Jeremy Lin and the Chicago Bulls

Last week, Jeremy Lin declined his player option with the Charlotte Hornets for the upcoming 2016-17 season, making him a free agent at a position that the Chicago Bulls have a need.

In 2011 the Chicago Bulls seemed prime to perennial contention in the Eastern Conference and it was all centered around their emerging phenom, point guard Derrick Rose. Rose was a vicious slasher, able to destroy in the pick-and-roll. His breakneck speed and power allowed him to draw fouls, drive and kick and most impressively finish at the rim like few other point guards have ever done. Under the leadership of Tom Thibodeau, the Rose Bulls were in the ascendency and primed to ignite a heated rivalry with Miami. The Heat fended off the charging Bulls, but Rose did steal the MVP award that season. That same season, Rose signed a five-year rookie max extension.

How quickly things can change.

A series of unfortunate events turned the once-promising career and potential of a Bulls return to championship form into a distant memory. Now, a collective begging from the entire Chicago basketball fan base to the front office, pleading for common sense to prevail. The consensus: Do not bring back Derrick Rose on any type of long-term deal or for any significant amount of money.

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While that decision is yet to be made, Rose still has one more year on what has been an albatross of salary, it is time to start thinking about the future of the point guard position for the Bulls. For the upcoming season Rose is currently the only real point guard option on the roster. They’ll have to find someone else not only to back him up, but to help transition beyond this season.

For 2015-16 the Bulls tried to find some type of magic that centered around Aaron Brooks and E’Twaun Moore. With Kirk Hinrich traded and likely out of the picture permanently, Brooks and Moore did what they could.

Brooks and Moore could both be back next season, though they are similar to Rose – don’t give them anything long-term or use up cap space that could be better utilized in other places, such as the center position that is going to need a lot of work during the off-season.

The Bulls can also look to the draft, but they will be awkwardly positioned with the No. 14 and No. 48 picks. Their first-round pick is too far back to grab any of the high-ceiling prospects of the draft and the second-round pick is far enough down the board that there will not be much available in terms of a player who has a chance to turn into a real impact player capable of playing as either a starter or a primary backup.

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On Sunday, I profiled Fred VanVleet of Wichita State who is rumored to have a workout with the Bulls scheduled prior to the draft. Michael Whitlow also looked at other players who may be available to the Bulls including Wayne Selden, Jr. and Gary Payton II. They could look at a few other players with their picks, but even if they were to hit on a pick it doesn’t translate into the immediate kind of impact that is going to be necessary for a point guard in Chicago. Ownership wants to contend and the team will need to draft as if that is the goal again in 2016-17.

Beyond the draft pick options or the diminished return that would be offering Brooks more years and money, and to a lesser extent Moore, there is the free agent market.

The free agent pool is a bit thin at the point guard this year, Mike Conley is the only player at that position who ranks in Matt Moore’s top 20 free agents at CBSSports. After that it is Jordan Clarkson who is a restricted free agent. That is a significant drop and signifies just how thin the talent on the available market truly is for 2016.

If you look a little further down that list, you’ll find one player who might be a great fit in Chicago and would be affordable on either a short-term deal or something a little longer – Jeremy Lin. Lin was a free agent on the market last summer that seemed to linger without a deal longer than anyone expected. It was particularly perplexing that he didn’t find his way to the Bulls at that time. Eventually, he ended up in Charlotte and played a key role for that organization’s most successful season in over a decade.

Lin is an intriguing player for the Bulls. He already shoots better from 3-point range than Rose and platooned his minutes at both the one and two on the floor, capable of running the offense while Kemba Walker sat or functioning as the shooting guard with Kemba to help spread the floor and create a secondary option to help move the ball as necessary.

Playing for the Bulls would help highlight the things that Lin does well. He can score from outside, even if not expertly, and he can take over games from time to time, just ask the Spurs about their visit to Charlotte this year. The Bulls need a point guard who can facilitate an offense and will hustle and Lin can do both. Fred Hoiberg’s offense only works when the ball keeps moving and players keep moving. Generally, this is something that Lin does well, though he can get caught parking once in a while.

The Bulls should also be an attractive destination for Lin. They will have some cap space flexibility to give him a little more than what he made in Charlotte and he could be looking at a deal in the three-year range which would give him some stability. Further, the injury situation in Chicago has been ugly over the past few seasons with point guard looking like a position that has the Bulls snake bit. Rose played the most games he has played since 2011, but he still missed some time for various reasons and it isn’t unreasonable to assume that even a healthy Rose will sit a few game this upcoming season as he seeks to protect his body while fishing for that last big contract.

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Lin hasn’t been able to secure himself serious first team action and he probably wouldn’t do that in Chicago either. However, injuries are real and if he signed with the Bulls, it seems likely that he could be penciled in as a starter for at least a dozen games in the upcoming season. Whether he gets a chance to do that or not this season, next year there will hopefully be no Rose and Lin will either get his shot at running a team as the primary point guard or he will still be working as a capable backup.

He also had to enjoy the chance to get back in the playoffs and contribute. Chicago expects to be back in the playoffs next year and he would be called on to play a significant role, playing minutes at both point and as shooting guard, a key piece helping Hoiberg get rest for his lightning-rod stars Rose and Jimmy Butler so that he wouldn’t have to rest both players at the same time very often, if ever. Having that consistency could go a long way to help steady the Bulls rotations in 2016-17 in the same way that Billy Donovan finally figured out for the Oklahoma City Thunder and their two stars, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.

Just like any true backup point guard, Lin does come with some caution. To get a full rundown of what his 2015-16 season, which includes some of those drawbacks, you can read my Lin season recap for At The Hive right here.

The NBA Draft is quickly approaching and then it will be time for free agency. A lot of movement will happen for the Chicago Bulls between now and when the smoke clears from the opening of free agency, but they should strongly consider Jeremy Lin. Or, you know, just bring back Kirk Hinrich again because the Bulls ownership is still letting Gar Forman and John Paxson do their thing for some reason.

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