NBA Free Agents 2011: Rip Hamilton Signing Makes Chicago Bulls Deadly

While other NBA teams make stirring headlines, the Chicago Bulls quietly consummated a move that makes them the best team in the East yet again. 

The defending regular season Eastern Conference leaders went ahead and signed Rip Hamilton making the back court that much deeper. 

The official Twitter feed of the Chicago Bulls issued this tweet to release the news to the masses. 

Hamilton will now saddle up next to reigning MVP Derrick Rose in a lineup that is all but the same as last season's. Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah will hold down the post while Luol Deng continues his undervalued efforts. 

This team was fine the way it was—the need for a shooting guard was not as vital as many believed when you consider what they did last year. 

However, they now have a seasoned vet that moves very well without the ball and and can still be an elite scorer when he gets hot. 

In Chicago, he doesn't have to though. He can give just enough to a team that is already built for success. Former Bulls player Stever Kerr was on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. He states the following:

"

I love the fact he doesn't dominate the ball. If you're going to have a backcourt partner with Derrick Rose, you want somebody who's just going to catch and shoot or make a quick move. You can't have somebody who's going to dominate the ball, or put it on the floor because the offense will just stop.

"

The Bulls get a player that is going to draw defenders and stop-and-pop when needed. The Bulls didn't need a huge acquisition that would have delivered the fanfare enjoyed by Los Angeles right now after the Chris Paul trade. 

They simply needed a specific type of player that would gel well with what they have. In Rip Hamilton, they got exactly what they needed.

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