Chicago Bulls Rumors: Rip Hamilton Bought Out, "Most Likely Will Join the Bulls"

The Detroit Pistons have bought out the contract of Richard "Rip" Hamilton and he is expected to join the Bulls, according to two separate sources. 

Detroit News Pistons beat reporter Vincent Goodwill tweets, "Rip will most likely join Bulls" and Celitcs reporter for CSNNE Sherrod Blakely confirms:

"

#Celtics would love a shot at landing recently waived Rip Hamilton. However, front-office exec says he will most likely join the #Bulls.

"

It remains to be seen as to whether this was the reason that Keith Bogans was pulled from practice earlier Friday, as reported by the Chicago Tribune's KC Johnson. 

If Hamilton is joining the Bulls it will fill a major need for the team, namely a shooting guard who is able to create his own shot. 

Last year, with Detroit, Hamilton had a what is most charitably described as a "bad" year, whether it be on a personal level or as a player. He was a part of major team issues, though whether he was a mere participant or the ring leader is not quite clear. 

Hamilton had major conflicts with the coaching staff and had reduced minutes, leading to his scoring the fewest points per game since his rookie season. From Goodwill and the Detroit News, who reports that though Boston may also be a possible destination, Rip Hamilton in a Bulls uniform is all but "destined":

"

Hamilton was a source of controversy for the organization, namely former coach John Kuester. The two went through bouts of not speaking to each other, and the Pistons had a deal in place at the trade deadline last season to send Hamilton to Cleveland. He would've been bought out and subsequently would've signed a deal with Chicago. [...]

Hamilton declined the deal then, but he appears destined to join MVP Derrick Rose in the Bulls backcourt. The Celtics have interest, but the lure of a starting job — along with the Bulls' probable willingness to make good on Hamilton's losses — should be enough to give them the edge.

"

Still, when looked at per 36 minutes, he was still an effective scorer averaging 18.7 points. Hamilton created 22 percent of his own points according to 82games.com.

Hamilton was also a moderately effective defender last year, giving up .88 points per play according to synergy and an opponent player efficiency rating (PER) of 15.5. While those numbers aren't outstanding they are decent enough that it is reasonable to expect improvement in Tom Thiobdeau's system.

The other thing Hamilton brings to the table is championship pedigree, as he was an integral part in the Pistons' '04 championship season.

It is doubtful that the Bulls would need to use their mid-level exception on Hamilton. It's possible they could sign him for the minimum and reserve their mid-level exception for someone else. It's also possible that rather than use the exception they'll do a sign-and-trade for Jamal Crawford, which has also been reported to be in the works. 

Adding two wings would be a tremendous benefit to the already-deep Bulls, and with the condensed schedule being what it is, being able to go 10 or 11 players deep into their bench on a consistent basis will mean the team is more rested for the postseason. 

Last year, particularly for their star and MVP Derrick Rose, fatigue was a major factor in their outer in the Eastern Conference finals.