Lindsey Hunter

Lindsey Hunter - Current Suns head coach.

Lindsey Hunter - Hunter is a a player development assistant for the Chicago Bulls, a role he held in an unofficial capacity towards the tail end of his playing days.

Young players don't usually sign one year minimum salary deals. Veterans almost always do, because teams have financial incentive to do so. Teams who sign players with more than two years of experience to sign one year minimum salary deals are billed only the amount of a two year veteran; for example, when Chicago signed Lindsey Hunter to a one year minimum salary deal this past offseason, they were billed only $825,497 for his services. The minimum salary for a ten year or more veteran is actually $1,306,455, and Hunter got all that; however, only $825,497 is charged to the Bulls cap, and the league refunds the difference between the two sums to the Bulls during the following offseason. This is why most old farts only sign one year minimum deals, and, on the rare occasions that they don't - Eric Piatkowski with Phoenix, Devin Brown with Nawlins, Calvin Booth with Philadelphia - it's usually a mistake.

- Lindsey Hunter

Lindsey Hunter was finally crowbarred off the Bulls roster a couple of weeks ago. This was a good thing; Hunter hasn't been an NBA calibre player for 5 years, yet in all that time teams have believed so much in his off-court attributes that they have caved to his demands and signed him as a player, rather than as a coach. Never mind, it's over now; Hunter was waived a fortnight ago to make room for Chris Richard, and immediately was hired (reclassified) as a player development assistant.

- 10th pick: Lindsey Hunter (Detroit)

- SPOILER ALERT: Lindsey Hunter is only player in this entire list to still be playing in the NBA. But he shouldn't be. He's been a member of the Bulls for two straight seasons, ostensibly to act as a mentor for young point guard Derrick Rose. The idea is that because Rose is a bad shooter and worst defensive player, that Lindsey Hunter will be able to mentor him into improving these skills, as well as helping to develop an understanding of the nuances of the point guard position. However, lost in that dreamlike scenario are a few overlooked facts:

1) Lindsey Hunter stopped being a good defender 4 years ago.
2) Lindsey Hunter stopped being a good shooter 8 years ago.
3) Lindsey Hunter was never a point guard.

At this stage of his career, Lindsey Hunter has literally nothing to give on the court. He can't defend, can't shoot, can't drive, can't run, and can't run an offense. His sole positive attribute of not turning the ball over comes only as a result of never doing anything proactive with the ball. And also because he usually manages to get one last pass off before the 24 second violation is called. Everything he provides is off the court.

The Bulls love point guards like that, though. And so that's why they'll willingly use up one of their 13 roster spots on a player who's best as a player when he's not playing, to a guaranteed contract, placing their jewels firmly in the path of the luxury tax angle grinder purely to retain his services, when there were no other bidders for them. But hey, if he's worth it....