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Chicago Bulls Fans, Get Ready For Rasual Butler

Chicago Bulls GM Gar Forman chose to stand pat at the recently passed NBA trade deadline. But he still has the opportunity to make a waivers signing, and it looks as though he's going to do just that. Thanks to a helpfully bold statement by agent Andy Miller (no relation to your humble narrator), Rasual Butler, recently of the Los Angeles Clippers, appears destined to don a Bulls uniform in the not-too-distant future.

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Butler was a second round pick of the Miami Heat in the 2002 NBA draft. The 31-year-old, six-foot-seven guard/forward isn't particularly great at anything, which at least partly explains why the Clippers waived him on Feb. 27. Yet, over the course of nine seasons, he's developed into a solid swingman who could fortify the Bulls bench, particularly after the trade of James Johnson.

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Many believe Rasual is an underrated defender -- and head coach Tom Thibodeau may as well. What's more, though he's shooting only 32.3% from the field so far this season, Butler sports a 36.1% career three-point field goal percentage. League average at the moment is 35.8%. So, all in all, he projects as a decent to even surprisingly good backup for Luol Deng.

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A fair number of fans remain a tad bitter about Forman's lack of action at the trade deadline. And many more still are longing for a replacement for Keith Bogans in the Bulls' starting five. Assuming Butler is added (there's been no official confirmation as of this writing), he may ease a few minds regarding the former but won't likely bring much comfort on the latter. Coach T will probably keep rolling Bogans onto the floor in the opening minutes for his intangible (and, often, unseeable) contributions.

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Still, this could very well turn out to be a good depth signing for a team that's been digging deep and finding ways to win all season. Catch the Bulls tonight on the road against the Atlanta Hawks. For a game preview, click here.