Rip Hamilton returned to the lineup and to The Palace of Auburn Hills as the Bulls ripped up the Pistons, 99-83 in a game which saw a multitude of scorers for the Bulls and a plethora of nasty little cheap shots by the Pistons late in the game.
The worst of those saw the Bulls' MVP Derrick Rose get knocked to the ground for a couple of minutes. After the game, he had X-Rays on it and had it wrapped in ice. He did finish out the game though, so in all likelihood those are merely precautionary moves.
While some people might be wondering why he was still in the game, you should probably let your thoughts drift back to last night. Leads in the mid-teens aren't necessarily safe.
Since there wasn't much drama to the game, I thought I'd take some time to celebrate Hamilton's double-return by discussing his impact on the team, particularly since it was on such vivid display in the game.
In all, the Bulls had five players score in double figures, a trend which has happened with much more regularity this season than last. This year, the Bulls have averaged 4.28 players per game with double-digit scoring totals compared to just 3.95 players last year.
This is a big aspect of the Rip Hamilton effect. It's not merely Hamilton's scoring, but the balance he brings forces the court to be spread. Carlos Boozer has been one of the beneficiaries of this phenomenon, and tonight, he took advantage of that, hitting 9-of-15 from the field for 19 points.
Other players in double figures were Rose (17 points), Hamilton (14), Joakim Noah (13) and Gibson (12).
The Bulls offense is just better with Hamilton on the court. Based on numbers form Stats Cube, not including tonight's game, the Bulls 106.7 points per 100 possessions while Hamilton is on the court compare to just 99.6 while he's on the bench.
Overall, the Bulls average five more field goals per 48 minutes with Hamilton on the court than on the bench, and they shoot 46.7 percent when he's on the court compared to 42.6 percent when he's on the bench, and those numbers should come up even more after tonight's game.
Particularly interesting is the whereabouts of those extra field goals. The Bulls shoot 46 percent form midrange with Hamilton on the court compared to 27 percent from that range while he's on the bench. Considering that's what he does, it's not that big of a shock, but all of those shots aren't his.
Taking that into consideration, it's little wonder that with his return, the Bulls as a team made up for last night's abysmal shooting by hitting 40 of their 76 field goal attempts, knocking down 52.6 percent of their attempts.
His presence on the court spreads it and makes it easier for everyone. This is the reason the Bulls got him. This is the reason that the same way of defending Rose is not going to work this year.
The Bulls also assist at a higher rate of their shots, 17.7 compared to 16.2 while Hamilton is on the court. Once again, that was visible tonight, and those numbers should come up even more, as the Bulls assisted on 31 of their 40 field goals.
It was the second time this season where the Bulls topped 29 assists, something they did only seven times all of last year. .
The balance of scoring, higher assist rate and higher field goal percentage are not just coincidental. They coincide because they're related. With so many players who can score, and with that kind of selfishness on the team, defenses have no one to key on.
What was also encouraging tonight is that the Bulls defense was fine with Hamilton on the court. They had a defensive rating of just 92.54, and that was in spite a bit of sloppy defense at the end of the game.
It was good to see the return of Hamilton, not so much to Auburn Hills, but to the Bulls lineup anyway. The Bulls offense is certainly more effective with him in it, and tonight, once again showed it.
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