Ever find yourself playing chess and moving one piece back and forth? You're stalling, trying to find a way out of a jam. So you move forward and back, hoping your opponent will slip up.
Pulling Kirk Hinrich back into the bullpen is just that sort of move.
Hinrich's a good player. He'll provide veteran leadership and stability at the guard slot. But is this a step forward? Or is this caving to your ex-girlfriend in a moment of weakness.
The Bulls had Hinrich. They let him go. They let him go for a reason.
Now the team is pacing back and forth, sweating profusely about the potential loss of Omer Asik. Really? No less an authority than Michael Wilbon says Asik can barely make a layup, and that he's only an 18-20 minute player. Is that worth paying the guy $15 million three seasons from now? Gar Forman is considering it.
All of this smacks of desperation.
Look at the Lakers and Heat. Yes, they represent all that is evil about sports. But L.A. landed Steve Nash and became an automatic powerhouse in the West. Miami (sadly, the defending champs) added Ray Allen, who only has to stand behind the three-point line and drop bombs all day.
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Nash and Allen are older guys. They don't have much tread left. But they were once among the very best in the league. And they're being added to supplement an already solid core. They can be a force for two or three years. Those are the kinds of moves the Bulls need to make.
Who's going to join the starting lineup? Who's going to be the dominant sixth man to make opponents sweat? Or are we just closing our eyes and rolling with the same five guys? Yeah, Rose could miss half the year, but what happens after that?
No contract offer to Eric Gordon? No thought of ditching Carlos Boozer in favor of someone younger and more dependable? No move to fleece a desperate team for a potential lottery pick?
The Bulls should send Rose on a recruiting trip around the league. He should show up at the homes of shooting guards and centers and power forwards with candy and flowers and steaks for the grill. He should sip a few glasses of wine in the summer sun, then casually mention how nice it would be for Player X to join him for a few title runs.
Can't hurt, right?
The only people grilling in Gar Forman's yard are Kirk Hinrich and Omer Asik. It's like the nerds' lunch table in high school.
Do something, Bulls! Make a move! And no, bringing back ye olde wash-outs like Jannero Pargo doesn't count.
