[DaBullz]

I don't think Hinrich is a franchise/untouchable type guy but I think you're being unfair here.

I'm not exactly sure what a unique basketball skill is so I'll skip that one but...

1. Yes, he makes his teammates better. Despite playing a fair amount of 2 guard Hinrich is 14th in the NBA in assists, 17th in AST/TO, and 18th in AST/48. He certainly creates oppurtunities for his teammates.

2. I'm not wild about Hinrich's free throw shooting at the end of ballgames, but he made a TON of big shots at the end of last year. People forget that Ben Gordon went into a huge slump the last month of the 04-05 season, and we were still winning with Curry and Deng out. Kirk had a number of big third and fourth quarters during that time.

3. No, Hinrich would not make a bad team good. Not many guys do. He could be an important piece on a championship team though, IMO.

My point is not that I think Hinrich is untradable - I don't. And I really hope Paxson and Skiles don't "build around" Hinrich, because he isn't that kind of talent. But these criticisms seem a little unfair. I think he does make his teammates better, he's okay in the clutch, and he's a bit of a difference maker - though not to the extent that he can turn around a bad situation on his own.

Slezak wrote:
The Bulls want Hinrich to be their No. 1, and he has looked like that guy at times.