With hours to go until he officially departs us, and with seven years of gravity in his voice, Kirk Hinrich speaks of his trade to the Wizards.
He doesn't look especially comfortable doing it; then again, as far as the media goes, he never has done.
Possibly even by the time you read this post, Kirk Hinrich will have left the team. The longest tenured Bull, who looked destined to become a Tim Duncan-life lifer, is off to Washington, where he can back up the latest #1 pick and a man who's missed two and a half of the last three season. He joins a team that kept making (and losing in) the playoffs, to a team that just put up one of the most painful seasons in recent memory.
He should, however, be a part of the turnaround.
Even now that the moment is truly upon us, it feels weird to even acknowledge that Kurt is leaving the team. Aside from the first season, and the brief if blessed 2007 blip, we have been a decent to good team for the duration of the Kirk Hinrich experience. He has been a part of 289 Chicago Bulls wins, and a captain for 266 of them. Kirk declined in his time here, but was much better than I think we all ever expected; the bitter days towards the end and the recidivating departure should not overshadow the good times. There were a lot of them.
If he was paid half of what he is, it wouldn't have come to this. As it is, we'll miss him.
Filed under: Miscellaneous
Tags: chicago bulls, kirk hinrich, Sweet Sweet Memories You Gave-a Me, video, washington wizards
The real question, however: does Kirk Hinrich look like Jon Richardson?
http://www.offwestend.com/files/Jon%20Richardson%20-%202.jpg
the prospect of signing a mike miller or kyle korver makes me miss kirk.
Hinrich was frustrating to watch yet underated for the tangibles he provides.
Nevertheless, bring on anthony Morrow.
More than anything, I'll miss his expiring contract at the 2012 deadline.
sad to see kirk go. ESPECIALLY if we dont get lbj
The guy looks quite upset. And fans want to run him out of town so the Bulls can sign LBJ. We've all lost our minds.
I totally get it from a money standpoint, and it's not fair to second guess the team when we pretty much unanimously wanted them to go all in.
But, I will miss watching Kirk here and wish there had been another solution.
he was part of the turnaround, his crap season helped them win the lottery.
Aw, I like Kirk. Familiarity does breed contempt though. Speaking of: I've out-lasted Hinrich!
Oh dear. It's pretty much game over for you, then.
Most players argue with NBA refs to get offensive respect/trips to the line, and stake a claim. Kirk was always arguing over foul calls many of which were obvious fould he committed. Kirk was a hard worker, and a dedicated defender. He was also very flawed, and in my mind not that bright. You dant have a six or seven year vet repeatedly getting baited in t game changing fouls on three point lures at the end of ball games. I don't know how many times Kirk got suckered into that. Also i will say I've seen guys who didn't shoot for a great overall percentage, but stil would hit some game winning/clutch baskets. i always thought Kirk was rather narren in that department.
If Kirk would have played as a complimentary player/had a lesser pedigree, and excepted his limitations playing for a guy like Phil, he could have had a great career comensurate with his abilities. It's too bad. But nice guys who work hard you still have to appreciate. And he is. And welcome back any time.
typos sorry barren
typos sorry, sometimes I hate this software, barren/tarren, dant/dont, fould/fouls etc. etc.
RoadWarrior and Others Above: There are tears being shed at the Berto Center over Hinrich's departure (especially TT's)and they are not just for sentimental reasons. Hinrich is the best on-ball defender at the 1 or 2 position in the NBA. That's not just my opinion that's pretty much known throughout the NBA. The 2-6 points that were consistently never scored by the opposing team's guards directly because of his defensive performance was always forgotten or taken for granted. In addition, he effectively played both the point guard and shooting guard positions---a rare skill--which provides valuable versatility for any team. His basketball IQ is very, very high--ask any coach in the NBA. He ran the half court offense much better than Rose because he actually knew all the plays and where everyone needed to be on the floor. (Why do you think he ALWAYS threw the ball in-bounds in pressure situations.) Bulls' fans like you guys, who either never played competitive basketball or simply do not have a full appreciation of all aspects of the game, will come to appreciate Hinrich's skills and leadership after the season begins and all the excitement wears off.
For a guy who took the fewest shots per minute of the top six guys on the team, Hinrich sure got a lot of grief about his shooting. He was never the focal point of the offense and never got a chance to get a rhythm because he wouldn't come down and jack up two or three in a row. He was more interested in getting other guys good shots. And he brought it every night. He'll be missed.