NBA Free Agents 2011: Does Richard Hamilton Give Chicago Bulls Best Starting 5?
Finally the Chicago Bulls have a legit starting shooting guard.
Richard "Rip" Hamilton has agreed on a three-year contract with the Bulls. The first two years are guaranteed with the third being a team option.
So now the question has to be asked:
What kind of impact will Hamilton, who will turn 34 in February, have with the Bulls?
I believe his addition gives them the best starting five in the league.
At point guard they have the reigning league MVP and two-time All-Star Derrick Rose.
With Luol Deng they have one of the most underrated players in the league. On most nights he is guarding the other team's best perimeter player while also scoring 17 points a night. He also does a decent job of playing the role of Scottie Pippen and filling up the box score with assists and rebounds.
Joakim Noah when healthy is arguably one of the top centers in the entire league. He is the heart and soul of the team and is good for nearly a double-double every game.
That brings us to Carlos Boozer who is the most controversial member of the group. When he is on, he is great. He can go out and drop 20 points on anyone while grabbing 10 rebounds. However, when he is off, like he was in the playoffs, it isn't pretty.
This season Boozer might be ready for a big year, as he reported to camp 20 pounds lighter. Also if you look at his past career he usually elevated his play during the postseason so it makes last year look like a fluke.
Then you add someone like Hamilton, and you have the best starting five in the league.
Hamilton is the type of player the Bulls were missing last season.
Unlike Kyle Korver, he is more then just a spot-up shooter. Remember how Reggie Miller almost was never standing still and just running through endless screens?
Well, that is exactly what Hamilton excels at.
For his career he shoots 45 percent from the field and that includes shooting nearly 35 percent from three-point land. He also has had seasons of shooting 44 and 45 percent from long distance.
Hamilton is a three-time All-Star who has won a championship and been to the NBA Finals twice. He knows how to play on a team built on defense and depends on winning as a team and not letting one player carry the load.
Hamilton may not have been everyone's first choice. He most definitely isn't the flashy choice but he is the best choice.
The Bulls aren't looking for him to be the 20-point-per-game scorer he was a few years back. They just need him to play solid defense and be able to hit that open shot while scoring 12 to 15 points per game.
Also, the addition of Hamilton will make the bench that much stronger, which will ease Deng of a few minutes nightly.
The Bulls will now have Ronnie Brewer, rookie Jimmy Butler and Kyle Korver backing up Hamilton and Deng. All that will make the "Bench Mob" more effective.
