Training Camp Invites - Chicago Bulls

RU's look at players invited to training camp - in baseball they'd be called non-roster invitees - rolls on.  Now that the camps have actually started and teams have started cutting players it will be a little tougher to talk about these guys as if they have a shot to make a roster, but I'll do my best.  Milwaukee, for example, has already waived all four of the players they brought in.  Heck, Detroit didn't even bother to invite anyone.  Our run through the Central Division should be quick, since there are only three teams who still have some players on their roster that we're interested in.  First up, Chicago.

Derrick Byars - Byars got a full-length profile earlier this offseason, so I'll just touch on a few highlights: he was a very smart and skilled college player, but since then has mostly spent time in Europe and the D-League in addition to getting a few preseason NBA looks.  He doesn't rebound or get to the free-throw line consistently, and he's not the quickest guy, but he can definitely score and he's a decent passer for a swingman, and he generally makes smart decisions.  Byars averaged just under 17 points per 36 minutes in Bakersfield last year, and he shot just over 38 percent on three-pointers.  He also does a pretty good job of staying out of foul trouble.  I think Chicago would do well to sign Byars, in part because Luol Deng's health is still somewhat tenuous, and because he would give them another bench scoring option on nights when Jannero Pargo's shot isn't falling.  I'm not confident that will happen, and Byars isn't really the type of guy you bring in when you're trying to emphasize defense (though what team isn't at this time of year), but I think it would be a solid fit.

Chris Richard - I tend to get him confused with Chris Hunter, but Chris Richard injured his back last year and was released by Tulsa before the all-star break.  He was solid if unspectacular when he played, though, averaging about 14 points and nine and a half rebounds per 36 minutes.  Those numbers are an improvement on what he did in the NBA after being drafted by Minnesota in 2007, where he averaged six points and just under nine rebounds.  His eFG and TS percentages have both improved as well, so while he's not a world-beater, he'd be a solid bench option at power forward for an NBA team.  Provided his body can handle it, of course.

Curtis Stinson and Steven Hill - Both of these guys have been cut already, so I'll keep this brief.  Hill actually played with Richard in Tulsa last year before succumbing to injuries of his own.  His numbers were pretty close to Ricahrd's, too, at 13 points and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes, though he had a greater propensity for foul trouble.  He's also from Branson, so if he were still around I probably would've made a few jokes about that.  Stinson helped run the point for the D-League Select Summer League team, and while turnovers were a problem for him there, he's mostly been able to keep them in check in the D-League.  He's a pretty good rebounder for his position, and while he doesn't have much of a three-point shot he's pretty solid in all the other areas.