Hamilton addition perfect move for Bulls

A couple of positive signs were on display Friday in the Bulls' preseason opener at Indiana.

The Bulls' defense dominated the final three quarters of a 95-86 victory and their deep bench continued to be a valuable weapon as C.J. Watson, Taj Gibson, Kyle Korver, Omer Asik and rookie Jimmy Butler combined to score 41 points.

The biggest question facing the Bulls, though, figures to be a long-range project: Will the addition of Richard Hamilton be enough to send the Bulls past Miami and into the NBA Finals?

Hamilton had been an under-the-radar option. There was talk of trading for Memphis' O.J. Mayo or Houston's Courtney Lee last season.

During the summer the best options appeared to be free agents Jason Richardson or J.R. Smith, while Vince Carter or Jamal Crawford were backup candidates.

Smith signed to play in China during the lockout and won't be available to return until March.

Richardson accepted a four-year, $25 million deal to stay with Orlando, which is more than the Bulls wanted to spend. The Magic wouldn't have made any offer to Richardson if not for the amnesty clause, which allowed the team to eject Gilbert Arenas from the roster.

So Hamilton is the Bulls' new shooting guard, and on paper it seems like a great move.

Hamilton's greatest asset is a career 20.6 scoring average in the playoffs. Keith Bogans played his heart out for the Bulls last season, but his career playoff average is 4.7 points and he has played in 86 fewer postseason games than Hamilton.

Just consider how the Eastern Conference finals played out: Game 2 was tied at 73-73 with 4:30 left, Game 4 was tied at 85-85 heading to overtime, and the Bulls led Game 5 by 12 points with 3:14 left (sorry to remind you).

The Bulls' defense was outstanding in that series, but they clearly needed more scoring punch to hold off Miami's Power Trio late in games.

Adding one of the NBA's best playoff performers of the past dozen years seems like the perfect move for the Bulls.

Are there reasons why this won't work? Let's examine the charges:

ŸHamilton is over the hill.

He turns 34 on Feb. 14, so obviously his best days are behind him. For a comparison, though, just check what Ray Allen has done since joining a talented lineup in Boston.

Allen was approaching his 34th birthday when he averaged 18.3 points in the 2009 playoffs, which included the memorable first-round series against the Bulls.

The Bulls don't even need 20 points in the playoffs from Hamilton. If he reaches 13 or 14, it could be exactly the kind of boost the Bulls need if there's a Miami rematch.

ŸHamilton is not good a good defender.

First of all, there's not much evidence to support this. He has never made an all-defensive team but was part of a powerful defensive squad in Detroit.

The bottom line, though, is the Bulls need a late-game offensive push, even if it means sacrificing some defense.

Exhibit A is Dallas in last year's Finals. No one will ever call guard Jason Terry a defensive stopper, but he added just enough late-game scoring to put the Mavs over the top.

Also keep in mind the Bulls had a couple of weak individual defenders last season, but the team defense still was strong.

If coach Tom Thibodeau needs a better defender, he always can send in Ronnie Brewer, who did a great job on Dwyane Wade in the playoffs.

ŸHamilton was a malcontent in Detroit last season.

He was benched for a stretch, and there were rumors of a screaming tirade toward ex-Pistons coach John Kuester.

But it's not like that Detroit team was headed to the playoffs if only Hamilton hadn't screwed things up. That team was a mess from start to finish.

Hamilton's years of success with the Pistons should outweigh what happened last season by a wide margin.

ŸThe Bulls might miss Bogans.

This point could actually have some credibility.

Bogans and center Kurt Thomas lent a strong air of maturity in the locker room. The Bulls always have kept mentors around for Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, but now they have no one beyond Brian Scalabrine, who acts as sort of an unofficial assistant coach.

Are Rose and Noah ready to thrive on their own? Probably, and this shouldn't be too big of a concern because the Bulls always could come up with a Jannero Pargo or Theo Ratliff if a guiding voice is needed.

mmcgraw@dailyherald.com.

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