The Chicago Bulls have completely revamped their bench in the 2012 offseason. With C.J. Watson, Kyle Korver, Omer Asik, John Lucas III, Mike James and Brian Scalabrine gone, the Bulls will have a lot of new faces entering the 2012-13 season.
Among those faces could be veteran guard Michael Redd, who has been linked to the team several times in the offseason. Redd, 32, is a former all-star but has been plagued by injuries for most of his career. Redd played in 51 games for the Phoenix Suns last season, averaging 8.2 points in only 15 minutes of action. NBA rumors have the Bulls as one of the teams interested in the veteran guard.
Redd tore ligaments in his left knee in both 2010 and 2011, and hasn’t played over 75 games in a season since 2003. The former Milwaukee Bucks star showed shades of his former self with the Suns last year, including a 25-point outburst against the Houston Rockets in March.
The Bulls are very thin at the 2, with Kirk Hinrich and Marco Belinelli currently splitting time. It remains to be seen if Redd can stay healthy or be productive, but could be a low risk/low reward option for a team looking to save money at each position.
The Bulls projected starting lineup for 2012-13:
PG: Kirk Hinrich
SG: Rip Hamilton
SF: Luol Deng
PF: Carlos Boozer
C: Joakim Noah
With Derrick Rose still recovering from a torn ACL, Hinrich and newly acquired Nate Robinson will share guard duties until the superstar returns. With Hamilton’s advanced age and injury history, Redd could be a solid addition with the lack of depth on the current roster.
Just a few months ago, the Bulls were one of the deepest teams in the league, with the “Bench Mob” helping lead Chicago to the best record in the NBA. Now, we’re talking about Michael Redd adding to a thin rotation. Crazy how much difference a few months can make.
Zach Mink covers the Chicago Bulls for Rant Sports. Follow him on twitter @zachmink12 for more news and analysis.
