According to Carrie Muskat, the Cubs outrighted RP Manny Corpas off the 40-man roster to make room for RP Kerry Wood. Corpas is still under contract with the Cubs after he signed a split contract with the team on December 23rd. Corpas will be a non-roster invitee to big league came and compete for a spot in the Cubs’ bullpen.

So … the Kerry Wood signing finally became official today after he the Cubs announced the signing of him at the Cubs convention on January 13th. Kerry Wood will receive 3 million in 2012 and has a 3 million club option for 2013.

The Cubs 40-man roster is at 40 right now.

The rest of the non-roster invitees to big league camp are still expected to be announced this week.

Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/01/26/cubs-outright-manny-corpas/

It’s no secret that the Chicago Bears have always had a great tradition of linebackers. Players like Bill George, Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher all come to mind when discussing the linebacker legacy in Chicago.

Earlier this week ESPN.com launched a new list of the top 20 current players that could play in any NFL era.

Each day from Monday January 23rd to Friday January 27, ESPN reveals four players that could play in any NFL era. The panel which consists of Hall of Fame players votes on who they feel would make an impact, no matter what era that play in.

Many Bears fans believe that Urlacher would make the list. Now it’s official.

ESPN announced earlier today that Urlacher is No.5 on the list of players. Finishing ahead of players like Jared Allen, Aaron Rodgers, James Harrison, and Tom Brady.

Here’s what some Hall of Fame players have to say about Urlacher:

Mike Ditka

I think he would have been playing outside linebacker with Dick Butkus, no question. We had a lot of great linebackers in Chicago — Dick Butkus, Bill George, Mike Singletary. Brian Urlacher is a very athletic guy playing middle linebacker. He’s got a nonstop motor. Brian Urlacher has stood the test of time. He’ll go down as one of the best middle linebackers in history. He’s very deserving of being on this team.

John Randle

The big thing about Brian Urlacher is his longevity. He does it year after year, and when you think of the Chicago Bears, you think of Brian Urlacher. He’s there week in, week out. To me, the best part of being a player and being a Hall of Famer is longevity.

Jim Brown

Brian Urlacher plays an intelligent game but is also very physical and very tough. He can apply his physicality with a mentality that fits into the game plan. His mental toughness is as good as it gets.

You can read the full article and see the complete list here

Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/01/26/brian-urlacher-makes-espns-nfl-any-era-team/

A four-year starter, Kendall Wright was a three-star  athlete out of high school, choosing Baylor over Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas AM. He saw immediate action in 2008 as a true freshman (8 starts), recording a team-best 50 catches for 649 yards (13.0) and 5 scores (all school freshman records). Wright saw more playing time in 2009 as a sophomore with 11 starts, finishing with a team-best 66 catches for 740 yards (11.2) and 4 touchdowns, earning All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors. He again led the team in receiving in 2010 as a junior (11 starts), recording 78 receptions for 952 yards (12.2) and 7 scores, earning Second Team All-Big 12 honors. Wright had his best season in 2011 as a senior with 12 starts, finishing second in the Big 12 with 108 catches for 1,663 yards (second in the NCAA) (15.4) and 14 touchdowns, earning First Team All-Big 12 and Second Team All-American honors. He finished his collegiate career with almost every school receiving record.

Wright was a do-everything weapon out of high school and was recruited as a QB, RB and CB before earning a starting WR job as a true freshman,  also played on the Baylor basketball team in 2008. He is a gifted, all-around athlete who explodes to full speed with the body fluidity and foot agility to burst in any direction ? exceptionally quick footwork and gets upfield in a hurry. Wright creates separation with his dynamic qualities and is the best deep threat in this draft ? Baylor?s go-to target for four years and the type of player where the game appears to slow down for him. He lacks ideal size for the next level and isn’t yet a polished WR, but he is a playmaker with the ball in his hands and makes things happen at all levels of the field ? a first round lock and one of my favorite players in this draft class because of his natural skill to start and produce from day one as an X or Y receiver in the pros.

Source: CBS Sports

ANALYSIS

Release: An impressive athlete with very quick acceleration to reach his top speed quickly and stretch the field. Very good body control and smooth movements. Plays fast and explosive. Short and lacks an imposing frame. Smaller target and didn?t see a lot of press coverage in the Big 12.

Hands: A savvy, natural hands-catcher with reliable hands and very good focus. A natural plucker who snatches the ball out of the air and shows the concentration to make acrobatic catches look easy. Does a nice job locating and tracking deep passes and is a legitimate vertical threat. Will go up and attack the ball, catching the ball in stride and quickly getting downfield ? looks to score every time he touches the ball. Has smallish hands and will have some drops.

Route running: Has a knack for getting open and is a quarterbacks? best fiend ? passers just need to toss the ball in his area and he?ll come down with it. A versatile weapon, proving to be effective inside in the slot and outside on the perimeter. Makes plays at all levels of the field. Still improving as a route runner and needs to do a better job selling his path ? needs to sell slants and in-cuts better.

After the catch: Has elite balance tight-roping the sideline and in-and-out of his breaks, showing excellent start/stop ability and burst ? slippery runner with elusive footwork. Has little-to-no wasted movements between the reception and burst upfield ? dangerous after the catch with solid build and toughness to break tackles. Has good body strength to squirm out of tackles with the coordination to maneuver his frame between defenders. Shifty and elusive in the open field with very good vision. Creative with the ball in his hands and shows impressive feel for where he is on the field and the defenders around him.

Blocking: Wright has good playing strength for his frame and takes pride in his blocking. Very physical and aggressive.

Intangibles: Fearless over the middle and does a lot of his damage between the hashmarks. Wants the ball more than anyone else on the field. Confident and tough, playing through several injuries over his career. There is a lot to love about his effort and drive ? a top competitor who gives full effort on every snap. A fiery leader who plays with football intensity and determination ? type of player who will run through a wall for his team. Smart and shows elite feel and focus for the position. Has very good starting experience (42 starts), leading Baylor in receiving all four years of his college career. A versatile weapon (former high school quarterback) with 2 career passing touchdowns, 2 rushing scores and experience as a returner on special teams. Extremely productive over his college career, holding almost every school receiving record and finishing his time at Baylor with 302 catches, 4,004 yards (13.3), 30 receiving touchdowns and 19 career 100+ yd receiving performances ? had at least two catches in every game Baylor played the past four years (50 games). Has some durability concerns, battling through ankle, shoulder and knee injuries as a senior. Has received penalties in the past for excessive celebration and needs to keep his emotions under control. Played in a high-tempo, spread offense with the Heisman Trophy winner as his quarterback so his statistics might be inflated a tad.

NFL Comparison: Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers

– Dane Brugler, CBS Sports

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Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/01/26/bears-2012-draft-kendall-wright-draft-profile-wr-from-baylor/

Another key injury this season came at the running back position for the Chicago Bears. Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte sprained his MCL in a week 13 loss against the Chiefs.

He never returned this season and that all but ended the Chicago Bears season.

Forte was having another great year and with his contract up, was expecting to sign a contract extension with the Bears. That never happened. From the looks of it, the Bears are content on using the franchise tag on Forte.

Forte has proven his worth. He lead the Bears in yards from scrimmage, and was top 5 in the NFL in that same category before he was hurt.

Forte started off the season strong and although the Bears were struggling at 1-3, Forte was a bright spot in the offense. Forte was not only a threat in the rushing game but he was Cutlers top target for most of the season.

With Forte playing well and the Bears offense starting to click after a week six win over the Vikings, the Bears were on the rise and a a potential playoff run.

Then it all went down hill.

As the Bears lost five of their last six games, they also used three different running backs during that stretch. Fortes shoes were going to be hard to fill, and it showed during that five game losing stretch.

Marion Barber took over as the starting running back, and was serviceable at times. He wasn’t a horrible back-up, but one key mistake could have cost the Bears their season. Against Denver, the Bears held a late lead. As they tried to run the clock down, Barber made a mental mistake and ran out of bounds.

You know the rest of the story, it was Tebow Time.

Khalil Bell became the starter the following week against Seattle as Barber suffered an injury. The Bears resorted to Bell and Armando Allen as their backups.

Bell had some pretty good games down the stretch and was a bright spot for the Bears. He’s given himself a chance to backup Matt Forte next season.

It’s hard to imagine how far this Bears team could have gone this season barring the injuries they had. One thing is for certain, many Bears fans want to see Matt Forte signed for the long term.

With the nucleus of Forte and Cutler, it gives the Bears something to build around for the future. It’s just up to the bears to get it done.

Final Grade:  B-

Reason for the Grade: Forte had an outstanding season. His injury was a key loss for the Bears, who were on their way to the playoffs. Forte earns an A- himself. Barber and Bell were good backups and at least gave the Bears somewhat of hope.

Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/01/25/grading-da-bears-running-backs-2/

Survivor from VirtualSportsDaily composed a great Top 10 Wish list for features he wants to see in NCAA Football 13. Let’s take a look at them and see how it stacks up with our own wishes.

1. Getting it Right

It might sound ridiculous, but it has to be addressed. Last year the retail game was arguably broken if not patched thanks to issues with progression, pump fakes, and uniform degradation (among other things). This year it seems two of those three problems found their way into the game AGAIN, as well as the blank custom playbooks bug. How about releasing a game that is polished for the most part? Maybe it isn’t a feature, but it would certainly speak to EA’s professionalism if half the players in the game weren’t 99s by season 5 in dynasties.

While they’re at it, take the features added this year and spend a while polishing them up. Conference Realignment should have an AI system that doesn’t put all the power in the Users hands. How do I know when my FAU Owls are worthy of an ACC invite? (psssst; I don’t) The 3D grass looks good in most situations but in replays you can clearly tell it is just on a grid and, it’s ruined many screenshots for me.

P.S. Ben, your dreads look like shit. If you are going to do something, don’t half-ass it.

Reading early reports had me excited that the new tackling and momentum system would take player’s physical attributes into consideration for the first time in franchise history. That doesn’t seem to be the case as my 240 lbs halfback still acts like a ballerina and my 6’6 tight end is getting jacked by 5’9 corners on the daily. If they can just ATTEMPT to implement a physics system (ala FIFA or NHL) then I’m sure most people here would respect that and be patient with them.

This addition seems the most likely out of this year’s list as they seemed to already experiment with a physics engine on the pylons.

Now this year they took some strides with the lighting and the game looks absolutely phenomenal on my 1080p HDTV. I can’t complain one bit about how replays look or how I feel about the graphics as a whole. Granted, sometimes I feel the graphics don’t seem all too improved in actual gameplay, but I’m probably being nitpicky. That being said I think they could add variety to what we see on the field. I think they could definitely work on the textures in the game as players just seem to have a generic feel to me. Last year I put “Graphical Perfection” as #5 on my list, and they made things look pretty good, but still there are about 40 faces in the game.

For the love of God, give us a face editor and enable GameFace to work for RTG or created prospects. Allow for the players to display their discounted tattoos with pride as they play in primetime rivalries year in and year out. Give us more than a t-shirt, sweatervest, and suit when we lead our players out on the field. When each team has 70 players and there are 120 teams, there should be more variety with these sort of things. Seriously.

Each team has different plays, formations, and strategies; no team plays the same way. Likewise, few teams organize their depth charts the same way either. Dynamic Depth Charts would give users the ability to change positions to fit how they play. For example, some teams designate positions by left or right, but others by strong and weak. This would give you the ability to designate strong/weak-side linebackers, offensive lineman, defensive backs, etc. who would line up differently each play based on what is called or how the offense lines up.

Dynamic Depth Charts could also be organized by series or situation. Imagine being able to alternate starting halfbacks by every other series, or creating a defensive line rotation. I know I would love to have this for when my players are getting tired and I just need that extra kick, or when I need that pass rushing specialist on 3rd and long.

“Coverage Matchups” could also be a part of this expanded depth chart idea.

…if I were on the sideline I wouldn’t care about the touchdown play either.

This might be a personal beef, but everytime I look at a sideline in NCAA I want to vomit. Nothing is moving at all, besides the cheerleaders and the three #65s that are jumping and clapping in unison. I want to see the sideline players all doing different things. I want to see the camera crews and photographers following the play. I want it to seem like everyone is absorbed in what is happening on the field. It might not seem worth the effort to most people, but to me I’d rather them scrap something like RTG and focus more on believable sidelines, gameplay, and dynasty.

Honestly, this should probably be higher, but all of these additions seem so necessary that a well-thought out ordering of them would have been a waste of time. The bottom line is Erin Andrew’s sweet sweet voice can only do so much for a commentary crew that hasn’t changed in ten years or so. Let’s mix it up and start from scratch. Bring back untelevised games, and bring in another crew for less significant displays. How about having an ABC, ESPN, and CBS all with their own crews and presentation? What? That’s too much? Well the least you can do is give us a lot more commentary that relates to the situation and the significance of games in dynasties.

And while we are at it, I love the custom entrances but I skip them after the first week on the game and so does everyone else. Ben, again, you need to think these things through. Spend more time on cutscenes that are unavoidable like injuries, timeouts, celebrations, etc. etc. These are what will bring the game to life moreso than hitting a sign before the game.

Weather can make close games into legendary games… and rain never comes down at the same strength without stopping for three hours straight. Start a game in the sunshine and end it with gusts of wind and spotty showers. Have a first half during a hurricane and let the second half be played on a calm, muddy field.

Mini-games are back on my wish-list this year as well. It was so much fun practicing with my quarterbacks by throwing in those rings on last-gen NCAA, or even coffincorner punts. Those mini-games were a great success and it’s a shame that Madden took them out for the combine style games (which suck). NCAA can bring them back and even use them in my 9th feature:

Yep, another old feature we need back, and we need it back in the biggest way. At this point we have no control over progression or how our players are developing in the offseason. Bringing back the spring game, but also integrating the minigames in and a few more scrimmages would help us shape our team, albeit slightly, to how we want to play. Suggestions for gaining/losing weight could be brought back in and all the games/scrimmages could culminate with a fun spring game and spring awards presentation at halftime. Suddenly the offseason is fun again.

Another fun part of this would be letting freshman come in early and participate before their first season with the team.

The only way for NCAA to make everyone happy is to make the game fit for everyone through customization. This doesn’t just have to be with the current gameplay sliders but could encompass so much more. A new player fatigue system with sliders could add so much to the game in terms of a need for player depth at certain positions, as well as sliders for how the CPU recruits or how hard it is to be invited into a new conference or how hard it is to change prestige/progress/etc. etc. Think about it, or if you are Ben, make it happen.

As always, I’ll put my Dynasty Honerable Mentions now:

• Put the Student back in Student Athlete by giving recruits GPAs, and hidden student ratings that could affect their eligibility going forward. Once on campus give each student a major that might be mentioned by the commentators in-game. It could be integrated into the Coaching Goals for schools with high prestige requiring you to hold your team to higher standards/higher graduation rates/etc.
• As stated briefly in the sliders wish, a fatigue system would benefit the game tremendously. Defensive lineman do not last in college football and you absolutely have to have depth in the trenches. In this game there really is no need for significant depth. Allow fatigue to play a part in every game and effect different positions differently. Allow there to be more disparities between stamina ratings, but allow it to go up and down easier than other ratings. Allow for season-long fatigue and integrate injuries/fatigue together.
• Scouting should be part of the recruiting process. Use the high school fields and send scouts out each week so that the user can play high school games with the recruits they are interested in.

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Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/01/25/top-ten-wishlist-for-ncaa-football-13/

As the White Sox have been trying to fill the centerfield gap since traded fan favorite Aaron Rowand after the World Series campaign of 2005. The newest possibility, Cuban Defector Yoenis Cespedes has become eligible to negotiate with big league teams now that he has established legal residency in the Dominican Republic. The residency was confirmed by Edgar Mercedes during a telephone interview Tuesday with Major League Baseball.

Although he is now a free agent and able to negotiate, MLB said Cespedes cannot finalize a contract until he obtains an unblocking license from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control because he is a Cuban national who has established residency in another country.

The 26 year old outfielder defected to the Dominican Republic this summer after hitting .333 with 33 homers and 99 RBI for the Cuban national team during the 2010-11 season.

Cespedes said that along with White Sox expressing interest in him so did the Cubs, Marlins, Orioles, Tigers and Indians. According to a tweet by CBS’s Danny Knobler “He [Cespedes] has told teams he would prefer not to play in Miami”. And the Tiger appear to be out after the signing of Prince Fielder.
A plus in the Sox column would be newly christened right fielder Dayan Viciedo’s recruitment of Cespedes, “I have reached out to both of their camps, Soler and Cespedes, and put in a good word and told them how great the organization is and that they would be a good fit if they both came over to join us,” Viciedo said through translator Jackson Miranda. Also, the success they have seen with other Cuban defectors such as Alexei Ramirez and Jose Contreras

This winter, Cespedes hit .143 with a home run and 10 strikeouts in 35 at-bats in the Dominican Winter League which some have speculated may has hurt his value.

According to CBS’s Danny Knobler, “Several teams that have scouted Cespedes heavily believe that he would be best served by beginning 2012 in the minor leagues” but he also points out that due to his probable high cost, pressure would be heavy to move him to the Majors quickly.

I would be surprised to see the Sox be big players on Cespedes as according to Bruce Levine Cespedes is looking for a long-term deal in the $50 million to $60 million range and they already have 50M through 2015 in Alex Rios and are in the process of rebuild or retooling.

Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/01/25/yoenis-cespedes-updated/

While speaking with the media today, Coach Tom Thibodeau confirmed that starting small forward Luol Deng has a torn ligament in his left wrist. Deng injured the wrist Saturday night against the Bobcats, and missed the game against the Nets on Monday while consulting second opinions about his course of action.

Deng thus far had claimed that the wrist was “fine” and that he was working to get back. However Lu came out today and confirmed that he “…knew it was something serious when it happened.”

As of now, Deng plans to try and play through the pain without surgery, but he will take at least a few weeks off until the pain subsides.

When asked why he is putting off surgery, which he will likely have to have in the offseason regardless, Deng replied,

“I really feel like we have a very good chance of doing something special. I feel that without the surgery I will be fine. I just know what I can and can’t do with it. I think I will be very effective out there. There will be days where it’s sore. We’re going to try to control how sore it gets. Everybody’s body responds differently. I’m very confident I’ll be able to handle it.”

Especially remembering that Deng missed a significant amount of time in 2005 to end his rookie year with the same injury in his other hand, it’s great to see Deng trying to play down the injury and tough it out.

Unlike the turf toe that Rose has, the torn ligament cannot get any worse by playing through it. Kobe Bryant has played through a similar, if less serious version, of this injury throughout the season.

Deng is listed by Thibs as “week to week.”

Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/01/24/luol-deng-to-miss-significant-time-with-wrist-injury/

Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge made headlines last week when he publicly declared on WEEI in Boston that he’d consider breaking up the Big Three of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce:

“Of course if we get the opportunity to make a trade that will help our team, we’ll do it”

Ainge went into great detail on how former general manager and legendary head coach Red Auerbach had opportunities to trade their older players but decided against it with poor results:

“He (Auerbach) had a chance to trade Larry (to Indiana) for Chuck Person and Herb Williams and (Steve) Stipanovich and he had a chance to trade Kevin (to Dallas) for Detlef Schrempf and Sam Perkins. I was like, ‘Are you kidding?’ I mean, I feel that way now. If I were presented with those kind of deals for our aging veterans, it’s a done deal to continue the success.”

Where does this put the Chicago Bulls? Simple.

The veteran guard’s resume speaks for itself, he is arguably the league’s greatest three-point shooter of all time, has averaged 20.2 points per game in his career including a 16.5 points per game last season.

In 2011-12, thus far Allen is at 14.9 PPG, the worst since his rookie year, but also sports a 17.1 PER, his best number since 2008-09.

Allen’s best days are behind him, but you get that with any 36-year-old. The key is that Allen makes the Chicago Bulls a better team this year.

The Bulls sit at 15-3 right now and are the top seed in the Eastern Conference this year. Despite this, they still have potential matchup problems with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. Allen helps the Bulls close that talent gap and adds another wrinkle to the Bulls attack.

These points are all obvious; an issue arises in whom the Bulls could give up for Allen.

Ainge stated he needed the opportunity, which in this case means the right deal. He does not want to take on a player or contract like Carlos Boozer. The key to any Celtics trade will be youth.

Another question is contract, while Ainge doesn’t want to take on a deal like Boozer’s, Allen is still at $10 million this year, anyone with knowledge of NBA trades knows you have to match money.

Allen’s deal expires at the end of this year meaning that $10 million can come off the books and add a bargaining chip to any potential Bulls free agents.

Hypothetically, the Bulls need to offer youth, talent and match the contracts.

The deal that seems to fit the most for me is Jimmy Butler, Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver for Allen.

In a macro sense, ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine says this deal is a plus-three wins advantage to the Bulls and a minus-two to the Celtics. All told, that is not too bad and it is made worse by Butler’s lack of playing time this season.

From the perspective of a Bulls fan, it is extremely tough to make this deal. Butler, while playing very limited minutes, is still an intriguing prospect. He has the physical tools to be a top-tier defender in the league and has looked above average offensively in his short stints.

Brewer is a completely different story, largely a disappointment last season, Brewer has been one of the Bulls most valuable players this season. He is hitting 50 percent of his shots from long distance and is averaging 6.9 points per game. Most importantly, Brewer is the Bulls second-best defender. Losing him would be a gigantic blow.

Korver, despite some early season struggles, has looked great over the past two weeks. He has raised his three-point percentage to 44 and has really thrived as a member of the “Bench Mob.”

Korver is due $5 million over the next two years which is about his market value if not slightly above.

I have trouble deciding if I would make this deal or not. I really do. Allen makes them a better team this year; I have no doubt of that.

Despite a recent ankle injury (which does not appear to be severe), Allen is still an elite shooter in the NBA. Moreover, Allen’s playoff history shows the amount of damage he can do when it matters most.

The big issue, though, is long-term. Brewer appears to be coming into his own; you would absolutely hate to give him up just as he is seemingly entering his prime.

Korver’s three-point shooting would hurt to lose but when you’re talking about upgrading to Allen, it’s a moot point.

Butler is an interesting question as well. You could argue he is easily replaceable but he could be special. He is raw offensively, but the talk around the Bulls is that he has the ability to one day be an everyday player in the league.

The fact remains, you do not wait for that one day…you go for the championship this year.

Allen’s $10 million comes off the books next year so you can always sign a free agent to fill the void left by Brewer and the draft can always present itself with intriguing prospects like Butler.

It is a hard pill to swallow but for a team with a championship window, short-term moves need to be a priority. If Ainge wants to trade Allen for the right deal, the Bulls should do what they can to acquire him.

Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/01/24/finding-the-right-deal-for-the-chicago-bulls-boston-celtics-and-ray-allen/

Brian Scalabrine, aka The White Mamba, displayed some sick skills vs the Nets earlier tonight. With a little over 9 minutes left to go into the 2nd quarter, Scalabrine made it evident it was MAMBA TIME. Why even dunk with hang-time like this?

You can order the White Mamba T-Shirt from ChitownClothing here for just $19.99 

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Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/01/23/white-mamba-aka-brian-scalabrine-displays-sick-skills-with-reverse-lay-up/

Perceptions of Rasheed Wallace are wide-ranging and many of them are negative.  Throw in the fact that he’s been out of the game for a year and a half and it can really seem foolish to consider signing him.  But it’s not like the Bulls are searching for a significant contributor.  What they do need is another big man to stack the bench a bit more, which could prove crucial come the playoffs.

There are certainly question marks with Rasheed Wallace.  Will he be willing to accept a minor role, in which he may not appear at all in some games?  Will his uncontrolled antics lead to dissension and unnecessary technical fouls?  Does he have anything left in the tank after being out of the game for a year and a half?  These are all viable questions, but all the answers point in favor of giving Sheed a chance.

Two years ago, Wallace accepted a bench role with the Boston Celtics, who went all the way to the Finals before losing in seven games to the Lakers.  Moreover, Wallace was coached by former Celtic assistant and now Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.  Not only does it appear that he’d willingly accept a spot on the “Bench Mob,” but he also has learned many of Thibodeau’s coaching principles and could aptly adjust to Chicago’s style of play. 

In regards to Wallace’s famed antics, I doubt this would be an issue, mainly because he wouldn’t be seeing the court as much as he did in his Portland and Detroit days, when he gathered T’s like it was his job.  Moreover, he is older now and I’d hope maturity would be settling in at least a little bit. 

And concerning his level of play after being away from the game, I also don’t foresee this to be a major issue, because he won’t be asked to log loads of minutes.  If he can provide spot minutes here and there and be ready to fill in if one of Noah, Boozer, Gibson, or Asik get hurt, then super.  That would be his role.

Last year, the Bulls possessed savvy veteran Kurt Thomas, who bolted for Portland in the offseason.  While that’s not a major loss, it’s still a loss that creates a void.  Right now, the Bulls are laden with injuries.  Omer Asik, Carlos Boozer, and Brian Scalabrine were the only healthy big men playing on Saturday against Charlotte.  That’s a predicament — a predicament that should most definitely be avoided come the playoffs.  If such a situation resurrects itself in the playoffs, having a body like Rasheed would not only be helpful, but pivotal.

Rasheed’s an extra big body and a veteran mind who has experienced a vast amount of playoff games, including winning a championship with Detroit in 2004.  While the inital thought of signing him may be perplexing, further indications reveal that his presence is worth the gamble.

Article source: http://www.chicitysports.com/2012/01/23/bulls-should-consider-signing-rasheed-wallace/