The Bernstein Brief: Bulls Still Need Another Guard
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) If the Bulls really are positioning themselves to contend for the NBA title in 2015-'16, they are still missing a critical piece and may not have the needed resources to acquire it.
You or I may not agree that this team has a chance to win anything significant, but it remains the standard to which they must be held, particularly the way this roster is currently constructed. They're still playing for the now, no matter that the window is closing fast, if not already sealed.
So where's the second unit's lead guard? That guy matters in this league, and the Bulls have understood that better than most in the last several years, during which time any number of interchangeable veterans have been important contributors to good teams.
He's not here yet, and a capped-out team only has the a form of the mid-level exception -- perhaps the mini mid-level starting around $3.3 million annually -- to offer for that kind of ball-handling and scoring punch.
Kirk Hinrich can only do so much, by which I mean not much. He's an assistant coach in uniform at this point. We didn't see enough from E'Twaun Moore to believe it's his job now, and the fall of Bobby Portis on draft night meant no help there.
And this isn't yet factoring in the likelihood of Derrick Rose missing time with another injury, as patterns suggest will happen again.
While we watch the big names at the outset of free agency, keep in mind the fact that the Bulls' backcourt still appears undermanned, and they need to get that signing right.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. Follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.