
With Brewer, Deng, Korver, and maybe James Johnson at the wings; Boozer, Noah, Gibson, and Asik in the front court; and Derrick Rose at the point, the remaining roster seemed to demand a backup PG, an additional shooter/wing player, and another big man. Whether it be free agents, rookies, summer league/D league prospects, the Bulls have been considering everyone from long time vets to players who haven't sniffed the NBA court like John Lucas III, Matt Bouldin, and Derrick Byars. Last night, the Bulls figured out one of the remaining question marks by acquiring C.J. Watson from the Golden State Warriors. The Bulls signed him to a 3 year deal worth $10.2mm, but only 2 years at $6.5mm are guaranteed. Watson was a backup PG for Stephen Curry last year, and also played at the two guard position when Monta Ellis was injured, averaging 10.3 ppg. Watson is a decent three point shooter (31% laster year, but 40% two years ago), but is a more efficient and explosive mid-range shooter and scorer with a career field goal percentage of 46%. He's not Manu Ginobli, but this is a guy who can come off the bench and make things happen offensively. This is good news for the Bulls who last year felt Rose had to play 48 minutes every night out. Moreover, his style allows him to come in and play for Brewer alongside Rose to provide a more scoring-minded attack. Defensively he's no Brewer, but he did average 1.6 steals per game last year-which would've been 11th in the league if he had recorded enough minutes (27.5 mpg); the same amount that Brewer averaged. Watson excites me because he can score, which at this point seems to be the Bulls biggest weakness. Given the flexibility of Brewer/Korver being able to play the 2 and 3, I think Watson will get his tick and hopefully be that instant offense guy off the bench.
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