Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Land of Canaan

The Bulls have added more depth at the point beyond bringing back the recently-waived Spencer Dinwiddie for the Summer League.  While their latest move doesn't have nearly the same interest of bringing Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo aboard, it could help their three-point shooting.  That's their biggest hope in signing Isaiah Canaan to a two-year, $2.2 million deal with a team option for the second year.

Canaan, 25, made his NBA debut with the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day in 2013, though he only played 23 seconds.  In Feb. 2015, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he's been ever since.  Over 146 games in his three seasons, he's averaged 9.4 points, two rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 36.8 percent from the field.  Last year was his best scoring and rebounding season with 11 and 2.3 respectively.

Those obviously are not the numbers of a franchise-changing player, but Canaan's career three-point shooting of 36.3 percent exceeds the collective 29.7 percentage of Wade, Rondo and Jimmy Butler.  If Canaan is productive, it could offset a lot of the criticism that the Rondo and Wade signings did nothing to help the pace-and-space preached by Fred Hoiberg.  Not everyone cared to hear about the Bulls getting players on the wrong side of 30 who can't shoot from long range.  Maybe this will make those people feel a little better.

Sure, Canaan doesn't have as much as talent as most, if not all the recent Bulls acquisitions, but you gotta take chances on low-risk, low-reward guys.  That's how teams fill out their rosters.  And you never know when someone could become a key cog on a winner.  How do we know Canaan won't become the Bulls' go-to three-point shooter?

With the roster now at 13, this might be the end of significant additions for the Bulls this offseason.  There might be another minor signing or two between now and late September, but as far as players of consequence, don't expect anything too drastic.  Besides, it's not like expectations are high anyway.  This will be a season to just sit back and enjoy the narrative.

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