Chicago Bulls Speculation: Best Available Options for Chicago to Pursue

With December 9 drawing nigh, it is finally time to actually see what the Bulls are going to do instead of speculating what they should do. That doesn't mean that there's not a little time for a refresher course in the who the best available options are, though.

Primarily, there are four factors that the Bulls will be looking for in their shooting guard. 

1. The ability to play defense
2. The ability to create shots
3. Three-point shooting ability
4. Character

Here are the 10 biggest targets in one way or another for the Bulls, along with how they fit in each of these areas. 

Tracy McGrady

Availability: Free Agent

Defense: McGrady has not built his career on defense, but he has gotten better at it. Last year, he surrendered just .81 points per play overall and .75 in isolation. His OPER was a relatively respectable 13.1. While not outstanding, those numbers are more than acceptable. McGrady could certainly play well within coach Tom Thibodeau's defense.

Shot Creating: Only 42 percent of his field goals last year were assisted, which indicates he can still create his own shot. He averaged .88 points per play in isolation, which is not a great number but it's not bad either. 

Three-Point Shooting: McGrady shot decent enough from the three last year, but not outstanding. Troubling is the overall lack of volume more than the rate at which he made them.  Even at a per-36 minute rate, he only made .6 per game. That's not enough to spread the floor for Derrick Rose. 

Character: This is the biggest point of concern with McGrady. The Bulls passed up on him last year, and many believe this was the reason why. While he proved he can still play in Detroit, he proved he can still present some character issues, too. 

Richard Hamilton

Availability: Amnesty

Defense: Hamiltion's defense is most generously described as average and probably more accurately described as below average. His points per play is .88, which is not a horrible number, but it's certainly not very good, either. His OPER is 15.5, which is, again, slightly below average. 

He doesn't rebound particularly well for a 6'7" shooting guard, either, averaging only 4.1 per 36 minutes last year. 

Shot Creating: He has some ability to create his own shot, with 22 percent of his shots unassisted last year. While this number isn't great, bear in mind he'd be replacing Keith Bogans, who has an unassisted shot all year. And yes, an means singular, as in one. 

Three-Point Shooting: Hamilton is still an excellent shooter. Last year, he shot .382 from behind the arc. He also made 42 percent of his long twos. The Bulls were 28-3 last year when Bogans hit at least two three-point shots. That spreads the floor for Rose to penetrate and opens up for Boozer to score in the paint. 

Character: Hamilton, like McGrady, was part of the Detroit Mutiny last year. The Bulls put a high premium on character. Hamilton's lack of it may be what costs him a stint at the Bulls. 

Nick Young

Availability: Restricted Free Agent

Defense: Nick Young is well below average on defense. He gave up .94 points per play overall, and gave up .95 when playing in isolation, indicating it's not the rest of the team's fault that he was so horrible. It's odd that he's so bad because he has the tools. He has quickness and height. 

Young, like Rip, is a notoriously bad rebounder for his length, averaging only 3.1 rebounds per 36 minutes last year. 

Shot Creating: Young has no problem creating his own shot. He created 39 percent of his own field goals. He averaged 1.0 points per play in isolation. Young would definitely fill that role for the Bulls. 

Three-Point Shooting: Young is a very good three point shooter, averaging 1.9 per 36 minutes last year. That's a number that could easily go up with the Bulls, as Young has a tendency to step up and take the challenged 17 footer rather than step back and take the unchallenged three. Thobideau corrected that tendency with Luol Deng, and he had a career high in threes. 

Again, I feel the need to emphasize why it is so crucial to add a three-point scorer. If Deng is on one wing draining threes and the shooting guard is on the other, then that means defenders have to stay out and protect both wings. 

That means that teams can't set the traps where the man defending the shooting guard can come up and double team Derrick Rose with the ball. That's what we mean by "space." With a player like Rose and his ability to penetrate, that extra half a second means an easy score. 

Character: Young's lack of development in areas where he should not be struggling is a bit disconcerting. While he has a lot of potential, it remains to be seen whether that can potential can be realized by him receiving coaching. If he has trouble with that, it could be an ominous situation in Chicago where Thibs has a very "aggressive" style of coaching. 

On that, I would like to point out that while Thibs yells and hollers a lot his players, they all seem to adore him. It appears to me that while he's ready to hand out criticism, he's equally ready to hand out praise. He also seems to have a genuine concern for his players that they appreciate. That kind of style might bring out the best in Young. 

Wilson Chandler

Availability: China (available in March)

Defense: Chandler is a much better defensive player than many people realized. It's hard to stand out on defense playing for a Mike D'Antoni team. When he went from New York to Denver, his ppp fell from .95 to .89, and we know it was him and not the help defense because his iso dropped from .94 to .82. Chandler is a long three and aggressive. He would fit exceptionally well in Thibs' system. 

Shot Creating: He created 36 percent of his points last year with Denver, and 34 percent of his shots with the Knicks. In isolation, he only scored .79 ppp, though. Most of his scoring came off of his jump shots. 

Three-Point Shooting: He also elevated his three-point percentage from .267 to .350. He made 40 percent of his long twos. Chanlder is a dual-scoring threat. 

Character: There is a really positive sign from Chandler, and that's his tremendous improvement from the three in one year. You always have to like a player that gets better during the offseason. That shows a commitment to work. 

Chandler would make an excellent addition to the Bulls, but the problem is that he went and signed on to play in China. One possibility is that they hold on to their MLE until March and then outbid everyone when he comes back in March. 

O. J. Mayo

Availability:  Trade.

This should only be done as a last resort. The Bulls, contrary to what some have argued, can add a two while keeping both Omer Asik and Taj Gibson. Giving up either one to get a player that is not significantly better than one of the players on the open market is not a sensible move. 

Defense: Some have argued that his performance in the playoffs means he's really a worthwhile defensive player now. I'm not buying it. I've never been one to put too much stock in a single series, especially if it contradicts an entire career.

Mayo was in the bottom quintile of defenders last year, giving up .96 ppp. I just don't see that kind of "effort" sitting well with Thibodeau. No one can help the Bulls create points from the bench. 

Shot Creating: The other thing about Smith that is surprising is that Mayo's offensive numbers are remarkably average. You would think with the push to get him, he's a great offensive player, but his PER was just 12.6. The ESPN Trade machine in fact projects that a trade of Ronnie Brewer and Taj Gibson for O.J. Mayo would cost the Bulls four wins, and considering PER doesn't evaluate defense; it's probably worse than that. 

Three-Point Shooting: Mayo is a decent three-point shooter, making 36 percent of his attempts. He only makes 38 percent of his long twos, which is in't much better. 

Character: Mayo is on the bench for a reason, and character is a big part of it. Mayo has always gotten more accolades than he's earned and has a bit of a prima donna thing going on. He could work on the Bulls, or he could come here thinking he's coming to save the day. I just don't see him being worth one the Bulls bigs. 

J. R. Smith

Availability: March (playing in China)

Defense: He gives up 1.02 points per play, which has him ranked 434th in the NBA out of 454 players. Kyle Korver's is .85. Now obviously, Korver gets more help, but let's clarify the difference between Korver and Smith.

Korver can't play defense. Smith won't play defense. Say whatever you want about Korver's D, but last year, he tried. I almost wanted to cheer when he fouled because daggument, he tried like heck to get that foul!

Shot Creating: One of the really good scorers in the NBA. He has tremendous athleticism and explosiveness to the basket. He is a regular feature on the ESPN Top 10 Plays for a reason. Having him and Rose in a backcourt would be borderline mean on offense. 

Three-Point Shooting: Smith is actually a pretty good three-point shooter, too, making 39 percent of his three. Additionally, he made an incredible 48 percent of his shots from 16-23 feet. Offensively, Smith might be the best option on the market.

Character: This is where we hit a snag if the defense didn't already get you. In actuality, it's the same thing, though. Smith will not or does not apply himself on both ends of the ball. With his athleticism, he should easily be a premiere defender. Instead, he's literally one of the worst in the NBA. 

Courtney Lee

Availability: Trade. This should only be done as a last resort. The Bulls, contrary to what some have argued, can add a two while keeping both Omer Asik and Taj Gibson. Giving up either one to get a player that is not significantly better than one of the players on the open market is not a sensible move. 

Defense: Surprisingly, Courtney Lee's defensive numbers are not very good. His Synergy stats show he gives up .88 points per play overall and 1.02 in isolation. He OPER is a bit better at 13.0. It seems that Lee's defensive reputation is a bit overstated if you're looking at the numbers. Of course, those who want to make a push for Lee are going to blame the numbers. 

Houston was a fairly poor defensive team last year, ranking 20th in the NBA in DRtg, so it's possible his numbers are not a fair representation of his skill. Hollinger has Lee listed as a "solid" defender, but a lot of times Hollinger, is wrong.  

Shot Creating: Lee created his own shot 35 percent of the time and scored 23 percent of his points inside the paint. He was awful in isolation, scoring just .5 points per play. However he excels in transition, scoring 1.25 points per play. He certainly could be fun to watch running the floor with Rose. 

Three-Point Shooting: Lee is a highly capable three-point shooter, sinking .408 from behind the arc. He only makes 35 percent of his long twos, but doesn't attempt many of them. He seems to be an intelligent player in that regard, as he actually attempts more threes than long twos as you should.

Character: Everything I've ever heard about him character wise is good, and there's no reason to think he wouldn't fit in well with the Bulls. 

Mike Miller

Availability: Amnesty. Miller has put his house on the market, indicating the Heat might be ready to buy out his contract. 

Defense: Miller's size really helps him in his defense. He's a slightly below average defender, but he's a lot better than Korver. In the Bulls system, he would be good enough.

One thing that is undersold on him is his rebounding ability. His rebound percentage of 13 percent is outstanding for a shooting guard. 

Shot Creating: He is a better shot creator than what you might think. When he was in Washington, he was creating 31 percent of his own shots. It's hard to know what to make of his Synergy stats, though, as last year was so limited. 

Three-Point Shooting: His three point shooting is on par with Kyle Korver's. Over the course of his career, he's made .404 on his three point shooting. 

Character: Miller has always been a high character player. He is a versatile player and has a history of doing whatever's asked wherever he has gone. He changes roles like some women change clothes. He would definitely fit in Chicago. 

Jason Richardson

Availability: Free agent. Probably available for the MLE. 

Defense: Richardson is not a great defender, but honestly, he's not as bad as some people would have you believe, either. If you look at his numbers with Orlando, he only gave up .86 points per play, which is not that bad. That's not far off what you would expect form him in Chicago. In fact, he might even do a bit better, as Chicago is so good with help defense.

Shot Creating: Richardson is an average shot creator, creating 25 percent of his own shots. His points per play was 1.08 overall and 1.13 in isolation, while in Phoenix, where he shared the backcourt with Steve Nash, again the most comparable with Chicago. 

Three-Point Shooting: Richardson made the second most threes of any player in the NBA last year. That should tell you all you need to know about that. He's a tremendous three-point threat, and that alone makes him worth serious consideration. 

Character: In Richardson's case, no news is good news. A couple of years ago, there was a DUI incident and a speeding incident. However, after being suspended by the Suns and the NBA, he's been pretty hidden. Richardson has never given an indication of being a bothersome teammate or having conflicts with coaches. 

Arron Afflalo

Availability: Restricted Free Agent

Defense: Afflalo is an exceptional defensive player. His style is an aggressive, in your face, pestering style of defense that would mesh perfectly with the Bulls system.  His points per play against was .90, but in isolation, it was only .81, indicating that his number is inflated by poor team defense. 

Shot Creating: Afflalo created 29 percent of his own shots last year, but his usage rate was only 14.8 percent. Ideally, he would be given more of an opportunity to create in Chicago, and based on what he's done in limited chances in Denver, he should be able to do much more. 

Three-Point Shooting: Afflalo has been fantastic for the last two seasons. He hit .434 and .423 in '10 and '11, respectively. He is an absolute sniper who can create shots, hustles all out on defense and wants to play in Chicago. 

Character: The only problem with Afflalo's character is it might be too good. As a restricted free agent, Denver is probably going to match any offers, but there's one hope. They might not want to repeat the Carmelo Anthony experience.

Additionally while he's a nice "finishing stone" for Chicago, he's not a "cornerstone" you can build a team around. It's in Denver's best interest, especially with Nene Hilario declaring his intent to leave, to actually get worse so they can get better.

For those that are wondering, a sign and trade is not an option with a restricted free agent.