NBA Free Agents: Rip Hamilton Signing Isn't the Answer for Chicago Bulls

The growing sentiment after Richard Hamilton was reported to be going to the Chicago Bulls was that it would catapult them past the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference this season.

But while Hamilton will be an upgrade at the shooting guard position, which the Bulls desperately needed, he's not going to be the difference they need to get past the Heat.

Keep in mind that this has more to do with the Heat than the Bulls.

With the Hamilton signing, the Bulls will be an improved team and the 33-year-old will allow point guard Derrick Rose to get a little more breathing room driving to the bucket than last season.

But, despite all the hoopla about the Heat not winning the NBA championship last season, the fact of the matter is they deserved to be in the NBA Finals.

Who knows if they will ever win a title (especially with LeBron James' late-game woes), but they were clearly better than the Bulls last season.

Even adding Hamilton will likely not close the gap enough for the Bulls to get past the Heat, especially since they lost four games to one in the Eastern Conference Finals.

You also have to worry about the aging Carlos Boozer, who shot 43 percent from the field in the playoffs last season, including 40 percent in the conference finals.

There's also center Joakim Noah, who suffered a serious ankle injury last season, forcing him to miss 34 games. There's always the chance that Noah, especially given his furious style of play, could re-aggravate that injury this season. In my mind, it would be hard for me to see him not re-aggravating it at some point.

But beyond all of this, you have to understand that Hamilton is not the All-Star he used to be. He turns 34 years old in February and he shot under 43 percent last season with the Detroit Pistons.

Hamilton is highly regarded in the league, but his signing is not going to be enough to propel the Bulls past the Heat.