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Over the next few weeks, we'll take a closer look at each player on the Bulls roster and see where they fit in for the future.

Rip Hamilton

Position: Shooting guard. Age: 34. 2011-12 salary: $5,000,000.

Season recap: Injuries marred Hamilton's first season with the Bulls. First, a groin injury during the first week of the season kept him out of the lineup for about two months. Then a shoulder injury in the first week of March put him out for another month. Hamilton responded well at certain points during the postseason, but coach Tom Thibodeau seemed hesitant to use him during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers until Game 6.

Season highlight: After a very frustrating season, Hamilton actually played one of his best games in Game 1 against the Sixers. He was 6-for-7 from the field, scored 19 points, dished out four assists and looked good alongside Derrick Rose. Of course, everything changed when Rose went down with a torn left ACL late in the game and Hamilton never looked as good for the rest of the series.

Season lowlight: The 38 games Hamilton missed due to injury. When Hamilton actually played, he usually looked fine on the floor, but he just could not stay healthy. When he returned late in the season, Thibodeau was very cautious with his minutes and never wanted to push him, even though he was one of the best remaining scoring options for the Bulls.

Notes: Hamilton was brought in to be the missing piece to the Bulls' championship puzzle but he just couldn't stay on the floor. He wanted to be out there and he wanted to produce, his body just wouldn't allow it. Obviously, it would have been interesting to see how Hamilton would have performed if Rose had stayed healthy, but that's not the way things worked out. Hamilton looked very old as the season progressed and increasingly became a target of Bulls' fans frustrations.

Quotes: "With me, it's not all about scoring," Hamilton said in January. "There's so many great players on this team. My job is to try and make everybody's job easy. If it's scoring, if it's passing, or whatever, that's what I try to do."

What's next?: Hamilton is a very proud man and will undoubtedly work hard to get in better shape for next season, but at almost 35 years old and likely playing without Rose and Luol Deng for a big chunk of next year, how effective can he be? Even if he does stay healthy, which seems to be a major stretch at this point, Bulls' management has to be wondering the same thing.

FINAL GRADES: Regular Season: D. Postseason: C.

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- The skies were blue, sun shining, temperature perfect and the day miserable in Chicago, Friday. At least for Chicago Bulls fans who, though not exactly optimistic about the team's playoff chances after Derrick Rose tore his ACL two weeks ago, were left with an aching void after the Bulls were eliminated in the first round by eighth-seed Philadelphia.

The only thing left now, other than the typically frustrating rhythms of Cubs and Sox baseball and football in shorts, is to dwell on the what if's and what-will-be's.

Here are 10 burning Bulls thoughts sure to bug us all summer:

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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- As Rip Hamilton struggled to free himself from the horde surrounding him in the corner of the Berto Center Monday afternoon, a reporter asked him if he ever thought it would come down to this. Did the 34-year-old who signed with the Chicago Bulls to win a championship ever think that he would be heading into Game 5 of the first round on the verge of elimination?

"I didn't think a whole lot of stuff would happen," the veteran guard said as he strided away.

In one fell swoop, Hamilton may have encapsulated his season, and that of the Bulls, better than anyone.

Hamilton thought he had been brought to Chicago to serve as the missing piece to a championship puzzle. Alongside Derrick Rose, he was supposed help push the Bulls to their seventh championship. Now, as the Bulls get set for Game 5 Tuesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, Hamilton found himself answering questions about wanting to be on the floor late. He only played 27 seconds in the fourth quarter in Game 4, as Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau stuck with Kyle Korver down the stretch.

"Whatever they need me to do, I'm going to do," Hamilton responded in part, deftly pushing the question aside.

In truth, it's killing the veteran that he isn't on the floor late. In the span of just nine days, he's gone from a guy who scored 19 points in Game 1 alongside Rose to a guy who is just 11-for-34 from the field and is now playing without Rose (torn ACL) and Joakim Noah (sprained ankle). It's been a whirlwind of bad luck for the Bulls and Hamilton admits that he would like to be out there to help more if given the chance on Tuesday.

"You do [want to be out there]," Hamilton said. "But it is what it is. Like I said before when I came here, whatever they need me to do, I'm going to do. My job is -- if I'm not on the court in the fourth quarter -- is to cheer for the next guy because I know the next guy would do the same thing for me. It's just one of them things where you got to stay in tune with the game."

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10: The resurgence of Kyle Korver

He sat out Thursday's regular-season finale because of nagging injuries, but Korver has shot the ball a lot better recently. More importantly, his defense has improved this season, and if he knocks down open jumpers he will stretch the floor for Derrick Rose in crunch time.

9: The rise of Taj

Taj Gibson's defense has gotten even better this season, and he will be called upon to be a closer alongside Omer Asik late in games. He always seems to make one or two highlight plays each night, especially against the Miami Heat.

8. The Bench Mob is rolling

Tom Thibodeau may decide to cut his rotation down much the same way he did last postseason, but if he doesn't, Bulls fans should feel great because their team has the deepest bench in the NBA. C.J. Watson, Ronnie Brewer, Jimmy Butler, John Lucas III, Korver and Gibson have developed into a reliable group of reserves that Thibodeau has more confidence in this season.

7. Noah is primed for a title run

Joakim Noah had a lot of ups and downs this season, but he looks to be mentally ready for the grind that comes in the postseason. He was not happy with how last season finished, and he is motivated to create a different ending this time.

6. Thibs is in control

Now in his second year, Thibodeau knows what he wants from his team, and he learned a lot from the postseason last time. He wants to continue to prove to all the teams that passed him over for head-coaching positions that they made a mistake. The best revenge would be a title.

5. Bulls still feel like underdogs

Thibodeau's team had the best record in the NBA again this season, but he has the players buying into the idea that there are still a lot of people who don't believe they can win. That belief will permeate through the locker room as the postseason drags along and will push his players to play even harder.

4. A year wiser

As a group, the Bulls have matured a lot over the past year. They have gotten even more comfortable playing alongside each other, and they are even more confident when they are on the floor together. That maturity is something that has grown throughout the season, and they feel like it will carry them for the next few months.

3. Don't write off Boozer yet

Carlos Boozer knows that he didn't perform up to his capabilities last season during the playoffs. He heard all the criticism, and it pushed him to come back in even better shape this season. He is the only Bull who started and played in every game this season. He wants to have a big postseason run to prove to everybody who doubted him that he is not a bust.

2. Rip City

The Bulls' biggest flaw last season was that they didn't have a 2-guard who could knock down open shots and take some pressure off Rose. Now they feel like they have that guy with Richard Hamilton, a player who knows what it takes to win a title (having won one in Detroit) and can help show his teammates the way. If he can knock down big shots in the playoffs, nobody will care that he missed most of the season because of injuries.

1. Watching Derrick Rose

Bulls fans should be most excited by the fact that Rose is playing and desperately wants to win a title. He has been hurt, and he's still not close to 100 percent. But he's still the reigning MVP of the league, and he is still better than most of his peers, even when he's not at his best. Rose may not be able to make all the moves he made last season, but as long as he's on the floor the Bulls still have a chance to win a title.

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- The Chicago Bulls are one win (or one Miami Heat loss) from clinching the No. 1 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, but no matter what happens over the next few days, Tom Thibodeau is not about to rest his players down the stretch.

He made that pretty clear after Monday morning's practice.

"When you look at what the starters have done, our guys up front, really no one's playing starter's minutes," Thibodeau said. "And they haven't all season. And then when you look at the backcourt guys, I think Derrick [Rose has] played 1,300 minutes this year. Rip [Hamilton] has played less. So from a minutes standpoint, everyone talks about Luol [Deng]. Luol's only played 2,000 minutes this season. So you have a well-rested team. You have to also keep in mind that we've played over 10 guys all season long, so that plays into it also. So if a guy needs rest, we're going to give him rest. The two things that are important at this point in the season are playing well and being healthy. So if someone were to need rest, we'd give him rest. But you're losing sight of all the guys that have missed the majority of the season."

While some coaches in the NBA have already made the decision to sit players in order to rest them for what figures to be a hectic postseason run, Thibodeau has no plans on doing that at the moment. Considering his starting group of Rose, Hamilton, Carlos Boozer, Deng and Joakim Noah has only played together 14 times all season, the veteran coach wants them to find some kind of rhythm before the postseason begins. He chafed at the notion that he should rest his players just because he could.

"If a guy needed rest, we would rest, but if a guy doesn't need rest, we won't," Thibodeau said. "It all depends on who you're talking about. We also have to be playing well, too, going in. So some guys who have been resting or been injured most of the season, maybe they need some minutes. Maybe a unit needs minutes. And you're also trying to get a look at playing small. Like we went with C.J. [Watson] and Derrick together. We may get a look at things like that, so you got to do both."

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CHICAGO -- How weary are the Chicago Bulls?

So weary that Derrick Rose's limp has a limp.

So weary that Luol Deng aged nine years on his birthday.

Not so weary, however, that coach Tom Thibodeau was willing to make excuses for one of his team’s worst performances of the year. With the playoffs drawing ever-closer and home-court advantage still in doubt, the Bulls collapsed under the weight of one of the NBA’s bottom-feeders, losing 87-84 Monday night to the Washington Wizards in a game closer than it had any right to be.

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CHICAGO -- Taj Gibson sat low in his reclinable black chair in a quiet and depressed Chicago Bulls locker room. He couldn't believe that the Bulls, the team that has grinded out win after win this season no matter which players suited up, could fall so flat against such a brutal Wizards' team, losing 87-84 on Monday at the United Center.

"When you give certain guys confidence early, that's what's going to happen," Gibson said. "[Kevin] Seraphin's playing well. You've got a lot of guys on that team playing for their life, trying to just get some minutes and they're taking advantage of it."

The Wizards used the Bulls’ formula against them on Monday night. They slowed the game down, defended down low and absolutely dominated the Bulls in the paint. Led by Seraphin, who had 21 points and 13 rebounds, the Wizards outscored the Bulls 48-22 in the paint. The Bulls players seemed rightfully embarrassed by their lackluster performance. Playing without Derrick Rose (foot) and Luol Deng (ribs) the Bulls still had more than enough to win -- and they knew it.

"They played a lot harder than we did tonight and that was the bottom line," Bulls guard Kyle Korver said. "They got a lot of guys who are playing for their careers and it just goes to show you can win on any night and you can lose any night. Tough game."

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CHICAGO -- Let's take a quick look at how the Washington Wizards stunned the Chicago Bulls 87-84 on Monday night at the United Center.

How it happened: Playing without Derrick Rose (foot) and Luol Deng (ribs) the Bulls looked lifeless throughout the night and suffered one of their worst losses of the year. Kevin Seraphin led the Wizards with 21 points and 13 rebounds and the Bulls simply did not have an answer. The only good news for the Bulls was that Rip Hamilton finally played crunch-time minutes (34 total on the night) and scored 22 points. Still, the Bulls should be embarrassed by the way they played.

What it means: Don't use Rose and Deng's injuries as an excuse. Don't use the poor officiating, either -- it was bad on both ends. The Bulls were absolutely awful in this one and got exactly what they deserved. They played with no energy on the second night of a back-to-back and allowed a bad team to hang around. They did the same thing on Sunday night in Detroit, but Rose was able to bail them out in the end. The Bulls didn't have Rose on Monday but it shouldn't have mattered. They got absolutely dominated in the paint and didn't show the type of focus that has propelled them this year. Tom Thibodeau has to be concerned that his group can't develop the type of rhythm they need before the postseason begins.

Stat of the night: The Wizards outscored the Bulls in the paint, 48-22.

Bold play of the game: With 15 seconds left and the Wizards clinging to a one-point lead, veteran Maurice Evans went to the line and dropped in two clutch free throws, giving the Wizards a three-point lead they wouldn't relinquish.

What's next: The Bulls have a day off Tuesday before facing off against the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Kyle Korver felt the same way most Chicago Bulls' fans did late Sunday night.

As the veteran sharpshooter slipped on his red and blue socks, he tried to process everything that just occurred late in his team's 100-94 overtime win over the Detroit Pistons, in which for the second game in a row the Bulls snatched a win from the jaws of defeat by making several key plays in the waning moments.

"I'm not sure how we won that game to be honest with you," Korver said. "I think it says a lot about [our team]. Every night it's someone else. C.J. [Watson] hits [the big shot] the other night, Derrick [Rose] hits it tonight, obviously. Lots of guys have hit big shots or made big plays for us. That says a lot about our team."

But, like his hard-charging coach, Tom Thibodeau, Korver is also a realist. He knows the Bulls have to start playing better, more consistent basketball in order to get ready for the playoff games that are quickly approaching at the end of the month.

"We don't want to keep putting ourselves in this position," Korver said. "Because the odds aren't really in your favor to keep pulling out the wins ... we're taking advantage of the opportunities given to us, but we've got to play a better 48-minute game."

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CHICAGO -- Rip Hamilton readily admits this season has been a roller coaster.

It's apropos in a sense -- given it's an old cliche from a veteran player trying to find the form that made him so dangerous several years ago. After a season full of low points and downward spirals, Hamilton reached a peak Tuesday night, scoring 20 points, 18 of which came in the third quarter, the most by any Bull in one quarter all season. As he has done at various points this season, Hamilton showed flashes of the player the Bulls desperately want him to be. Without Derrick Rose, Hamilton became the playmaker in the third quarter.

Without Derrick Rose, Hamilton became the playmaker in the third quarter. He was the man the rest of his teammates turned to for offense. He was the guy who set the tone everyone else followed. For one night, Hamilton was the man the Bulls signed him to be.

"That's what I've been doing my whole career," Hamilton said confidently after it was over. "But on this team I've got to pick my moments. We've got so many guys on this team that can score and put the ball in the basket so it's just not all about me scoring all the time, sometimes it's making plays and getting guys easy baskets. It's just catching the rhythm of the game, knowing when they need me to score and do other things."

What the Bulls need most from Hamilton is continued health. Hamilton has played in only 19 games all year and has struggled to find his way in the Bulls' offense because of all the setbacks. Things changed on Tuesday though -- and his teammates recognized the difference immediately.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls guard Richard Hamilton's conscientious plan was to avoid taking any direct blows to his right shoulder against the Houston Rockets on Monday.

He had missed the Bulls' last 14 games due to a right shoulder injury, and the last thing he needed to was to take an unnecessary shot to the same place in his first game back.

But luck hasn't been on Hamilton's side all season, and that continued to be the case on Monday.

On the Bulls' first possession, Hamilton got the ball and shot-faked; Courtney Lee bit; and Hamilton's basketball instincts took over as he leaned his right shoulder into the off-balanced Lee while shooting the ball. Lee came right down on Hamilton's right shoulder.

"It was crazy because that was the one play I tried to stay away from -- a pump fake and a jumping into him," Hamilton said. "It was my luck it happened the first play of the game. It woke me up. The good thing about it was I was able to still fight through it. It was kind of like a stinger, a real sharp pain, but I was able to fight through it and still play."

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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose will likely sit out his tenth consecutive game Sunday afternoon when the Bulls take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said both Rose (groin) and Rip Hamilton (shoulder) were going to be game time decisions, but Rose admitted that he still hasn't taken contact in practice and hasn't done much running. The reigning NBA MVP is getting tired of having to answer questions about his health.

"That's the question of the day," he said after Saturday afternoon's practice. "I'm just trying to put it behind me, man, where I'm just trying to stay positive. It feels the same. I'm proving every day."

Rose, who trains in the offseason with Oklahoma City stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, said he isn't tempted to return sooner than expected just because he has a chance to play against his friends.

"It's not tempting at all," Rose said. "Where I'm worried about my health right now. I think any ballplayer would want to play against a [team] like that, but every game has been tempting, I just haven't been able to play."

Rose, who has now missed 19 games on the year because of various injuries, continues his rehabilitation program, but he acknowledged that he hasn't been able to go through a whole practice up to this point.

"[He's] good," Thibodeau said. "A little more active. Today was just walk-through, some shooting and some film."

The brighter news for the Bulls is that Rip Hamilton continues to improve and could make his return Sunday after missing the past 13 games because of a shoulder injury.

"He had a good day," Thibodeau said.

Chicago Bulls guard Rip Hamilton missed his 13th consecutive game due to a shoulder injury Friday, despite indications earlier in the day he might return to the lineup.

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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls guard Richard Hamilton went through a full shoot-around Friday morning and is a game-time decision to face the Detroit Pistons, according to coach Tom Thibodeau, while Derrick Rose only participated halfway and will likely miss his ninth consecutive game with a groin injury.

Hamilton, who injured his right shoulder on March 5, has played in just 16 games this season because of various injuries. He began taking contact on Wednesday.

In order for Hamilton to play, the Bulls need "medical clearance first, and when he's pain free, he goes," coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Some believe Hamilton shouldn't have returned to face his former team in Detroit on Jan. 4. He tweaked his injury and missed the next eight games.

"Hindsight is always 20/20, I don't know," Thibodeau said. "At that particular time based on the information we had, and it's an unusual season because it was a shortened camp, and everybody, you're behind. It was right at the beginning of the season. I think he felt he was healthy enough to play. And it didn't work out."

Thibodeau emphasized that Friday's opponent will not be a factor.

"To me and we've said this along, a guy coming back shouldn't be based on who the opponent is," he said. "It should be based on health. Is he healthy enough to play? If you're healthy enough to practice and then you're healthy enough to play, then you play regardless of the opponent is, and I hope that's the case."

Rose began running on a treadmill on Sunday and still has not taken contact. He has missed 17 games with a variety of injuries, and the Bulls are 12-5 during that stretch.

Scott Powers writes for ESPNChicago.com and ESPN 1000.

ATLANTA -- Rip Hamilton took some contact on his injured shoulder, and he said there's a chance the Bulls guard will play Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks, although Derrick Rose likely will miss his eighth consecutive game with a groin injury.

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