Before I get massacred for talking down a fan favorite from last season, hear me out. The Chicago Bulls have been stuck on the cusp of making the NBA Finals for what seems like a decade now. If it wasn’t for a Derrick Rose injury or two — or three, or four or seven — I fully believe they would have made an appearance by now.

But, because of Rose’s frail knees, the Bulls have come up short time and time again. In the event of a Rose injury, the Bulls know what to do by now — bring in a mediocre veteran point guard that takes far too many jump shots. I mean, let’s think about it — here’s a short list for you: C.J. Watson, John Lucas III, Nate Robinson and, finally, Aaron Brooks.

Sure, have those guys provided a spark to a sputtering offense? Absolutely. However, think about the point a team has to be at if they are relying on any of those guys to score the important baskets down the stretch. It is a pretty bleak moment of desperation each and every time they have called on one of those four guards.

I won’t kid myself, I have been one of those fans jumping up and down in a bar screaming at what was an incredibly unintelligent shot, four feet behind the three point arc, during a must-score situation in a playoff game — but that shot went in. All four backup guards have given me a moment or two like that, so I will not be so ignorant as to not to throw myself under the bus a bit here.

Yet, here I sit and wonder what next season holds with Brooks coming back on a one-year deal to back up Rose again. If you take a look at his 2014-15 season as a whole, it wasn’t anything spectacular. Brooks shot 42 percent from the field and nearly 39 percent from beyond the arc — normally fair numbers.

But, again, what is the ultimate goal? When does it count? Oh, yes, the playoffs.

Check out Brooks’ playoff numbers from a year ago: 34.4 percent from the field, including 30.8 percent from beyond the arc. His free throw percentage dropped from 83 percent to 57 percent in the postseason. The Bulls have struggled to score in past seasons, correct? Aside from Rose’s injuries, that has been the significant sore thumb of the franchise, correct? It is the inability to put points on the board that cripples Chicago year after year.

With that said, is Chicago sure that they made the right move bringing back Brooks? I can’t argue with the rebuttal: “What better option did they have?” But, could they not have made a move in this year’s draft if Brooks wasn’t a good enough option? I’m not saying Brooks was a terrible signing. All I’m saying is that his spectacular moments have fooled Bulls fans, just as his three predecessors did in years previous.

Brooks is not exactly an offensive juggernaut, but he provides a punch here and there. Will he be enough in the event of another injury to Rose? That is highly questionable. We will have to wait and see if this signing truly pans out for the better.

Ryan Heckman is a writer for www.RantSports.com covering the NBA and NFL. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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