Bulls should keep Richard 'RIP' Hamilton in Chicago – NBA Feature
The abrupt ending of the Chicago bulls season has still gone been completely swallowed by the Bulls fans. After clinching top seed in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls lost in six games in a first round playoff matchup with the
Philadelphia 76ers. With the season over for the Bulls, many are asking questions about the fate of many Bulls players and on top of the list is Richard Hamilton.
Hamilton was once one of the best shooting guards in the league, a part of the Detroit Pistons team that won the NBA championship in 2004. He was brought into the Chicago squad at the start of the season after the Bulls lost to
Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. He was expected to provide the playoff pedigree and experience of playoff basketball that would catapult the Bulls past the Heat into the NBA Finals.
However, Hamilton played only 28 games in the regular season after suffering a shoulder injury. In the games he did play, he averaged 11.6 points and 3 assists per game. The numbers are not very impressive but quite good for a
role player.
Hamilton was ready in time for the playoffs and had a great game 1 against the Sixers, scoring 19 points while going 6 of 7 from the field and 6 of 6 from the foul line. With Rose and Hamilton healthy and playing together, the
Bulls put away the Sixers with ease. However, Rose tore his ACL at the end of that game and was sidelined for the rest of the season. Hamilton had to take more responsibility in the remaining games, a bit too much to ask from his at this age.
Also, the whole Bulls team is built around Derrick Rose and the brilliance he is capable of on the court. Taking him out of the team seriously hurts its balance. The Bulls were not put together to play without Rose. They did a
good job winning games in his absence in the regular season but playoff basketball is quite different and the Bulls could not hold on without him.
As far as Hamilton is concerned, his injury is something that could have happened to anyone and him missing more than half of the regular season is no fault of his. If he has fully recovered from the injury and can play the next
season, last season should not be a worry for the Bulls. Hamilton was brought in to assist Rose in scoring and make a good combination on the court. We saw a trailer of that in game 1 against the Sixers. And i personally believe that it is something to look
forward to next season. Trading Hamilton would again leave a hole in the shooting guard position.
With Hamilton, the Bulls get an experienced player who can score 10-15 points on a daily basis and run the offense with Rose. Hence, trading Hamilton does not seem to be of any advantage for the Bulls. Hamilton’s real value will
only be clearly visible when the Bulls play deep in the playoffs. Him and Rose can combine to form a dominating back court. Hamilton also brings speed into the Bulls roster, which is one thing they lack at the moment. Hence, in my opinion, Hamilton should
be kept in the back court and the Bulls should work on their front court, possibly the power forward position.
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