentially just a large human who gobbles up space. 

If the Bulls do pursue an additional big man, they're most likely not going to need considerable minutes out of whomever they choose.

But you never know.

Imagine if Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson or Omer Asik get hurt in the second half of the season or in the playoffs. The Bulls will then be forced to thrust a big man onto the scene and he will need to provide ample contributions.

This is why adding Rasheed Wallace makes the most sense. If the Bulls are going to acquire insurance, they might as well pursue insurance that's more reliable and playoff-tested.

Wallace possesses an immense amount of playoff experience, including winning a championship in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons. And not even two years ago, he played a pivotal role for the Boston Celtics, who went all the way to the NBA Finals before losing in seven games to the Los Angeles Lakers.

What's more, Wallace was under coach Tom Thibodeau during his time in Boston, where Thibodeau was an assistant prior to coming to Chicago.

Thus, there's already some familiarity and learning Chicago's schemes wouldn't be rocket science for the veteran Wallace.

There are obvious concerns with Wallace. We all know that. But at the age of 37, I'd sure hope his antics would have calmed and that his overall presence wouldn't create any alarming distractions.

The free agent big man options are clearly bleak, but the Bulls would still be wise to make a move. If they don't, their frontcourt depth could grow uneasily shallow as the season unfolds. 

And imagine if someone got hurt in the thick of the playoffs. I'd much rather have Wallace to insert than someone who's young and inexperienced like Fesenko. While "Sheed" has been out of the game for over a year, he's still a better gamble than the 25-year-old Fesenko, whose limited abilities haven't caused any teams to beckon for his services.

Last year, the Bulls possessed savvy veteran Kurt Thomas and while his departure wasn't overly costly, it still created a void. Wallace is the best potential short-term investment to fill that void, and his addition could truthfully prove to be pivotal come May and June.