Bulls release Rip Hamilton
Some things seem like a good idea at the time, but just don’t work out.
Add Richard Hamilton joining the Bulls to that list. He seemed like a perfect fit, taking a buyout in Detroit and jumping to Chicago to fill the Bulls’ void at shooting guard in time for the 2011-12 season.
Hamilton brought plenty of playoff experience from his Pistons years and the Bulls were anxious to replace Keith Bogans, the convenient scapegoat of the 2011 playoffs.
Hamilton’s uneventful Bulls’ career ended Wednesday when he was released. The move has been widely expected for a year or more.
The 6-foot-7 shooting guard essentially signed a two-year deal with the Bulls for $5 million each season. But because of competition for Hamilton’s services, the Bulls were compelled to add a third season to seal the deal. The third year was not fully guaranteed and the Bulls still owe him $1 million.
During his two seasons with the Bulls, Hamilton averaged 10.5 points per game and had trouble staying healthy. He missed 38 games in 2011-12 and 32 games last season because of injuries.
The playoffs were never a factor after Derrick Rose suffered a torn ACL in Game 1 of the first round in 2012. That was the one and only time Hamilton and Rose shared the court in a postseason game.
Hamilton played very little in this year’s playoffs because the Bulls felt he wasn’t fully recovered from a back injury. He finally got a chance in the final two games of the Miami series and played well.
In the Game 5 loss at Miami that ended the Bulls’ season, Hamilton scored 15 points in 35 minutes. If nothing else, that performance might show teams he’s still got something left in the tank.
Hamilton, 35, told reporters late last season that he’d like to keep playing. He didn’t find one last moment of playoff glory with the Bulls, but is now free to keep looking.
Ÿ The Bulls signed rookies Tony Snell and Erik Murphy on Wednesday. Both players are expected to debut at the Las Vegas summer league on Saturday when the Bulls face Memphis.