Chicago Bulls Confidential

While the majority of the talk of recent days has been about possible free agent guard options, there still exists a need for an extra big men. The Bulls currently only have four, of whom three (Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson) figure to take the majority of the minutes. The fourth (Omer Asik) is something of a project still, recovering from injuries of his own and short of high level professional experience.

In the interests of safety, therefore, there ought really be some insurance there. Particularly if Carlos Boozer misses significant time due to injury (although this only seems to happen in lottery seasons, which hopefully we're not having.)

Kurt Thomas has been mentioned as a candidate, as has Anthony Tolliver. Last year's occasionally useful backup Brad Miller is now off the table, and even Bulls summer leaguer Samardo Samuels is gone, joining up with the Cleveland Cavaliers. With signings such as Jamaal Magloire (Miami) and Craig Smith (L.A. Clippers) also going down, the free agent crop just got thinner.

Here's what's left on it.

(Note: both power forwards and centres are listed - including some power forwards best suited to small forward - although a centre is more desirable at the moment. Players listed in no order other than alphabetical.)

Malik Allen - Our old boy Malik has been plying his trade with the Nets, Mavericks, Bucks and Nuggets since leaving here. He has consistently not added to his game, demonstrating little else but a pick-and-pop jumpshot and an aversion to physical defense. Last year, he wasn't even good at the shooting part, shooting only .397% and doing his usual act of taking only 13 free throws all season. At the very least, you know what you're getting from Malik Allen. I reared back for a compliment there, but that's all I could find.

Louis Amundson - Amundson is way too good to be any team's fifth man. But for whatever reason, this free agency market doesn't seem to know that. You could make a legitimate argument that Amundson outperformed Taj Gibson last year, and the two are certainly comparable players. Amundson doesn't have a mid-range jumpshot as good as Taj's - although it's not bad - but he's of a comparable size, a slightly better rebounder, a better shot-blocker and a better pick-and-roll option. He's in his prime and fresh out of Phoenix, which can be bad for a man's numbers, but he is better than a minimum salary 11th man. The boy showed last year that he can play. Someone should let him do this.

Earl Barron - Despite their free agency plan, the Knicks never renounced Earl Barron. They did this because they intend to re-sign him for more than the minimum; in 7 games last season, Barron averaged 12/11. Barron is a big old boy - 7 foot, about 250lb - who only really wants to use that size to get off mid-range jumpshots. He has great touch on that shot and is a pretty polished offensive player, but he's not a physical defender, and nor is he normally a good rebounder. Those numbers from last season were the exception, not the rule. Barron is good enough to be in the NBA, but if it's not going to be for the minimum salary, then it's almost certainly not going to be here.

Maceo Baston - A former Bulls draft pick, Baston's NBA redux between 2007 and 2009 didn't see him play a whole lot, but he did do quite well in the time that he did get. Last season was his worst season, yet even Baston's worst season was pretty good; he averaged 2.5 points and 2 rebounds in 8 minutes per game, and his PER was 12.3. His career PER is 14.4, too, which makes you wonder why he's only played 831 NBA minutes in three and a bit seasons. He didn't play in the NBA last year and is now 35 years old, but he's always been productive. And, in the NBA at least, he's always been overlooked too.

Esteban Batista - Batista's two years in the NBA saw him do nothing but offensive rebound and foul. He then won a place in fan's hearts for his performances with the Uruguayan national team against the USA, including an alley-oop dunk over Amare Stoudemire. Batista has been in Europe since leaving the NBA, with mixed results, and he continues to offensive rebound and foul. He couldn't get any shots off in the NBA and was too slow to keep up, but his jumpshot has improved in his time in Europe, which might help.

Jonathan Bender - Last season, Bender came out of retirement at the ripe old age of 28 to play for the Knicks. Bender was always good, but retired because he ran out of bone cartilege; after a few years of letting the pain subside, Bender came back to see if he still had anything to give. He was OK, putting up a PER of 10.8 in 25 games, not helped by a broken finger. Bender's lost the athleticism of his youth, but he's a skilled face-up 7 footer who can shoot and drive the ball. He's always been an incredibly disinterested rebounder, and he turns it over quite a lot (perhaps in part due to the lack of court time), yet Bender can still block shots, even now he can't jump as much. He's a permanent injury risk, but he's still intriguing.

Rod Benson - Rodrigue Zsorryon Benson still has still not played in the NBA, despite his fame and his notable talents. He can rebound, run, and score a bit, and is also an elite post defender in the D-League. Benson has spent the last three years there, waiting for a call-up that never came. Comparable and even inferior players have played in the NBA before Benson has, and some players even more than that. Zendon Hamilton, for example, cranked out six NBA seasons. And while Hamilton was all right, so is Benson. Is it just sheer bad luck that keeps Benson out of the league, or is it something to do with his off-court personality? Probably a little of both.

Mark Blount - Last preseason, Minnesota encouraged Mark Blount and his representatives to seek a trade for him, since the Timberwolves didn't want him. They couldn't find one. Minnesota then encouraged Blount and his people to find someone who'd sign him in free agency, so that they could begin buyout talks. They couldn't find one of those either. Minnesota eventually waived Blount anyway, and he did not play a single minute last season. That should say something.

Josh Boone - Boone did not improve during the duration of his rookie contract; in fact, after Marcus Williams left, Boone only got worse. This decline is evident in his free throw percentage, which achieved the unusual feat of going downwards for four consecutive seasons (54%, 46%, 38%, 33%). Nonetheless, Boone is occasionally useful for some pick and roll offense, and grabs enough rebounds to matter.

Primoz Brezec - Like the majority of the "shooters" on this list, Brezec does not have three point range. Not in the NBA, at least. His jumpshot is pretty much all he has - that and the clumsy foul - and even then, Brezec has only 1 career made three point field goal. He can't dribble, post, finish, rebound, defend or run; what you're left with is a very, very, very big jumpshooter. By the way, Bruno Sundov is also available.

Kwame Brown - For all of the abject fail that has drizzled his career, Kwame Brown can truly defend the post. Anything offensive-related is highly questionable; Kwame can't catch, never could shoot, doesn't have good touch, has gotten worse in all facets of shot making, and has lost his athleticism. Yet he rebounds well enough (16.2% total rebounding percentage last season), and defends the post admriaby. It comes at the expense of fouls, turnovers and no offensive ability whatsoever, but since this is the minimum salary we're talking about, it might be OK.

Jackie Butler - Butler hasn't played, anywhere, since the end of the 2006-07 season. And when he did play, he had only two good months. Butler is 6'11, athletic enough and can score the ball, but he but he does not rebound, defend, or stay in shape. Or stay in work.

Jason and Jarron Collins - The two are listed together for the simple reason that they're identical in every way. Jason used to be considerably better, but he's not now - not since Keifer Sutherland and Eddie Izzard have two different people been so identical in every way. Both are little things players, big and versatile defenders, charge-takers and heartbreakers; neither can score or rebound. Both put up absolutely dreadful numbers when measured by any conventional metrics. Coaches continue to love them anyway for their "intangibles." For this reason, they are candidates, regardless of whether we want them to be.

Jermareo Davidson - Davidson has played two years in the NBA, with the Warriors and the Bobcats, but not necessarily in that order. His problem is that he's about to turn 26, and hasn't improved hugely. More than anything, Davidson is still thin. His height and athleticism gets him rebounds, blocks and some points, and the jumpshot is OK for a man who can't make a foul shot. But without the strength, he'll continue to get pushed around (and out of) the NBA.

Francisco Elson - Now 34 years of age, Elson split last season between the Bucks and the Sixers. Between the two he totalled only 66 minutes, 12 points and 14 rebounds. Elson has made hsi name as a defender, which explaisn why he continues to get NBA work despite being neither a scorer nor a rebounder.

Melvin Ely - The days of Melvin Ely being thought to have promise are genuinely over. The now-32 year old did not play in the NBA last season, and never play in it again. Apart from one good season - conventiently, a contract season - Ely has been (not had) a substantial bust in his NBA career, shooting only .457% and having a career total rebounding percentage of only 11.7% (which is only just better than Luol Deng's career mark of 10.8%.) Ely can block the occasional shot, but so can many players. And most of them can grab rebounds and score better than that.

Adonal Foyle - Adonal Foyle would be the ideal candidate for the role, were it not for one small flaw. He has played only 10 total games over the two seasons, including none last season, due to a knee injury that may force his retirement. Foyle has made no official statement on the matter, and as recently as March was said to not want to quit, yet it doesn't look great.

Marcus Haislip - Former Bucks first rounder Haislip returned to the NBA to play for the Spurs, after making himself into a star in Europe. He then proceeded to do absolutely nothing, playing only 44 minutes for the team. It's not that he can't play in the NBA; Haislip is an extremely athletic 6'10 player with an inside/outside offensive game, and good enough rebounding. He just needs the opportunity to play in the NBA that he doesn't have to fight to get in Europe. Can the Bulls offer him that? Probably not.

Chris Hunter - Hunter spent all of last season with the Warriors, where he fouled a lot. He also didn't rebound well. Nevertheless, aside from the fouls, Hunter doesn't make too many mistakes, which is a far cry from his Michigan days. He also blocks some shots, is decently athletic, and has an OK jumpshot. If he can get better at the last thing, he might find a niche for the long term.

Didier Ilunga-Mbenga [DJ Mbenga] - Mbenga is an athletic 7 footer and a shotblocker, with decent rebounding rates, and an occasional desire to shoot on every possession, which can be highly amusing in garbage time and highly destructive in actually important moments. He also has two championship rings, which may or may not be more than the rest of this list combined.

Jerome James - ...Yeah, maybe not.

Nate Jawai - After three teams in two years, Jawai couldn't get so much as a qualifying offer from the Minnesota Timberwolves. They traded for him to fill out their roster in last year's training camp, and even gave him a couple of starts, but Jawai responded with bad foul and rebounding rates, and a PER of only 11.0. He then injured his ankle and played very sparingly after January; the team then saw fit to bring in Greg Stiemsma for the remainder of the season and did not extend Nate a qualifying offer. Those things do not bode well.

Rob Kurz, Linton Johnson or Brian Cardinal. Or Marcus Landry. Or Steve Novak. Or Antoine Walker. - If you want a combo-forward face-up jumpshooter with varying degrees of defensive ability, then there's some names for you there. Best to start from the left, though.

Sean Marks - Quite incredibly, Sean Marks has just completed his tenth NBA season. It's incredible because I'd be willing to bet there's a good many NBA fans out there who have managed to not see a single minute of hot Sean Marks action in those ten seasons. Marks's career totals in those ten years are only 201 games and 2,067 minutes, including only 14 games and 75 minutes last year. This is partly because he's often injured, partly because he's often fighting for a contract, yet also because he's a marginal talent. Marks is a soft 7 footer who doesn't like physical play and who doesn't rebound well, and while he's a good shot maker, he has shot only 45% for his career. It's very much to his credit that this limited CV has turned into more years of NBA experience than you've had hot dinners, yet eleven seems like a definite stretch.

Sean May - As a lottery pick, Sean May busted quite badly. Partly due to weight problems, and partly due to knee injuries exacerbated by the weight problems. May lost weight last summer and joined up with the Sacramento Kings, looking for a career redux; however, he didn't get one. May played only 37 games for the Kings - which admittedly is a career high for him - and was out of the rotation for most of the season. May can make shots from inside and out, as well as pass the ball, but he makes plenty of mistakes, scores inefficiently, and has a very lengthy history of knee trouble.

James Mays - Former Clemson forward Mays has always preferred to face the basket, and is a talented face-up passer, yet in recent years he has resorted to taking a lot of threes. Perhaps the reason for his new-found three point affinity has something to do with the torn achilles tendon that caused him to miss almost all of the 2008-09 season. That can cripple a man's athleticism. Whatever the reason, though, his 29.6% conversion rate in Puerto Rico this spring doesn't seem to justify the career move.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu - Pops is English, but I'll try and leave any bias out of this. He's once again a free agent, and all of this is still true.

Darius Miles - Miles returned from what was believed to be a career ending injury to play for Memphis in 2008-09, amidst a hugely unpleasant soap opera. And despite all the drama, even in spite of having to re-invent himself as a smaller big man, he actually wasn't bad. He played less than 300 minutes but posted a PER of 16.1, which would have tied his career best had he played a more significant number of minutes. He chipped in with some rebounds, blocked a ton of shots, and even found a free throw stroke for somewhere, no longer the world-beating athlete of his youth but still a good one, even after the supposedly career ending knee injury. However, this was all undermined when it was revealed that Memphis were worried about Miles's poisonous attitude, the reason why they did not invite him back. Of all the things Miles needs to work on - health, staying in shape, jumpshot, ball skills, not smoking pot - this one must come first if this comeback is ever to get anywhere.

Mikki Moore - Moore started last year with the Warriors, but was waived part way through the year, even with 20 starts under his belt. He was an underrated and underpaid backup who, because of the brilliance of Jason Kidd, quickly became overrated and overpaid. Soon to be 35, Moore hasn't got many years left, yet he should still be able to help a team with his athleticism, energy and rangy jumpshot.

Randolph Morris - Morris just completed a guaranteed two year contract with the Hawks, and now has four years of NBA experience to his name. Also to his names are totals of 438 minutes, 140 points, 104 rebounds and 100 fouls. Nonetheless, he showed a little something last year. Morris only ever received garbage time minutes, but in them, he at least showed the ability to score the ball. 62 points in a season is not something to be ecstatic about from a fourth year player, yet Morris demonstrated the offensive talent that got him this far, and it might just help him land somewhere else for next year. Now, he needs to stop fouling.

(If you need proof that Morris made significant strides last year, look no further than his year-on-year PER; 1.5, 4.3, 1.8, 14.6. Quite the crescendo. Even better, Morris only played 4.4 minutes per game, so per 36 minutes that equates to a PER of 118.7. And that's quite high.)

Radoslav Nesterovic - Rasho has had a career which has been far in excess of that of almost everyone else on this list. He has been a good player for many years, even once the starter on a title winning team. Now into the 18th season of his professional career, Rasho is very much on the backslide of his career; nevertheless, he remains productive, blocking some shots, rebounding averagely, and hitting jumpshots. In an exciting piece of additional trivia, Rasho amazingly attempted only 5 free throws all of last season, compared to 149 field goals. This isn't really indicative of anything; I just wanted to say it.

Patrick O'Bryant - O'Bryant was Rasho's backup last season, and has not done anything in four NBA seasons. In that time he has totalled 186 points, 127 rebounds and 126 fouls. Last year, O'Bryant played only 51 minutes all season for Toronto, and fouled 12 times in that span. O'Bryant really isn't as talentless as his numbers suggest; he can make a few baskets around the rim and is a good shotblocker. But to keep getting contracts,he's going to have to get (and seize) a good opportunity. And to do that, he's going to have to stop fouling.

Shaquille O'Neal - Doug puts forth the case for acquiring Shaq here, but I'm not buying it. Nonetheless, in terms of sheer production, Shaq owns the remainder this list, something that ought not be overlooked. But since the retirement of Lindsey Hunter, Shaq has become the oldest player in the NBA. Nor can that. (Incidentally, Kurt Thomas is second.)

Fabricio Oberto - Last season for Washington, the 35 year old Fabricio Oberto totalled 650 minutes, 83 points, 105 fouls, 36 turnovers and 121 fouls. He's a good little-things player, and it's good that he is, because he sure as hell can't do the big things any more.

Oleksiy Pecherov - Stewie's season peaked in a preseason game versus Chicago. He kept Minnesota in the game single-handedly with 16 points in 21 minutes, then lost it for them single-handedly with a series of incredibly bad decisions. Offensively, he takes bad threes and turns it over. Defensively, he fouls. He's quite a good rebounder, but that's all he's shown.

Shavlik Randolph - Randolph just completed his fifth year in the NBA, although he's played only 40 games over the last 4. He's an OK shooter and a good rebounder, who gets to the free throw lines, and who overcomes being a bit weak on the interior with his good energy level. Randolph has been injured in recent years, but he keeps getting looks in the NBA because he's genuinely pretty productive.

Theo Ratliff - The 37 year old Ratliff is still capable of blocking shots, and is no less capable of getting through a season than he ever was. That's kind of a backhanded compliment, admittedly.

Jared Reiner - 28 year old Reiner is working on a streak of seven consecutive training camp contracts. He is much the same player as he was when he played with us back in 2004-05, although Reiner started to develop a three point jumpshot last season, hitting sixteen of them in 8 games in the Puerto Rican SN (making four), and somehow managing to attempt only 3 free throws to 107 total field goals. He had not hit a single three pointer in his entire collegiate and professional careers combined, over a span of ten years. It would be a stretch, though, to say that he's now got a three point stroke.

Chris Richard - I don't know what the Bulls see in Richard, an oft-injured undersized 6'9 centre who can't score, defends via the foul and who doesn't rebound particularly well. But they seem to see it anyway, so he makes the list by default.

Michael Ruffin - Another old boy, Ruffin finally flumped out of the NBA last year, and spent a month in Spain instead. The worst offensive player in thie history of the NBA can still play aggressive perimeter defense. However, he is also still completely unable to produce anything of substance on the court, other than slightly above average offensive rebounding.

Brian Skinner - It has never really mattered that Brian Skinner is undersized, because he collects rebounds and blocks anyway. He may have all the catching ability of a lettuce and a soft dexterous touch akin to being groped by Captain Hook, but defense is defense. Skinner produces just as much as Kwame Brown does, and without the soap opera. He just turned 34 and was dreadul last season, but the previous 10 were pretty good.

Courtney Sims - After a blistering start to the 2008/09 D-League season, Sims became hot sizzle. He had already played in training camp with the Pacers (2007) and the Hornets (2008), but it was that year that he really broke out, winning the D-League Player of the Year and All-Star Game MVP awards, and averaging 22.8ppg/11.0rpg/2.0bpg. It earned him midseason call-ups to both the Suns and Knicks, and then for training camp 2009, he signed with Atlanta, where he failed to make the cut. Sims trailed in other leagues last year (Belgium, China, D-League, Puerto Rico), and his star was definitely burning brighter at this time last year, but he should still probably come with a training camp contract somewhere.

James Singleton - Singleton has long been a favourite of mine, an effective combo forward who fell out of the NBA when he never should have done. He can't dribble, but he can shoot, defend, hustle and rebound, providing the same sort of mismatches that he similarly fails to alleviate. Every team needs a player like James Singleton. This is how Devean George gets so much work.

Joe Smith - Smilin' Joe is familiar to us as an offensive option, armed with a good mid-range jumpshot, hook shots with both hands, and an impossibly chipper demeanour. He is certainly not the player he once was, and probably wouldn't even be the player that he was once was here either. This is evidenced by the 40% he shot last season for Atlanta, scoring 194 points on 193 shots. Yet if we're willing to overlook last year as an anomaly, then Joe has something to contribute here.

Goran Suton - Suton was drafted by the Jazz out of Michigan State last year, but was waived and is now a free agent. He is adecent replica of Mehmet Okur in his early years, a face-up power forward and good enough athlete for a 6'10 with good post defense, OK rebounding and a jumpshot, one which doesn't yet have three point range, but which probably will do. He's not physical, barely posts and is not a leaper or a shot blocker, and his first professional sesason consisted of only 31 minutes due to injury. But I like him, and that will suffice.

Mike Sweetney - Sweetney's never-ending weight problems, covered here before, are no better. He was listed on the Wizards summer league roster earlier this month, yet he never played for the team. The Wizards wouldn't let him because turned up too fat. The chances of him ever rejoining the Bulls are somewhere between 0% and 0 Kelvin, and the chances of him ever playing in the NBA again are getting similar to that. But I'm not willing to remove him from the candidates list yet.

Robert Swift - After five years and only 97 games played due to injury, Swift fell out of the NBA last summer and went to the D-League to play for the Bakersfield Jam. Swift was born and raised in Bakersfield, so it was a logical unison; however, after only two games with the Jam, Swift asked to be released for personal reasons. The Jam obliged him, and their head coach Will Voigt said that it appears Swift is done with basketball aged only 24. If he has a re-think, it is worth the Bulls seeing if he was healthy, for, on the rare occasions that he was, Swift showed signs of usefulness. But if he isn't, and if he just doesn't want to do this any more, then it's a non-starter.

Stromile Swift - Tyrus is more similar to Stromile than we ever could have accepted, which is slightly worrying as Stromile spent last season in China. He was bought out by the Nets at the 2009 playoff deadline, and signed with the Phoenix Suns to complete the 2008-09 season. But the only contract he could get for this season was an unguaranteed minimum with the Sixers, and even that was insufficient, as the team waived him before the regular season started. Stromile then went to China, where he averaged 22.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game for the playoffless Shandong Flaming Bulls. (As an aside, Stromile hit four three pointers on the season; curiously, all four of them came in the same game.) It was only two short years ago that Swift was an effective player on both ends of an NBA court, and although he's now 30, I believe that he could still be so.

Etan Thomas - Thomas's 6 year contract has finally expired, and it didn't exacty crescendo. Etan has played only 49 games over the last three seasons due to a variety of ailments, including open heart surgery and a torn MCL. The injuries have more than deraield his career; they might have ended. Nevertheless, if Thomas is still healthy enough to play, then he has enough skills to contribute. He insist on using a jumpshot that he doesn't have, yet he makes shots around the basket, blocks shots, and is pretty atheltic for a 6'10 player. HIs rebounding has tumbled away after all the injuries, but that used to be decent too.

Kurt Thomas - Covered here, Kurt looks like being one of the best candidates for the job.

Tim Thomas - Since the last time we bought him out it, Thomas has been with the Mavericks, whose former stats guru called him "underrated." Thomas responded to that acclaim by playing in only 18 games all year due to injury, and recording a plus/minus of -5.3. Still, it's been a while since we bought Tim out.

Anthony Tolliver - If the Bulls are still not convinced that they have satisfactorily alleviated their outside shooting concerns, then help does not necessarily have to be found solely in the backcourt. Tolliver was an undersized rebounding centre in college who knew he needed to develop an outside shot to make it at the next level, and now that he's done so, it's the vast majority of what he does offensively. He's not a bad defender, either, and he's been mentioned in these parts before. If the interest in him is genuine, he ought vault towards the top of this list.

Jake Voskuhl - Voskuhl did not play professionally last season. In the season before that, he put up a PER of 0.4 in 38 games for Toronto. Just firing it out there.

Nikola Vujcic - The Bulls were said to be interested in Croatian centre Vujcic back in the summer of 2006, ultimately signing Ben Wallace instead. At the time, Vujcic was at the height of powers - unlike Ben Wallace, as it turned out. (Whoops.) Now 32, Vujcic has just been released by Olympiakos, who are looking to trim payroll. Vujcic is a highly accomplished offensive player, standing 6'11 with great low-post and passing skills; he has the only two triple doubles in the history of the Euroleague, both of which involved assists. He is no longer the superstar that he was, and his minutes took a nosedive due to the presence of Sofoklis Schortsanitis and Giannis Bourousis last year (amongst others), yet Vujcic is as close of a like-for-like replacement as there is for Brad Miller out there, albeit with far more low post than high. For that reason, despite his advancing age and ever-increasing tendency to get injured, there exists a good opportunity here for Vujcic to finally join the NBA. But he'd probably have to take a discount.

Sean Williams - Williams was in the NBA to begin this season, but only because his salary was guaranteed, and not because his play had merited it. He played in only 20 games and 227 minutes with the Mets before being waived when they needed a roster spot for someone they didn't even want (Sean's namesake, Shawne Williams). Considering Sean came into the NBA needing to improve many facets of his game - particularly anything resembling consistent offensive contribution - it was perhaps disconcerting that he got worse year on year, rather than better. Williams's athleticism and shot blocking are all in order, but the other facets of his game are not, and he's continued to encounter trouble off the court in his NBA career.

That's a list of candidates. Most of them are unsuitable, but it's good to be concise. I would have listed Mario Kasun and Curtis Borchardt, but time was a factor.

Not listed: Sam Young.