That was a nasty lockout, with plenty of bile remaining between both sides, but at least the NBA will play ball this year. And most fans will actually appreciate a shorter season. The short time between the end of the lockout and the start of play has accelerated the free agent signing period. So there's been plenty of moves (the biggest being Chris Paul to the Clippers) but I'm just going to focus on the Bulls here.
Of course the big move for the Bulls was resigning Scalabrine, luring him back from the Italian league, where he played the summer, along with ex-Purdue star E'Twuan Moore. OK, seriously, the big move for the Bulls was signing Rip Hamilton, who was waived by Detroit for salary and chemistry reasons. This means the Bulls probably won't resign their starting SG from last year, Keith Bogans.
I'm one of the few people in town who likes Bogans. He was one of the best defenders on an excellent defensive team and wasn't terrible offensively either. That said, Hamilton, even at his advanced age, should be a big offensive upgrade, and Ronnie Brewer will get the tough defensive 2 guard assignments. I'm thinking they will keep Korver for three point bench scoring, giving the Bulls a different type of three-headed monster for SG.
I've been a big fan of Hamilton since college. The guy is just a tough competitor who likes to win. I know he's been tagged as a coach killer after some well publicized incidents with Detroit, but I think a lot of that came as a consequence of the Pistons falling from an elite team to a bad one, and the Masked One living through both eras. I think he'll be fine in Chicago, once again on a winning team. Of course he is older and slower now, definitely not the great player he was a few years ago, but if he can be happy with the reduced minutes that will come from sharing a position with Brewer and Korver, he can be a huge addition.
The Bulls need that veteran savvy too, since they've also lost Kurt Thomas to the Blazers. Thomas was a great influence last year and hopefully Hamilton can be as well. For one thing, Hamilton, like Thomas, is excellent at drawing fouls, something Rose and Deng are just starting to pick up on. And you can't discount successful playoff experience and Hamilton certainly has plenty of that.
Coming into camp, Boozer is supposed to be lighter and in better shape, which is very good news indeed. Ditto for Asik's nasty leg injury not flaring up again over the summer while he played for Turkey. Noah was slowed by injury playing for France, but he seems to be fine now. Deng was basically England's entire offense (scary as that sounds) but seems none the worse for wear and tear. Rose didn't play anywhere this summer, but he's dedicated enough to work out. Taj has been mentioned in many a trade talk, but I'd be very happy to see him return. I expect CJ will return to backup Rose.
The Bulls might not be done dealing, but even if they stand pat, they had the best record last year, seem better at their weakest position, have another year with their brilliant coach, and seem to have healthier big guys. And still, everyone is picking the Heat, the Celtics, the Lakers, the Mavs, etc, to win this year. There may well be good reason for that too, but Bulls fans have a lot to be optimistic about going into the new season.
