Bulls sign Eddie... Eddie Basden

Good news, despite the headline.

Curry's hurry irritates Paxson:
...
"As for finding a big shooting guard, the Bulls have signed undrafted free agent Eddie Basden, who averaged 15.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.3 steals at Charlotte last year.

'I'm a defensive-minded player, and I'll do whatever it takes to win,'' Basden said. 'They said they wanted a bigger shooting guard that can fill that position, and that's kind of been my niche.''

Last season, Coach Skiles proved he could play "mature" rookies and win. He worked underaged players (one year experienced L.Deng and three year Ben Gordon) in as a integral players off the bench. New addition Eddie Basden sounds mature in interviews and could be a decent reserve who'll be a defensive necessity if injuries slow Hinrick. What's promising is the combo of defense and size. Eddie is an NBA 6'5". In his career, he hasn't been used as a scoring guard and learned to get college minutes by playing defense. Well, a 15.3 scoring average for a tall "defensive" minded guard is sweet.

Hinrich is a big PG who also defends and sometimes plays SG so putting Basden at SG allows Hinrick to play and defend the point. Hinrich is a big, scoring PG who can shut down the opposition and Basden can be expected to hold his own at SG* given his size and interest in defense. This "big" backcourt changes the entire composure of the team. There are more front court player combinations. Consider Deng, Harrington and Curry as the primary scoring options while Davis, Chandler and Nocioni are best for rebounding/defenders. Mix and match from the two knowing that the guard positions can defend and score.

A good line-up balanced in defense and scoring would be:
Hinrick, Basden, Deng, Nocioni & Davis.

All five are above average NBA defenders. Hinrick and Deng are reliable scorers and make their own shot. Davis and Nocioni rebound and score off of put-backs, opportunistic jumpshots and cutting layups. Basden is a wild card. He probably can't make his own shot but will benefit from Hinrich's penetration and passing. Opposition defenses will have to stop Hinrich, that will offer Basden opportunities for making uncontested shots and assists.

One last thought, former Bull Trenton Hassell was a college scorer who turned into an NBA defender. His scoring and shooting average dropped - the defending tired him. Maybe Eddie Basden can do better as a college defender who learned to defend and shoot in his last year. Basden would be a perfect complement if he is not asked to shoot often but is capable of making a high precentage of uncontested shots.

* Sure there are some formidable SGs like Allen, Kobe, Redd. Basden isn't superman but he's not 6'1".