The Chicago Bulls brought one of their former players back this offseason when they signed free agent guard Kirk Hinrich away from the Atlanta Hawks. The next step is finding out whether he'll play as a point guard during his second stint in Chicago or if he'll primarily play off the ball when he's summoned off of the bench.
There hasn't really been any indication either way from the Bulls' front office, but it's likely he'll see considerable time at both positions this season -- at least until Derrick Rose returns from injury, and order to the depth chart can be restored a bit. That said, ESPN's John Hollinger is a much bigger believer in Hinrich as shooting guard rather than a point guard.
One thing that's obvious from his tenure as a Hawk is that he's much more effective as a 2 than a 1, at both ends of the floor. Atlanta played some of its best ball late in the season with Hinrich starting at the off guard, where he can be a defensive menace and spot up on the weak side.
Defensively, he can't handle quick point guards anymore but he's still great against wing isos. Although he gives up inches on the wing he's great at crowding opponents and taking away their space. Opposing 2s had just an 11.0 PER against him, according to 82games.com.
Considering this information, it'll be interesting to see whether the Bulls attempt to use Hinrich more off the ball despite his reputation as a combo-guard.
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