Rip Hamilton: What a Difference One Player Can Make for the Chicago Bulls

What a difference one player can make. The Chicago Bulls played the Indiana Pacers in their final preseason game, and it was also the highly-anticipated debut of Richard "Rip" Hamilton, Chicago's new addition at shooting guard. And boy, it was quite the debut.

From the start of the game the play of Rip Hamilton made a tremendous difference for the Bulls in Tom Thibodeau's motion system. Unlike former Bull Keith Bogans, Hamilton is a much more of a threat both off the dribble and coming around screens—both of which are essential to success in the motion offense. 

Two minutes into the game, Derrick Rose grabbed his own offensive board and sliced towards the basket. As the defense collapsed, he passed out from underneath the basket to a wide open Richard Hamilton who proceeded to knock down the 17-foot jumper. While this may seem like a pedestrian NBA play, it is a play the Bulls were not used to having last year. And it will be Hamilton's mid-range jumper and respect around the league that will open up this Bulls offense.

Richard made a difference in set plays as well. Coming off a single-double screen, Hamilton caught and raised up but was quickly contested by two Pacers. He quickly opted out of a shot to drop the ball off to a wide open Joakim Noah, who was fouled going up for a dunk.

Keith Bogans did not garner that type of respect from his defenders, and thus the screener was often covered last season. With Rip's respected mid-range game, they were forced to go out allowing Noah to open.

It should also be noted that Hamilton was playing exceptional defense, something many were worried they would be losing with the loss of Bogans. However, Rip's exceptional length and athleticism were on display as he suffocated Paul George for most of the night. 

It appears the Bulls may have known something that everyone else didn't.

Instead of spending well into the luxury tax to get someone like Jason Richardson, they opted for an established free agent in Hamilton, who was willing to play for the mid-level exception to win a title. Some say Richard Hamilton is on the downswing of his career, however, much like Ray Allen, he keeps in fantastic shape and was still one of the fastest players on the court from what I saw Tuesday night.

Yes, it has only been one game, but he made quite a difference for the Bulls.

From opening up the offense with his range and respect from opposing players to his suffocating defense and fantastic athleticism, Rip's contributions could not be ignored. The Bulls might just have the missing piece to get past the Heat and win their first NBA title without Michael Jordan. 

Hamilton had 13 points on 50 percent shooting, six assists, and three rebounds on the night. His offensive ability also took a lot of the work load off of Derrick Rose, who finished with 12 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Rip also created quite a few chances for Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng who finished with 24 and 14 points respectively. Boozer said it perfectly after the game, "He can shoot [...] great passer, great defender. Perfect fit."

I'm sure a lot of people in Chicago are thinking the same thing after tonight.

But it must be stated again: It has only been one game. However, there is no reason to not be cautiously optimistic about what he brings to the table and how he will help the Bulls in every facet of the game.