Kyle Korver Konundrum

Before Mat gets into what the Bulls may get in return on a possible move of Kyle Korver, he wants to explain why losing Korver would have a much different impact than Watson. Brewer, or Lucas.

The Bench Mob is gone.  We know that.  So it's now time to look at what that collection of players was, and see what kind of replacements are needed to fill in the void.

The way Mat sees it, the Bench Mob was a collection of energy.  They brought a passion for the game, and a passion for defending that shocked a lot of the Bulls opponents.

But what also came in when the second string hit the court was a killer three point shooter.  A skill that transcends energy.

Korver spread the floor and forced defenses to extend to cover the arc.  And what was nice about Kyle was that he was able to do this as part of that Bench Mob, but also with the starters.

Korver's skill is a somewhat rare one in this league.  Drop dead, knock down, three point shooters are not exactly a dime a dozen.  There are probably less than 10 of them in the NBA, so losing Korver would certainly hurt.

However, Mat grew frustrated at times when the offense would rely on Korver.  Kyle would become the focal point of the offense and it would sputter when the other team figured it out (which usually took less than one possesion).

So on that token, Mat believes the offense both with the starters and with the second unit might improve with Korver's departure.

However, the knowledge that we have a dominant long range shooter in the arsenal goes with him.  Which concerns Mat quite a bit.

Bye Bye To The Bench Mob

Mat's thoughts recently have been filled with retrospect and nostalgia regarding his beloved, "Bench Mob." Although, the majority of Bulls fans have known for a while this offseason would introduce much change to the bench at the Madhouse, the closer the change comes to reality, the harder it is for Mat to come to grips with the loss.

Salary constraints are to be blamed in this situation in addition to a few other reasons. With the drafting of Teague and reintroduction of Hinrich to the franchise, C.J. Watson and John Lucas III are going to be left searching for a new franchise. Ronnie Brewer is also said to be gone, with Mat seeing a silver lining in Jimmy Butler gobbling up the majority of his minutes.

Kyle Korver is the player who leaves the most to be questioned. While nothing is certain for any of the previously mentioned Bench Mob, the Bulls seem to be waiting till the last second to make a decision on Korver's $5 million option.

Mat doesn't see him staying either. $5 million is a lot for a one dimensional player; keeping in mind the salary cap shadow that is hovering the franchise as it is.

While Mat is definitely sad seeing some of these key role players go, he is also excited to see what GarPax are made of. He knows you won't see any big moves out of the Bulls this offseason, but sometimes the minor moves are the ones that win you championships.

The pressure is on GarPax to rebuild this new Bench Mob with talent. Hopefully surrounding the Bulls core with enough of it to take them to the promise land.