Chicago Bulls, Rip Hamilton look to stay healthy

The Chicago Bulls are going to be counting on Richard Hamilton a great deal this season. With Derrick Rose out for a sizable portion of the season, Hamilton will be the main point-scorer for the Bulls, at least in theory. Provided he's healthy, the offense will run through him. But Hamilton is in his 14th NBA season, and he's had some injury concerns in the past. That's why his focus right now is just staying healthy so he can be an asset to the team, as noted by Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago:

"This year, my biggest thing was just to try to come in and be as healthy as possible. When I'm healthy, I can play. When I ain't healthy, I ain't no good to the team sitting on the sidelines. So that's the biggest thing for me, just trying to stay healthy and trying to be a good teammate."

Hamilton missed 38 games due to various injuries last year and also missed plenty of time with Detroit in the previous season. He's not been the most durable player, but he's got a wealth of experience and if he can stay healthy, then Chicago will be plenty well off.

The piece goes on to note the confidence that the players (like Joakim Noah) and coaches have in Hamilton. They like the way he's looked thus far in the preseason, and at this point, he's totally healthy and not hampered by injuries. Whether or not that remains the case once the season gets up and running is a different story, however.