Chicago Bulls Must Think Long-Term Options at Point Guard

The Chicago Bulls have played backup point guard musical chairs for the better part of six seasons behind Derrick Rose. This trend needs to stop.

The Chicago Bulls organization has been a breeding ground for the interim backup point guard. Guys like John Lucas III, Nate Robinson, Aaron Brooks, D.J. Augustin, Mike James and Marquis Teague served as stop-gap (rather than long-term) options at this position. C.J. Watson had better size and was more well rounded than many of these other players, but still lasted only two years with the organization. Kirk Hinrich was around for longer than the other guys, but isn’t a feasible option because of his age and the fact he plays for another team.

Most of these players were effective, but they weren’t effective to the degree that the Bulls organization wanted to keep them around long term

The Bulls have applied band-aids to the festering wound of the backup point guard problem for too long without getting to the root of the issue. Current circumstances make obtaining a long-term option at point guard imperative.

Derrick Rose enters the final year of his 5-year, $94 million contract and will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2016-17 season. The 27-year-old, Chicago-native admitted in September that he was already looking forward to free agency and wanted to cash-in on the expected rise in player salaries due to the NBA’s new television deal with ESPN and Turner Sports.

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Life without Derrick Rose is a very realistic option moving forward. The Bulls aren’t just looking for a backup, but a player that may end up replacing the former MVP sooner rather than later.

Furthermore, besides Rose, the Bulls don’t have much quality at the point guard position on their roster. The 31-year-old Aaron Brooks becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer. He struggled with consistency offensively last season and his player efficiency rating (PER) of 11.87 was 58th best out of 77 qualified point guards. His diminutive size puts him at a tremendous disadvantage defensively.

The Bulls shouldn’t re-sign Brooks this summer. Doing so perpetuates the trend of putting a band-aid on the backup point guard problem rather than fixing it for good.

E’Twaun Moore also becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He averaged career highs in points per 36 minutes, shooting percentage and three-point shooting percentage last season. Re-signing Moore could partially solve the issue proposed in this article. He is relatively young (27), has good size at 6’4″, runs the offense well and plays lock down defense.

However, there is a catch.

If Rose leaves, does Moore have the upside to exceed Rose’s production at point guard? Does Moore have All-Star potential? ESPN lists Moore as a shooting guard and it is probably more representative of his skillset to call him a point guard-shooting guard hybrid, rather than give him a black-and-white label. The Bulls might opt to put him at shooting guard (if they are able to sign him this offseason) because of a complete lack of depth at this position and his size.

Plus, if the Bulls do end up re-signing Moore, how much money will they give him and for how long will they sign him? If the Bulls re-sign Moore on a short-term contract, he becomes just another band-aid backup unless his performance reaches levels worthy of garnering a long-term deal by the next time he becomes a free agent.

No matter who ends up replacing these guys, the next point guard for the Chicago Bulls should get determined within the next couple of months.

The 2016 NBA Draft goes down on June 23 and the Bulls have the 14th and 48th overall picks. If the Bulls don’t address the point guard issue in the draft, free agency presents another opportunity to obtain a point guard.

Chicago Tribune writer K.C. Johnson suggested in a recent article that the Bulls are more likely to build through the draft rather than through free agency. Mock drafts from various sources predict that the Bulls will select a talented point guard with some size with their first-round draft pick. Notre Dame’s Demetrius Jackson, Vanderbilt’s Wade Baldwin IV, Providence’s Kris Dunn and Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine (many think he can play point guard) are realistic options for the Bulls in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Bleacher Report writer Sean Highkin provided a pessimistic report regarding the Bulls prospects of obtaining a solid point guard via free agency.

"There isn’t much at that position on the free-agent market outside of Mike Conley. Conley has no reason to leave money on the table in Memphis to join a mediocre Bulls team with a roster in flux—unless, of course, he finds value playing in the Eastern Conference. The rest of the free-agent point guard crop is spotty to say the least.Rajon Rondo is a terrible fit for head coach Fred Hoiberg’s fast-paced offensive philosophy. Deron Williams is 31 and no more reliably healthy than Rose. Brandon Jennings still has health concerns stemming from the torn Achilles he suffered during the 2014-15 season. Jordan Clarkson is a restricted free agent, and there’s no reason to believe the Los Angeles Lakers won’t match any offer sheet another team throws at him.There simply aren’t better options for the Bulls than playing out the final year of Rose’s deal."

The Bulls front office will most likely go about obtaining a backup point guard through the draft. Circle June 23 on your calendar; it is a huge day for the Bulls.

If the Chicago Bulls want to catalyze their rebuilding process and establish themselves as serious contenders in the Eastern Conference, they need to implement long-term solutions rather than short-term fixes this offseason.

Next: 2016 NBA Draft: Vanderbilt's Wade Baldwin IV

With Derrick Rose’s future in limbo and a lack of viable replacements on the current roster, the Bulls need to prepare for post-Rose life. Obtaining a point guard, whether through free agency or in the 2016 NBA Draft is no longer a want, but an imperative need.