NBA Free Agents 2011: Chicago Bulls Need a Point Guard

The goal is clear in Chicago, at least according to their starting point guard and reigning MVP, Derrick Rose.  Nothing short of winning the franchise's seventh NBA championship will be judged as a success. 

Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times quoted Rose as saying:

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"This year our goal is nothing else but a championship."

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According to Telander, Rose was equally blunt about why that goal wasn't achieved last season:

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"It wasn’t my teammates’ fault we lost last year; it was me."

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It's an interesting thought.  One place where the Bulls seemingly need some help is at shooting guard.  After all, it's the only position where they didn't get a player who averaged better than 10 points per night. 

But let's look at that second quote from Rose.  If he's really blaming himself for the loss, maybe it's because he got a little tired.  It makes sense.  When you play as hard as he does and average 38 minutes per game, your body is bound to get a little tired at the end of the season. 

So, why not look for a point guard that can take some of those minutes away?  I'm not talking about a lot of minutes, but three of four per night would make a lot of difference deep in the playoffs. 

Those minutes add up over the course of an 82-game season.  Well, in this case, a 66-game season.

Chicago's chances of winning a championship revolve around a healthy Rose.  That doesn't just apply to this year, but for an indefinite amount of time.  He's their franchise player, 23 years old, and the reigning league MVP. 

The Bulls have talent around him, but Rose is the clear heart of the franchise.  He needs to be protected and kept fresh for the team's biggest games.

Chicago needs to find Rose a suitable backup.  More than anything, that needs to be the team's greatest focus.