Allen Iverson and Jannero Pargo To Come off the Bench for the Bulls?

Now that Ben Gordon has bolted for Detroit, the Chicago Bulls are left with a shooting void in their backcourt.

Many analysts are predicting the Bulls will keep Kirk Hinrich in his bench role and move John Salmons from small forward to shooting guard, but is that really going to be enough?

According to multiple sources, including Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, the Chicago Tribune, and Yahoo! Sports, the Chicago Bulls have expressed interest in two free agent guards:  Allen Iverson and Jannero Pargo.

Iverson spent most of last season with the Detroit Pistons, and Pargo spent all of last season overseas.

Replacing Ben Gordon may not be easy with a weaker crop of free agents, but if Gordon and Pargo are both willing to sign modest one-year contracts, the Bulls could have a bargain on their hands.

Last season, Iverson averaged 17.5 points and five assists per game for the Pistons and Denver Nuggets.

At 34 years of age, Iverson has to realize he is not getting any younger, and the opportunity to play alongside a young, up-and-coming star like Derrick Rose could be very beneficial for his future prospects in this league.

The Bulls need a versatile scorer to provide significant production off the bench, and Iverson could be just that.  He will have to swallow his ego to accept that role, which will likely come with a one year, mid-level exception contract around $5.6 million.

A more modest and possibly more likely move by the Bulls could be the signing of former Bull Jannero Pargo, who spent all of 2008 overseas.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported earlier today that Pargo was in Chicago talking about a possible return to Chicago to help replace some of the minutes left by Gordon, and it is also being reported that New Orleans has interest in bringing the guard back.

Obviously, the signing of Pargo would be a minor one, but he has played some of his more consistent ball the last couple of years he has been in the NBA, averaging nearly nine points per game for the Hornets.

With the youthful additions of James Johnson and Taj Gibson to the frontcourt, the Bulls would be wise to add some veteran experience to the backcourt to distribute them the ball, and create extra opportunities.

It appears as though despite losing Ben Gordon, the Bulls may still be able to put together a better group that can push for a top five seed in the Eastern Conference.