NBA Rumors: Chicago Bulls Must Land OJ Mayo to Remain Central Division Favorites

If the Chicago Bulls want to remain the standard of the Eastern Conference Central Division, bringing in O.J. Mayo has to happen.

And according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports:

"

Free agent G OJ Mayo getting interest from Lakers, Chicago, Phoenix and Dallas and hopes to make decision in next 10 days, source tells Y!

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 14, 2012"

If anything, Chicago needs Mayo just for his offensive potential as the Bulls only hit 100-plus points 22 times last season. Therefore, let's check out how Mayo fits in the Windy City and why the Bulls need him before the 2012-13 NBA season tips off.

Backcourt Needs

For starters, veteran Richard Hamilton is 34 years old and the Bulls are shopping his contract, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

So obviously the Bulls are looking to add some youth in the backcourt and they also need general depth because C.J. Watson signed with the Brooklyn Nets, per Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York. 

Consider how long Derrick Rose is expected to be out and Chicago needs a solid offensive playmaker in the backcourt when the season begins. Rookie point guard Marquis Teague certainly has potential after averaging 10 points and 4.8 assists with a 41.2 shooting percentage at Kentucky.

Then again, Teague was also surrounded by supreme college talent in Anthony Davis, Terrence Jones and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Adding Mayo would just ease some of the pressure off Teague and give Chicago some experienced youth in the backcourt.

Offensive Potential

Recently the Bulls reunited with combo guard Kirk Hinrich, also reported by K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

And although Hinrich is not an offensive-oriented player, he can move the ball around quite well and provide scoring when needed. However, Hinrich's production is only effective with a reliable shooting guard.

From the 2004-05 season through 2008-09, Hinrich had Ben Gordon to rely on, and Mayo can be just as effective. As a rookie, Mayo averaged 18.5 points and 3.2 assists per 38 minutes through 81 starts.

With similar production during his second season, Mayo saw his numbers dive the past two seasons after playing a smaller role. In Chicago, though, the Bulls need a guy who can develop and Mayo's youth provides time to become a more complete player.

Whenever Rose Returns...

Last season Chicago ranked No. 18 in scoring with only 96.3 points per game. Rose was the leader with 21.8 points per in the regular season, and the next most effective backcourt scorer was Rip Hamilton who averaged just 11.6.

Regardless of when Rose returns, if Mayo is his shooting guard the Chicago offense will take to new heights. Revert back to the 2008-09 season, Rose's only year with Gordon.

There, Gordon averaged 20.7 points and shot lights out from everywhere while also logging over 36 minutes per game. Mayo most definitely has much work to do before he reaches that kind of production, but what Rose will do is simply enhance Mayo's level of play.

The Bulls are already technically sound enough on defense to shut any offense down. It's becoming more potent offensively to remain atop the Central Division and get back to the Eastern Conference finals.

Hinrich will help Mayo's development and keep the defense stellar. Once Rose returns, the Bulls can then quickly begin to get reestablished in the postseason.

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