NBA Free Agency 2012: Why Chicago Bulls Are Best Landing Spot for Brandon Roy
Former all-star shooting guard Brandon Roy can breathe new life into his career if he lands in Chicago.
According to Ramona Shelburne and Nick Friedell from ESPN.com, the Chicago Bulls have contacted Roy and the team is one of the four finalists for his services.
No two players are the same, but by the way Roy's career has played out so far he could very well be the next Ron Harper. Both were explosive shooting guards robbed of their athleticism in their prime due to injury. The two also have similar playing styles. Roy and Harper were able to fill it up on offense and also distribute the ball with ease.
Roy averaged 4.7 assists in his short career with the Portland Trail Blazers. And in the 2007-2008 season he nearly averaged six assists per game. He has the ability to play point guard because he has excellent handles, and he's also an intelligent play maker.
Every shooting guard aspires to have a career like Michael Jordan, but in reality that's never going to happen for Roy. However, If he signs with the Bulls he will be following in Harper's footsteps, which isn't a bad thing.
Harper was a prolific scorer in his days with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Clippers, but after injuries slowed him down he had to drastically change his game. He was always a threat to get 20-plus points before he came to Chicago. After he signed with the Bulls he sacrificed much of his scoring and focused more on defense as a point guard.
Derrick Rose could miss a considerable amount of time next season because he is recovering from ACL surgery. It's not certain that C.J. Watson will be back next season even though he played well in place of Rose last season. Rookie point guard Marquis Teague might not be the best option for team at this juncture in his career, so going after a player like Roy makes sense going forward.
Roy can make the transition if he signs with the Bulls to play point guard like Harper did and fill the void of the team's missing superstar.
When Harper signed with the Bulls the team was without Jordan, but when MJ came back the team rattled off a few championships.
Roy could be thrust into a similar situation with Rose gone for much of next season. Is he capable of holding the fort down until Rose's return?
