Watson Gives Bulls Point Guard Depth

I must say, the news that the Bulls acquired C.J. Watson in a sign and trade with Golden State Tuesday morning surprised me. Watson was a restricted free agent this offseason and expected to resign with the Warriors. He has drawn some interest from a few teams over the years and Golden State has neglected to part with him. Why they did now, I have no idea. But I'm glad they did.
I've been lobbying for Jason Williams over the last few weeks, mainly because he was the best remaining point guard on the market, despite his age. I never thought Watson was a possibility. As an added bonus, the Bulls only had to part with a second round pick to acquire Watson, a small price to pay for an already proven NBA player. Watson's deal is reported to be a two year deal worth 6.5 million with an option for a third year. If Jordan Farmar makes 4 million a year, I'll gladly take Watson for less than that.
The 26 year old averaged 10.3 ppg and 1.6 spg playing about 28 minutes a game for Golden State. While these numbers are solid, they don't do him justice.
Watson received sporadic playing time under Don Nelson's run and gun system. Some nights he would play 40 minutes a game, and other nights, under 20.
Going through his game log, I've noticed an important number: eleven. He's had eleven games with 18 or more points, including a 40 point explosion against Sacramento. He's also had eleven games of three or more steals, including a game against Boston where he recorded 7.
While Watson won't be playing 40 minutes a game or even the 28 he averaged, he will still have an opportunity to play a huge role on this Bulls team. He'll be the Bulls main offensive threat off the bench and has the potential to steal some minutes from Ronnie Brewer at shooting guard.
While Watson would be undersized for a 2 guard, he's proven to be an above average defender, who depending on the match up could guard an undersized 2, or guard the point, while Rose moves over.
Watson has a much more polished offensive game than Brewer, so the Bulls may look to insert him if they're struggling offensively.
While this move will surely go under the radar for sports fans outside of Chicago, it could end up to be one of the biggest moves the Bulls make this offseason. Before signing Watson, the Bulls lacked a guy who was capable of providing a huge spark off the bench. They now have that guy, as well as a player who can play major minutes at the point if Derrick Rose misses extended time like he did last season.
After the signing, the Bulls have about 5 million left in salary cap space that could be used for another back up center, or another guard or small forward.