Chicago Bulls: Pre-NBA Draft offseason primer, hype manual
There happen to be several former Bulls players that are free agents this year…
…and only one of which should be strongly considered.
Taj Gibson is still a solid player given his age plus the wear and tear. “Hard hat and lunch pail” would be welcomed back with open arms by the team and this city. At this point in his career, he would be re-assume his old role as a sub off the bench with his defense, guile, and veteran presence.
Should something happen to Lauri or Carter Jr., he can carry the torch until their return. He can also educate them on how to play and teach them how to be a bully when stuff hits the fan.
Then there’s Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler…
No.
Just no.
There’s no logical reason to bring either back. I will probably get flamed for this but I stand by it.
D-Rose will always be beloved by Bulls fans who remembered him for so many legendary moments. In his defense, he really reinvented himself over the last year and a half after suffering a career low in Cleveland. But last time I checked, his health hasn’t improved a ton, and that’s a massive problem for a rebuilding team.
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As I said with injuries, the Bulls don’t need to keep dealing with more serious injuries. Especially considering what they went through with Rose for about four years. This doesn’t account for his lack of defense, something Chicago has very little of. Also, he went AWOL after he was dealt over to New York. Then there’s the rather ugly legal situation, something I guess we all forgot about when we were so happy for him and his 50 point game last October.
The Reinsdorfs would love to bring him back because he will fill the seats, but I have a simple, one-word answer:
Pass.
Jimmy Buckets will *never* come back to Chicago. After he was traded, his trainer put the front office on full blast (which was amazing). That essentially burned any bridges to a cinder. There’s also no way they could offer what he wants to be paid. The 76ers recently claimed that they’re offering him the max. So financially, the Bulls are out. Also, there’s really no fit in the starting lineup for Jimmy, so what’s the point?
He warned players that GarPax were spying on the locker room. He was a part of the ”Three Alphas” drama. He was dealt away from Chicago because they didn’t want to pay him what he was worth when his contract expired.
I love Butler, but I understand his return to the Windy City is a pipe dream and, frankly, I don’t want him back because there’s really no reason to bring him back; this team maybe makes the second round of the playoffs with him. Typically the goal of building a contender is to win a title, not get second-round participation trophies and clogging up your cap space.
(Plus you get all the impending drama and pandemonium, which would be fun to watch).