Chicago Bulls sign Mike James and Lou Amundson for remainder of season

The Chicago Bulls are in the thick of the playoff race as the NBA season nears its final days, and in order to help in that push, they’ve made a move to sign two veterans, Mike James and Lou Amundson, to potentially bolster their bench.

Chicago announced both signings on Thursday afternoon, and while it isn’t a surprise after they waived Erik Murphy earlier in the week, it will be interesting to see how it affects the Bulls financially. James is the more likely of the two players to gain real playing time, as the 38-year-old point guard actually appeared in 11 games for Chicago earlier this season, and if there was any sort of injury issue to either Kirk Hinrich or D.J. Augustin, Tom Thibodeau wouldn’t hesitate to deploy James.

In the case of Amundson, I’ve long wondered why he has trouble finding consistent work, as the 6-foot-9 veteran big man always provides rebounding (career 10.8 boards per 36 minutes) and energy wherever he lands. Still, there is basically no upside (or skill) to his game, and the Bulls are loaded up front with guys like Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Carlos Boozer, who all play heavy minutes.