Rudy Fernandez the Last Piece to the Chicago Bulls Winning the East?

With recent word that the Portland Trailblazers might be moving Rudy Fernandez before training camp begins, and the fact that out of all of the teams that have made offers for the Spaniard, it seems the Bulls have made the offer the Blazers are most inclined to accepting, I thought it fitting to speculate on what can Rudy truly provide for the ever-evolving Bulls locker room. The most obvious, of course...

Scoring.

With chatter these last couple of days about Carmelo Anthony being interested in coming to the Bulls, many remarked Anthony’s scoring ability as the top reason the Bulls needed the Denver Nuggets swingman. But I believe the Bulls could get that in Rudy.

I’m not saying he’s as proficient a scorer as ‘Melo, but he can certainly put the ball into the basket at a very efficient rate.

One of Rudy’s problems in Portland was the lack of minutes. He is a player who needs to be in the game for long periods of time in order to be effective. That’s one of his weaknesses. And with the Blazers having so many good players to clog up the shooting guard and small forward positions, Rudy couldn't really get the minutes he needed to be as efficient as he could be.

But in Chicago he shouldn't have much trouble in getting that playing time.

Just these last couple of weeks in the FIBA World Championship, Rudy was one of Spain’s leading scorers with 15.6 points in only 25 minutes per game with a staggering 81 percent field goal percentage and a 46 percent from the three-point arc. So Fernandez can definitely provide the offensive capabilities the Bulls are in so much need of.

But what I believe could really benefit this Chicago team is his fieriness. He is known to be a wholehearted player that is passionate for the game and gives his all on the floor.

Just imagine him on the floor with Joakim Noah. They’d whip up the United Center crowd into a frenzy. Every team can use guys like these.

So, is Rudy Fernandez the last piece the Bulls need to win the East?

We’ll see. But I believe that bringing Fernandez into this team with Derrick Rose’s 20-plus ppg, Boozer’s 19.7 ppg, and Luol Deng’s 18-plus ppg, will make for a well-balanced offensive attack that will be hard for any team to stop.

Combine that with coach Thibodeau’s smothering defensive schemes, and I think we could be in store for something special this season.