Feb 4, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Iman Shumpert (21) during the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 99-85. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

The Suns already have been linked to Josh Smith, and they remain the single most logical landing spot for Richard Hamilton, when the Chicago Bulls finally get around to trading him. They are not good, despite possessing a number of solid veteran players, and have the single worst wing rotation ever, with Jared Dudley representing their only decent wing player. Naturally, that’s who they’d send to New York for Shumpert, according to Woj.

Woj is very clear that the Knicks are not interested in trading Shumpert, so it’s not really clear why he’s bothered reporting it. Also, Dudley makes about $3 million more this season than Shumpert does, which makes the trade a non-starter unless the Suns take on significant other salary as well. Marcus Camby would make sense, money-wise, but his three year deal may be a bit much for the Suns’ taste.

Feb. 4, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Charlotte Bobcats shooting guard Ben Gordon (8) shoots over Miami Heat shooting guard Ray Allen (34) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

In other news, multiple outlets have reported that former Bull Ben Gordon could be on the move again. After the Charlotte Bobcats acquired him over the summer, word is that the Brooklyn Nets want him to fill the role he excelled in with the Bulls as their main scorer off the bench. The Bobcats would get Kris Humphries, who would give them a big man who doesn’t suck, something they desperately need. The contracts are roughly the same, and ditching Gordon would give Charlotte more minutes to give their young, potential franchise centerpiece guards.

Odds are nothing comes from anything above, but it’s still fun to argue about.

Jan 12, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Phoenix Suns power forward Luis Scola (14) is defended by Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) in the first quarter at the United Center. (Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports)

The Chicago Bulls and the Phoenix Suns found themselves as opponents at the United Center Saturday night after both teams played in New York the night before. Looking to gain their second straight win, Chicago failed to do so by losing their endurance as they came away with a 81-97 loss.

To start off, the Bulls won the tip. Their first possession featured an aggressive Joakim Noah fighting up a shot in the paint to get the first points of the game. On the next possession, Noah failed to connect on two free throws, but afterwards, Richard Hamilton got himself going with a jump shot to put the Bulls up 4-1. But Kirk Hinrich soon picked up his second foul, and Nate Robinson was sent in for some early minutes.

Once Robinson checked in, Phoenix’s Goran Dragic made a right-wing three to tie the game. From then on, the game remained relatively close. Hamilton got himself going finishing with 8 points, 2 assists, and 1 rebound in the first quarter. The Bulls closed out the first ahead of the Suns slightly with a 21-20 lead.

In the second quarter, the Suns quickly got out ahead by a point. But on Phoenix’s next possession, Wes Johnson dribbled the ball off his leg giving Chicago the ball. Nazr Mohammed then attempted a shot at point-blank range and missed, but Luol Deng was there to get the putback. After playing some defense, Nate Robinson brought up the ball and passed it to Belinelli. Belinelli faked a three, took a dribble in, and drained a right-wing jumper. This gave the Bulls a one-point lead, but it was the last lead they would have in the entire game.

Tom Thibodeau tried using a lineup consisting of Robinson, Belinelli, Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, and Mohammed, but it did not last too long. The starters came back in, but Phoenix’s bench continued to thrive. Michael Beasley was a major help in extending the lead for the Suns. At halftime, the Bulls trailed the Suns 42-49. Beasley had 14 of 21 Phoenix bench points while Chicago’s bench had only contributed 10 points.

The second half began with a turnover for Chicago, but they came up with a layup by Deng on their next try. Following that layup, the Bulls forced a shot clock violation against Phoenix. However, on the offensive end, Hamilton tried running off a screen out on the perimeter of the right-wing, but was hit in the chest and took a fall. He did not get up forcing the Bulls to call a timeout. At this time, Chicago was down only six points with 10:05 remaining in the third quarter. Coming out of the timeout, Hamilton seemed to be okay as he went back out on the court to play.

A play that seemed to get the Bulls going a bit was when Hinrich drove, dished it to Noah, who finished with a two-handed slam. Hamilton then got a layup and a jumper with Hinrich’s assist. Boozer got going a bit as well as he finished with a reverse layup followed by a putback off Hamilton’s missed right baseline jumper. At that point, the Bulls were down 56-68, but after, both teams seemed to go on a bit of a slump. Both teams eventually rediscovered their offense, yet the score was not any better; Chicago still trailed Phoenix 63-77.

There was a bit of hope when the fourth quarter went under way. Gibson came out with a block that lead to a missed layup by Deng, but Butler was there to fly in for the tip dunk. The crowd went wild, and there was a possibility of some light at the end of the tunnel. Phoenix came back with two buckets, the latter being a three by Sebastian Telfair. The Bulls got their first three of the night a few possessions after Telfair’s three when Nate Robinson scored from downtown on the left-wing. It did not matter though. There was not anything left to do. It would be too much work for Chicago to get back ahead. They were just off.

Thibodeau eventually sent out Marquis Teague, Daequan Cook, Butler, Vladimir Radmanovic, and Mohammed to finish out the game. Joakim Noah (10 points, 13 rebounds) and Carlos Boozer (15 points, 10 rebounds) each finished with double-doubles. Phoenix’s Luis Scola had 22 points while his team out-rebounded Chicago 46-42.

With this loss, Chicago is now 20-15 and still trail Indiana for the top of the Central Division. The Bulls look to overcome this loss on Monday, January 14 as former Bull Kyle Korver and the Atlanta Hawks stop by the United Center.