Chicago Bulls: Nazr Mohammed Signs…Again!

Why is Nazr Mohammed smiling? He just found out how much pushing down LeBron James one time back in 2013 is worth. Because if you could get a contract based on what he has accomplished in the last two seasons which amounts next to nothing outside of pushing LeBron James down in a playoff game, you’d be smiling too.

Well Pippen Peoples, the Chicago Bulls filled another roster spot early Monday morning by announcing that they have re-signed former center, Nazr Mohammed…again.

Man, Artis Gilmore is rolling over in his grave over this ridiculous signing right now.

Nazr Mohammed has played for eight teams over his 16 year career being a backup. Hey it’s good work if you can get it. Mohammed averaged 2.0 points and 2.6 rebounds over the last two years in Chicago playing 8.8 minutes per game.

Man, Will Perdue is rolling over in his grave over this ridiculous signing.

About three weeks ago, Nazr Mohammed was featured on Pippen Ain’t Easy’s, Chicago Bulls Rumors segment. In that column, I talked about how the Miami Heat had reached out to Mohammed to be a cheap warm body replacement for Greg Oden on their roster (also read…sit on the bench in a suit, shut up and look at your DNP-CD collection) and shore up some deficiencies at their center position.

According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Heat brought Mohammed in for a workout and a free lunch with team executives.

Now it seems the  Chicago Bulls have signed Mohammed to be  a cheap warm body to be an insurance policy at the center position (also read…sit on the bench, shut up and look at your DNP-CD collection).

Nazr Mohammed has proved once again that you can’t coach seven feet (Mohammed’s actually 6’10) by corralling a one year deal to enter his 17th season in the NBA.

The former local Kenwood Academy star has averaged 5.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.65 blocks in 16 minutes over his career spanning 977 games. Mohammed has career averages of 48.7 percent from the field and 64 percent from the line.

Man, Chuck Nevitt is rolling over in his grave over this ridiculous signing.

Well it looks like the Chicago Bulls got tired of potential free agents using them to get their name in the paper to get potential deals with other teams. Look at the LONG list of players…

Mar 27, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Shawn Marion (0) looks on against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Clippers won 109-103. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Shawn Marion

Signed a free agent deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Leandro Barbosa

Signed a free agent deal with the Golden State Warriors.

Feb 25, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks power forward Elton Brand (42) and Chicago Bulls power forward Taj Gibson (22) fight for a rebound in the second quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Elton Brand

Signed a free agent deal with the Atlanta Hawks.

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Carmelo Anthony

Got an extra four million dollars out of the New York Knicks.

My GOD! Couldn’t the Bulls just stick to the program with this guy?

Man, Granville Waiters is rolling over in his grave over this ridiculous signing.

Why in the world would the Bulls waste a roster spot on a guy that has been a caddy for centers since the Clinton Administration? My God, even Hillary is looking at Bill saying…Really this dude has been around a long time!

Man, Dave Corzine is rolling over in his grave over this ridiculous signing.

Reportedly Mohammed had some interest from other teams and had a couple of workouts. Obviously Nazr couldn’t land in a situation that he was comfortable with. There’s a reason why…

Teams are not in the market for a 16 year veteran that averaged 1.6 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in seven minutes last year.

As you probably figured out by now, I’m not a fan of this signing so I’ll let ESPN’s Jon Greenberg give his two cents on why the Bulls would sign this guy..

"Jon Greenberg@jongreenbergBulls re-sign Nazr Mohammed, role model, Chicago native and occasional LeBron enforcer.3:10 PM-22 Sep 2014"

So let me get this straight, the Chicago Bulls are spending about a million dollars and wasting a roster spot for pushing down LeBron James during the 2013 playoffs????? My father, Walter Agers can’t stand LeBron James so this picture is for him….

May 10, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Nazr Mohammed (48) pushes Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) during the second quarter in game three of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Have a good day Pop!

Seriously Pippen Peoples, I understand that Miami was thinking about signing Mohammed for the same reason as I said in a earlier column on Nazr…

"This  move along with the signing of Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger is showing the evolution of the Heat. They are loading up players that will try to rough up LeBron James."

But this is different. The Bulls DO NOT NEED this guy. Miami is short on big men. The Chicago Bulls have so many quality big men, teams could call NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and complain.

The Bulls already have arguably the best frontcourt in the NBA with Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson. If they all fall off the cliff, remember Nikola Mirotic? The Bulls dropped $17 million over three years to him this offseason. Like Nazr Mohammed should be ahead of him in the rotation. I respect all writers that say Mohammed should be able to provide quality minutes off the bench.

I just don’t agree.

Did anyone watch the playoff series against Washington? Mohammed was out there roughly ten minutes for the entire series and when he was out there, Nene worked him like a crash dummy. I swear you could see Mohammed selling a line of Nene style merchandise on the streets of Chicago for $19.95. He was terrible.

Man, Bill Cartwright is rolling over in his grave right now over this ridiculous signing.

The Bulls could have used that spot for another shooting guard or small forward. With all the rumors that have come up with the possible trade with Kevin Martin deal, this signing may not make sense. The deal involves Mike Dunleavy and Tony Snell. That’s two swingmen going out the door if the deal goes down. Why not keep the options open instead of bringing in ‘Old Man Center’ taking up a roster spot?

Man, Luc Longley is rolling over in his grave over this ridiculous signing.

Well Pippen Peoples, it’s time for your input. Leave your comments below and let your voices be heard. We are counting down the days to training camp. For more information and analysis on all things Chicago Bulls, keep it locked to Pippen Ain’t Easy, your best choice for Chicago Bulls news, previews and reviews.

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