Daye immediately kicked his hat back out to Rodney Stuckey after David Stern squeezed his hand too hard.

Last night’s Bulls game, a 120-87 win over the Pistons, provided some positives that hopefully the team can build on: 1) The Bulls finally built a lead and protected it;  2) They actually came out in the 3rd quarter and played well (This has to be acknowledged on those rare occasions that they crack 20, let alone 30 points in the 3rd); 3) John Salmons shot the ball from range very well; 4) The starters were able to get some rest as they prepare for an extended road run to finish January; and 5) Lindsey Hunter nearly broke a backboard, not with a dunk, but with a rushed 3-pt attempt.

Unfortunately, all this must be taken with a grain of salt since the Bulls were playing the Pistons. Seriously, three years ago did you ever expect to hear that phrase? The Pistons are woefully bad, banged up, and hopelessly lost. Right now they’re angling for one of those top draft picks which they have always hit home runs with (see 2003 draft). At the end of last night’s game, one possession summed up the entire Pistons’ season.  Austin Daye, the 6′11″ Guard/Forward drafted by the Pistons with the 15th pick of the first round, received the ball at the top of the arc with Jannero Pargo, all 6′1″ of him, guarding him. Daye passed off to Jason Maxiell, and then attempted to post up the shorter Pargo.  After easily receiving the entry pass, Daye attempted to lean on Pargo and went nowhere.  Not only had he established position too far from the basket to attempt a jump hook (hell, a flat footed hook would work) he had no back to the basket moves. To sum, the Pistons have a 6′11″ guard to take advantage of mismatches, but he lacks the skills or brawn to create said mismatch. That’s what this Pistons team is, a bunch of mismatches. Unfortunately for the Bulls they only have one game left against the Lions of the NBA.

According to multiple sources, former NBA point guard Carlos Arroyo is on the verge of returning to the league after a very successful stint overseas. Since leaving the Orlando Magic, Arroyo guided Maccabi Tel Aviv last season to an Israeli Premier League Championship and was named MVP of the Finals. Now, according to El Nueva Dia, Arroyo is close to signing a one-year contract with the Chicago Bulls.

But wait, you ask, why would the Bulls get Arroyo when they already have 4 other point guards on the team?  Well Mike McGraw at the Daily Herald points out the same thing and claims that he has heard nothing of a deal for Arroyo:

The Bulls are not angling to sign former NBA point guard Carlos Arroyo. A rumor that Arroyo was about to sign a one-year deal with the Bulls appeared in Puerto Rico’s El Nuevo Dia this weekend. But such a plan has never even been discussed.

Adding Arroyo wouldn’t make much sense, anyway, because the Bulls already have Kirk Hinrich, Jannero Pargo and Lindsey Hunter to fill in for Derrick Rose at point guard. The Bulls have very little room to add payroll before eclipsing the luxury-tax threshold and will probably open the season with a 13-man roster if center Aaron Gray re-signs as expected.

While the Bulls front office is inept enough to take a flyer on Jannero Pargo (who we know is not great) as opposed to getting Arroyo earlier in the summer, they aren’t so inept as to go into the luxury tax to sign a crappy 5th-string point guard.  I hope.

Unfortunately, the Bulls seem to be a little lost on what they are doing.  If Gar Paxdorf just did nothing and waited for 2010, that would be better than some of these rumors we are hearing.  Let’s look at the three main ones and discuss exactly why they are retarded:

Allen Iverson: Supposedly, with Gordon about to sign on to the Pistons, the Bulls are looking at possibly sign and trading for AI.  Don’t get me wrong, I love AI.  No one plays with more heart, every single game.  The problem with AI is that he needs to have the ball in his hands, and he needs to be the focal point of an offense.  Although he will probably be looking for a multi-year deal, it won’t be too expensive, but that’s not the problem.  The problem is our one most important goal this upcoming season is the development and growth of Derrick Rose.  How will bringing in essentially a ballhog help the Bulls towards that goal?  It won’t.

Jannero Pargo: Seriously?  I mean Rose needs some backcourt help, but Ben Gordon lite?  He is like the really really poor man’s Gordon.  Why not bring in a young cheap guy that has something to prove, instead of a 30 year old defensive liability?  We already had this guy and I remember calling him a garbage-time all-star.  Just because he had one mediocre season in New Orleans two years ago doesn’t mean that nickname doesn’t still apply.

Carlos Boozer: Most of you are probably saying, “I understand why you don’t want the other guys, but come on, Boozer is a legit post presence that we’ve been looking for since, well, since forever”.  While this is the best rumor that I’ve heard out there, there are a number of problems with it.  First off, the character issues are rampant with Boozer.  It’s tough to forget how badly he screwed the Cleveland organization a few summers ago, when they let him out of his deal (which they didn’t have to do) to resign him to a bigger deal and essentially give him a raise, but instead he took the “opportunity” to sign a huge deal with the Jazz.  Loyalty means nothing to a guy like this.  What about talent, you say?  No one will argue that Boozer can score and rebound, but the guy is a terrible defender.  Not only that, but more importantly, anyone we bring in must be compatible with Rose.  Can Boozer run with Rose?  I don’t think so, he is lazy getting back on transition defense and getting out in transition offense.  This is the best option obviously, but it just doesn’t seem like he would be a good pair with Rose.  The one main thing that really makes this guy attractive is that his deal expires at the end of the season, so it could be a one-and-done deal, if the Bulls weren’t inclined to offer him an extension.  Regardless, he just seems all wrong for the Bulls new up-tempo offense led by Rose.

So overall none of these moves really makes much sense, especially in light of the fact that the Bulls are legitimate contenders in the 2010 free agent sweepstakes.  Rumors also have the Bulls looking at Nate Robinson, although he would probably put them into the luxury tax this year and command a deal that extended past next summer.  Instead, go out and get a young Rashard McCants type.  Someone cheap with something to prove to play next to Rose.  Then sit on your hands and see if a good trade can get done before the deadline or just wait out next summer.