A Little More Point Help

When Derrick Rose went down with his ACL injury and the Bulls exited the playoffs early, one immediate debate was who would fill his shoes during his recovery.  Clearly, Gar Foreman and John Paxson found the rest of their point guards expendable because that position has been completely overhauled.  With John Lucas III taking his talents north to Toronto, someone new was needed.  Who?  We have our answer with the signing of 5-9 Nate Robinson, the only 3-time winner of the Slam Dunk Contest, recently of the Golden State Warriors.

This move has come as a bit of a surprise to some of the fan base.  They don't see him as a player who could fit into Tom Thibodeau's system as he's not known for his defensive presence.  Even if the two butt heads at times in practice, he can still help the club out.  He averaged 11.2 points per game last year, matching his career average, and set a career-high average in assists with 4.5.  The Bulls need a lot of offense in the short-term, which could be why they inquired about Robinson's services to make this possible.  Sometimes, his game can be explosive.  We all remember Lucas turning it on against the Heat last year to win a close game.  Robinson did the same when Miami visited Oakland, scoring 15 4th-quarter points to upset the eventual NBA champions.  I'm not saying he'll repeat this performance when Miami appears on the schedule, but it'll be fun to see when and if these games come from him again.

And don't think he won't get considerable playing time.  Thibodeau isn't known to play his rookies often, so this signing could be bad news for Marquis Teague if he was expecting big minutes while waiting for Rose's return.  Some may not be happy about the idea of Robinson ahead of Teague on the depth chart, but if he has more to offer than the rookie, then it's the right call.

Warriors coach Mark Jackson tweeted about how the Bulls are getting a good player he had the pleasure to coach.  I've only guessed how he'll fit in here, but he's likely going to have a bit of a different role from his time with Golden State, especially when Rose returns.  After that, he and/or Teague probably see even less time.  Until then, he'll have to provide a spark when Kirk Hinrich needs a rest.  If not him, then Teague.  If none of the above can help the Bulls enough, well, I'd rather not think of a worst-case scenario.  Instead, I'll hope Robinson brings his A-game every time Thibodeau calls upon him.