Bulls Rumors: Rip Hamilton Signing Not Enough for Chicago to Beat Heat in East

The Chicago Bulls are on the verge of signing Richard Hamilton to a two-year, $10 million deal according to K.C Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.  

This is a great deal and it really helps them fill their biggest positional need with a former All-Star at a bargain.

Unfortunately, it won’t do anything to help them get past the Miami Heat this year.

Chicago fell to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals last season and managed to only win one game in the series.

When they won the opener, the Bulls crashed the boards, scored a ton of second-chance points and got production from their bench.

They also kept LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in check with smothering defense and dared Chris Bosh to beat them. He couldn’t get it done.

So how does Rip Hamilton help them get another performance like this when they meet in the playoffs this year?

He doesn’t.

Rip is a decent defender, but not someone who can lock down Wade for an extended period and keep his scoring under control.

He’s a decent shooter, but Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Ronnie Brewer had no problem knocking down shots that game.

Sure, Rip is more consistent with his jumper than anyone on the Bulls’ roster not named Derrick Rose right now, but that won’t be enough for them to overcome the Heat in a seven-game series.

They would need to start by adding more lockdown defenders with three-point range, someone like Shane Battier, who the Heat just locked up for the season, making them even more formidable.

They need more consistent production from their bigs, especially on the offensive boards.

It’s honestly tough to think of ways to actually stop the Heat this season, but Chicago certainly isn’t the team that will do it and Rip Hamilton isn’t going to put them over the edge.