After over two weeks of free agency, the Chicago Bulls’ roster stands at 13. Malcolm Thomas however has an unguaranteed contract, and there is a reasonable chance that he gets cut, which would leave the Bulls with an open roster spot. As constructed, the Bulls have eight wing players, and only four post players: Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Carlos Boozer and Nazr Mohammed. While anyone the Bulls bring in likely will not be a big part of the rotation, they could use a big body to be a fifth big man.
Marc Spears of Y! Sports tweeted yesterday:
Marcus Camby of course can qualify as a big body at 6’11” and 240 lbs.
Without question, Marcus Camby’s best days are behind him. If he plays this season, Camby will turn the big 4-0 in March. Camby was also hardly able to stay healthy last season, averaging career lows across the board, and only playing in 24 games. As I mentioned earlier, whoever signed in the spot probably won’t even be in the rotation, and Camby may be bad enough at this point that Nazr is the primary backup center.
Despite Camby’s limitations, he would not be a bad pickup. Believe it or not, Camby averaged 9.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game only a season ago. If his numbers are projected out per 36 minutes, Camby averaged over ten boards and almost two blocks while he was on the court. Camby is a Tom Thibodeau sort of player: very long defensively with great instincts when it comes to post defense and rebounding. If he’s not able to help on the court, he’ll at least be able to help in practice.
Camby would be an extremely low-risk high reward. He will sign for the minimum if he ends up in Chicago, and may have the opportunity to contribute in short stretches. If he doesn’t, he’s only meeting expectations. If I were the Bulls, I would take a chance on him.