Yugo, Vladimir

In a move that will bring the first true new free agent to the Bulls this offseason, power forward Vladimir Radmanovic has agreed to a one-year deal.  Born in Yugoslavia, Radmanovic was drafted by Seattle in 2001 and has stayed in the NBA ever since.  He has also played for the Clippers, Bobcats, Warriors, Lakers (with whom he won a championship in 2009) and most recently, the Hawks.  His best season was with the SuperSonics in 2004, when he played in 77 games and averaged 12 points per game.  He best averaged 5.7 rebounds with the Clippers in 2006.  More recently in 2011 with the Warriors, he shot .431 from the field.  Last year in Atlanta, his averages over 49 games were 4.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and had a .376 shooting percentage.  Nothing spectacular obviously, but still able to serve a number of NBA teams for over a decade.

With this deal, Omer Asik is even more likely to wear a Rockets uniform next season.  Radmanovic is slightly shorter than Asik and not a true center, but can find a shot when he needs to.  Asik is much more of a dunker once or twice per game, but from what I've heard, Radmanovic packs a little more of a complete game, so the Bulls are going the less expensive route and it even looks a little better on paper.  I'll be glad to see Vladimir as a replacement for the Turkish Hammer.

While I'm talking about new bench players, I might as well officially say that the Bench Mob is no more.  With John Lucas III close to signing with Toronto, only Taj Gibson remains.  Jimmy Butler was still at Marquette during the first year and I'd be shocked if the Bulls gave Brian Scalabrine another go, so let's bring this era in team history to a close.  Everybody loved this group of guys.  I mean, how cool were they that even their own nickname was established?  The teams of the '90s were beloved, but as far as I can remember, there was never a casual way to refer to them other than just the bench.  This time, a popular group has been broken up.  Maybe the Bulls will win a title in the next few years with a new bunch, but will they be as beloved and achieve the cult status Brewer, Watson, Korver, etc. enjoyed?  Maybe, but for now, farewell to some of the most popular bench players this franchise has ever known.