I already wrote something about the possibility of Derrick Rose's 3-point shot on my website, Outside the Clubhouse, when Rose discussed his newfound confidence in his jump shot last week. But I wanted to revisit it. I'm still excited about Rose smirking as he says the following to K.C. Johnson:

“It’s there; I have a consistent 3-point shot now,” Rose said Wednesday night. “You’ll see. I just have so much confidence in my jump shot now. It’s coming along so good. It’s past even my expectations at this point.”

I picture Rose smirking because he knows that with this, the rest of the league is in trouble. As much as I want Kyle Korver’s ability to rotate with great precision and skill to be true, this is far more important. If this is true, the ceiling for this, and every Bulls team over the next few years, has been raised.

Besides Carlos Boozer -- a star power forward who can score inside; something the Bulls have desperately needed for years -- Rose and the 3-point shot he claims he has is the biggest addition to the Bulls this offseason. I don't know if there’s a way to prove this, but if Rose is consistent and confident enough in his 3-point shot to shoot it at Deron Williams-level (3.4 attempts per game with a 37% shooting percentage), this shot is greater than Korver, Ronnie Brewer or C.J. Watson's entire set of skills.

And I think all of those were good moves for the Bulls; Rose hitting threes is just more important for the outlook of this team.

Offensively, Kyle Korver is a good fit for the Bulls. The Bulls needed someone who can shoot from the outside, and he should be a good addition to the pick-and-roll game they will surely use a lot. NBA Playbook demonstrates how he helps in that regard. The question is defense.

Earlier this week, I said I would have preferred only J.J. Redick because I think he’s a better defender. But I’ll give Korver a shot under the tutelage of Tom Thibodeau before I get too upset about whom the Bulls decided to pursue first.

After Monday’s introductory press conference, Korver told Boers and Bernstein (listen to the entire interview here) about how the Jazz graded their players on defense: the Utah coaches gave check marks to a player if he guarded his man correctly, boxed out, basically, was where he was supposed to be. Well, over the course of last season, Korver received the highest marks in the Utah class. This is a good sign for Thibodeau’s defense.

A lot of Thibodeau’s defense, and why the Celtics were successful, was because players knew where to go and were normally in the right position. For example: this diagram breaking down the Celtics’ pick-and-roll defense. Again, it’s from NBA Playbook.

The Celtics were able to create turnovers because they had some athletic players. The Bulls, with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, specifically, do too. And those two will have an important job double-teaming the ball-handler as he goes around the screen. But the guy responsible for covering the roll man is whomever is covering the wing player in the opposite corner, which is where I expect Korver will be when he’s on the floor.

At the link at NBA Playbook, check out the screen grabs and look for the Celtics’ Marquis Daniels. This should be the position that Korver is most often in, and while it’s an important part of the defense, it doesn’t take a whole lot of athleticism. Daniels simply slides into position and does what he was supposed to do. Something, according to Korver and the Jazz coaches, that Korver is great at.

Sebastian Pruiti, who writes NBA Playbook mentions how important it is to trust the other players on the floor to be where they’re supposed to be:

“You know how much trust it takes to just leave your man and go double the basketball (or make a play to get the steal)? … Sure, the strategy is great, but he got his players to trust their teammates and believe in the system, and that is a large part of the reason it worked as well.

With Korver in position, Rose and Noah can go hard at the guard maneuvering around the screen, knowing someone is there to take away the roll man option.

I’m not saying Korver will be a good defender. This is only one part of being a reliable defensive player and Korver still lacks some of the other parts. I’m also not changing my mind on who I’d rather have. But, I’m going to wait to see it in October before I judge.

Erick is a contributor to i94 Sports. You can find his daily thoughts at his site Outside the Clubhouse, and on Twitter at @OTCChicago23.

Speculation from Adrian Wojnarowski and others was that the Magic’s decision to sign Quentin Richardson meant they would be more willing to let J.J. Redick go to the Bulls with his front-loaded offer sheet. But Magic GM Otis Smith said, “One has nothing to do with the other,” and that the signing of Richardson won’t prevent them from signing Redick -- if they want to.

The Magic still haven’t decided if they want to. Because despite 2009-10 being Redick's best season as a pro, yet, and the Magic publicly saying they want to bring him back, Redick would cost the Magic nearly $14 million next season -- unless they were able to move a player or two off the roster. If they can’t clear cap space for Redick -- when you say that it means it's time for free agency to end -- it seems like it'd be hard to match the Bulls' front-loaded offer. The Bulls' offer includes a $7 million first year, which would also mean the Magic are paying dollar-for-dollar that amount in luxury tax. Count it, that’s $14 million for J.J. Redick -- and for less than three seasons.

Still, no matter where you stand on Redick -- want the Magic to save the Bulls by matching; hope he becomes the new starting 2-guard -- the Richardson signing is good news. Smith said Richardson has nothing to do with Redick, but he never said it didn’t signal the end of Matt Barnes’ time in Orlando.

Barnes, unlike Redick and Kyle Korver, has been a starter in this league. At the same position as Luol Deng, but still, I’ll take starter-caliber players where I can get them. And the Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson, reports the Bulls are thinking the same way. On the Magic’s acquisition of Richardson:

“It assures Matt Barnes’ exit, however, and the tough, defense-minded forward is on the Bulls’ radar.”

ESPN Chicago’s Nick Friedell thinks there’s a good chance Barnes would accept a three-year deal worth $12-$15 million. I think there are probably other teams thinking the same thing, though. Even so, I'd like it if an offer in that range was extended to Barnes sooner rather than later.

Friedell also notes that Barnes rarely misses games due to injury, while Luol Deng is the opposite of that. And besides defensive guru Tom Thibodeau, the Bulls’ offseason has focused primarily on the offensive end; you have to think the Thibodeau is begging GarPax to add at least one above average defensive player before the summer is over.

Best case scenario: The Magic decide to keep Redick, too.

Nothing against Redick. Personally, I’d rather have him than Korver. Both can shoot. But Redick can do a few other things -- or when it comes to defense, at least he tries to do a few other things. But it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks because Korver’s being introduced to the media this afternoon.

The Magic can still stop the Bulls from spending $20 million on a career bench player who will be thrown into the starting lineup, despite the fact that he does almost exactly the same things as another free agent signed earlier in the same day.

So the Bulls didn’t get LeBron. The much younger Big Three in Miami poises a big problem in the East for the Bulls, but at the very least the Bulls should be fun next season; definitely more enjoyable to watch than last season. It all becomes better if the Bulls manage to find some value with another piece or two, specifically a shooter. (Please be Anthony Morrow).

(Disclaimer: I wrote this before LeBron decided to choo choo choose the Heat, but I thought this older article I recently came across had some interesting nuggets in it. Also, pretty good breakdown of the pick-and-roll in the league today and how to defend it. End of disclaimer.)

Until a shooter comes though, the Bulls will have the pick-and-roll. With Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer, the pick-and-roll will make the Bulls better, as well as more entertaining.

First of all, Boozer can run it. NBA fans have seen him do it with Deron Williams; Rose is comparable enough to think the play will be similarly successful in Chicago.

Some forwards just have the skills to do it. Others ... well, they look like Joakim Noah -- setting poor screens and an ugly shot. Not a good combo.

But know this: While Boozer has the skills to run the pick-and-roll, he isn’t very well-practiced at the play. At least recently he isn't.

Kind of surprising, considering he played for the Jazz -- one of the all-time pick-and-roll teams. But according to this November 2009 New York Times article and Synergy analysis, the Jazz and the Lakers used the play less than any team in the NBA in two seasons ago. Only 11 percent of their plays originated with the pick-and-roll.

According to Deron Williams:

“Everybody just associates pick-and-rolls with us because of John and Karl. They ran it out a lot, but similar to us. We run it toward the end of the game when we need baskets, but we try to execute our offense first.”

Sloan says the Jazz don’t want the rest of the team standing and watching. Something much easier to do playing a two-man game.

With the lineup the way it is now, a two-man game isn’t the worst thing in the world. No one else on the current roster is particularly intriguing with the ball consistently in his hand.

If/when they add a shooter or two -- come on Morrow -- more creative offensive sets would be welcomed. Real offensive plays: another reason to expect next season to be much more entertaining than the last one.

Erick is a contributor to i94 Sports. You can find his daily thoughts at his site Outside the Clubhouse, and on Twitter at @OTCChicago23.

Interesting stuff from Bill Simmons over at ESPN's Page 2. According to Simmons, there is a strong possibility that the trio of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade (add Chris Paul for fun, he is a free agent come 2012) may have made a "pact" to join forces during their Olympic run in Beijing in 2008.

If LeBron says the word "Miami" tonight, does that mean the rumor was true? Or at least discussed by those guys? Because how could anyone make up something that loony? In 2008, you and I could have sat in a room for 10 hours trying to make up the craziest possible sports rumor and never come up with "Bosh, LeBron, Wade and/or Paul all made a pact in China to play together" without throwing in some improbably bizarre addendum like, "And they did so right after covering up the shooting of Jayson Williams' chauffeur." Was the rumor accurate? Did they stick to their guns? Will we ever find out the truth?

Was all of this a giant charade? Did all of these guys know where they were headed when all of this began, or that they would at least be headed to the same place? The plot, if true, was masterfully executed. Staying mum on the whole thing basically allowed the three of them to pick their destination (which according to Simmons was preferably New York) while so many teams scrambled to clear room. In the end Wade chose Miami, the best case scenario for his pocket book.

Bosh, who has the same agent as Wade chose Miami as well, and he walks away from this gaining exactly what he wanted, something he hasn't been able to do with his play alone, Super Star Status. Bosh is a really solid player, a career 20-9 guy. Now though, attached to Wade, and possibly LeBron, he will really gain the notority he wants.

I still question what is in this for LeBron, it's definitely not the money if he picks the Heat. He's not even looking so good in the public eye at the moment. Wade chooses to stay put in Miami, everyone can deal with that. Bosh, who was just a piece of the puzzle, follows him in an effort to win a title. Fine. LeBron, on the other hand, schedules a TV special to announce his decision, and in the mean time you can't log on to Twitter or ESPN without a new rumor hitting the wire.

One minute it's Cleveland, then he's on a plane to Miami, then it's New York, now it's Miami again (notice that Chris Paul mention in there). Now I hear he's planning a party in South Beach this weekend. The only thing that will come of this is a strong distaste for the Heat, LeBron, or both.

New York fans will feel snubbed by the whole process, Cleveland fans will be ruined if he leaves them on national television, even Nets fans are getting hopes up (sort of) with each new signing they make. Then there is the Bulls.

With the addition of Carlos Boozer the Bulls are considerably better. Boozer is a career 17-10 guy with 44 games of playoff experience in which his numbers rise to 20-12. LeBron obviously make this team elite, and should he choose Miami, one could argue that the Bulls may not be contenders for 3-5 years, but the Bulls did all they could to attract one of the trio, and when it didn't work they grabbed the next best thing.

Should LBJ wind up in Miami, the Bulls are 4th best team in the East when you wake up tomorrow (Miami, Orlando, Boston and Chicago). After all the hype over the last couple of weeks, can you handle that Bulls fans?

Nearly 24 hours from the start of free agency, the only addition to the Bulls we're sure about is Tom Thibodeau. A lot of things about the Bulls still depends on where LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, etc. decide to play; however, one thing that won't matter is how Thibodeau will teach defense.

NBA Playbook, the best blog/website that focuses on playcalling in the NBA that I've come across, looked at Thibodeau's defensive philosophy at great depth on Monday. Specifically, how the Celtics defend the pick and roll; therefore, how the Bulls will defend the pick and roll.

Important to know going into the screen-by-screen and video breakdown of the Celtics' defense is that the Bulls were as good or better than the Celtics at defending the pick and roll last season. Where the difference is, is in the turnover rates; and what Sebastian Pruiti, who writes NBA Playbook and NetsAreScorching, thinks is that Thibodeau should help the Bulls develop the trust it takes to go for turnovers, like the Celtics did.

"You know how much trust it takes to just leave your man and go double the basketball (or make a play to get the steal)? I think that is an important factor of Thibodeau's defense last year. Sure, the strategy is great, but he got his players to trust their teammates and believe in the system, and that is a large part of the reason it worked as well."

While the people running the defense is important, so is how Thibodeau coaches it and how the players accept it. 

Now, while you wait for free agency to begin, go check out the post.

Erick is a contributor to i94 Sports. You can find his daily thoughts at his site Outside the Clubhouse.

As a hockey novice following the Blackhawks, I have to try and bring everything back to something I do understand. And after watching the Flyers' Daniel Carcillo in the first period and wanting someone to punch him in the face, I couldn't help but think, "This is how others must feel about Joakim Noah."

Of course, while both may be annoying to opposing fan bases, Noah would never get a DNP - Coach's Decision during a playoff game. Something Carcillo, basically, was for the last three games, as a healthy scratch.

Like the Bulls, I’m taking my time to evaluate all the possible head coaches. It’s hard because most of them have no track record (Elston Turner), have been out of the league for so long it’s difficult to put a finger on their style (Doug Collins), or whose careers were so up and down that, again, it’s difficult to say where they rank as a head coach (Byron Scott and Lawrence Frank).

Also, there are a lot of names; really, it's hard to find a place to start.

The Bulls are taking their time as well, so I don't feel bad or too far behind. Anyways, enough rambling, let’s start where the Bulls started: Elston Turner.

In no way is Elston Turner the hottest assistant coaching prospect available; that would be Tom Thibodeau. Still, Turner’s résumé is good enough that his hiring wouldn’t compare to Vinny Del Negro's in terms of being a complete disaster. How's that for a compliment?

What would make this hire a disaster is the assumptions that would go with it. I feel confident saying if Turner is hired, the Bulls will not/would not have signed LeBron James. Solely because of that, I have no interest in Turner and I think it would be a bad hire.

As for the résumé, he’s a long-time assistant to Rick Adelman -- both in Houston and Sacramento. Other than that, I don’t know much else to say about him.

Clippers blogger and ESPN contributor Kevin Arnovitz does know some things and he dropped some Turner knowledge when breaking down the Clippers’ potential head coaches for ESPN Los Angles. With that, I get out of the way ... for the most part.

Over the weekend, Chris Bosh tweeted, "Been wanting to ask. Where should I go next season and why?" Less than an hour later, he tried to clarify and said he meant, "... Should I stay or should I go?"

Bosh isn't fooling us though; it's hard to picture him returning to Toronto.

I didn't send him a response. In the moment, I couldn't fit any convincing arguments in the alotted space. And I thought more than one reply from @OTCChicago23 would just annoy him. Plus, it doesn't matter what any followers tell Bosh.

But for fun, I would have probably sent him something like this:

@chrisbosh Chicago: Rose, need inside scoring, you'd be great next to Noah, no Hedu

So, what would you tell him? And keep in mind, according to the LA Times, Rockets fans were on his tail as well.

Image courtesy of Raptors Republic.

Erick is a contributor to i94 Sports. You can find his daily thoughts at his site Outside the Clubhouse.