In other news, Bulls might be interested in trading for Christian Laettner's expired body.

Saturday night’s game against the Miami Heat brought back some good memories. First, just seeing the number 35  jersey being filled out by a hefty young fella from the SEC sent me back to the days of the Bulls’ second three-peat with a young Jason Caffey (Bama) grabbing some boards off the bench, lending some fouls in the post, and offering the occasional put-back dunk.  At 6-8, 255 lbs, Caffey had a little junk in the trunk but avoided contact when possible.

The most recent bearer of the #35 jersey made his debut on Saturday night, and sought out contact whenever possible. Chris Richard, 6-9, 270 is a wide load, and went to work on what the Heat call a frontcourt of Jermaine O’Neal and Udonis Haslem. Nabbing seven boards in 20 minutes while only committing 2 fouls, Richard showed a discipline acquired at the University of Florida and honed in the NBDL, where he has consistently been recognized as one of the league’s best.  While never a big scorer in college or in the NBA, he has put up some solid stats in the NBDL.  Yet, like Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah, Chris Richard seems to understand that he can get his points simply by setting screens, crashing the boards, and running the floor.

While it looks like Richard will only stick around until Joakim is ready to return after the All-Star Break, this seems to rely heavily on what the Bulls do with Tyrus Thomas before the trade deadline. Even if Tyrus stays, I’d suggest the Bulls sit Taj Gibson down for some extended rest and allow Richard to spell him for another 10-day contract.  He offers solid defense, can allow the other Bulls’ big men to recharge and can wear down some of the East’s big men down the stretch.

Jermaine O’Neal certainly woke up Sunday morning remembering one such encounter with Richard. In the second half of Saturday night’s game, O’Neal sought to cross from the weakside through the paint to establish position in the post for an entry pass from Dwyane Wade. Unfortunately for O’Neal, Richard anticipated this and planted himself right where the Heat Center sought to go. The result? O’Neal bouncing off Richard’s ample backside, crumpling to his knees and begging for a foul, as the Bulls raced the other way with a Heat turnover.