Chicago Bulls in Pursuit of New Shooting Guard

The Chicago Bulls are in need of an improvement at shooting guard, and there is no lack of rumors during this offseason. Many players have been linked to the Bulls, which isn't all that surprising because it was taking place during the 2010-11 NBA season as well. It seems that the one glaring hole the Bulls roster has is a No. 2 guard that can add either a lot of offense or defense to help out point guard Derrick Rose on a nightly basis.

ESPN's John Hollinger has mentioned the Bulls could possibly part with the No. 28 pick in the draft in order to acquire a good shooting guard. They could also hope that one falls to them at that point in the draft. There is the thought that UCLA's Tyler Honeycutt will still be on the board by that time, but he seems far too talented to escape the top 25. Still, odder things have happened during draft nights in the past.

YCN noted the Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to pull off a trade that would acquire them the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft. Through that deal, they would likely gain the services of Richard Hamilton from the Detroit Pistons. Every analyst then expects the Cavaliers to buy him out, making Hamilton a free agent who could sign with any team for the veteran minimum. That could make him a cheap option for the Bulls to try out, and also someone that would bring veteran leadership in the playoffs.

The other scenarios might be more complicated for the Bulls, but one could involve bringing on O.J. Mayo in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies. He would definitely offer another offensive punch for the Bulls, but has been dinged for his skills on defense in the past. The coaches of the Bulls would have to be sure that they could get him to buy into the system that the franchise has working for them now.

The two free agents that have been linked (through rumor) to the Bulls are Jason Richardson and Jamal Crawford. Both guards would give more offense to the Bulls as well, but questions about their ages might come into play. Rose could get them quite a few open shots in the coming season, but it's not a done-deal that they would be able to hit those shots with an increased regularity. Their cost could also be prohibitive if either is looking for a major deal this offseason.

The Bulls have to improve their offense to really compete with the Miami Heat next year, and now the only question will be how they go about doing it.