After a season-and-a-half of unfortunate breaks, Ronnie Brewer finally scored some good timing Monday.

On the day the Bulls took their official team picture before practice, Brewer arrived in time to be captured for posterity. He signed a free-agent contract to return to the team where he averaged 6.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists as a critical rotation piece for a team that led the NBA in regular-season victories from 2010-12.

"I'm very excited to be playing with (coach Tom Thibodeau)," Brewer said. "He's a tough coach. I play hard and try to hustle. That's the type of players he likes. I'm just happy to be back with some of my old teammates.

"I never needed the ball a lot on offense and I try to play as hard as I can on defense. I feel like if I do that, I can help this team out."

The Bulls declined to pick up Brewer's $4.37 million option in 2012, sending him off on a series of stops. He started for the Knicks at the start of last season before falling out of the rotation and getting traded to Oklahoma City, where he played sparingly. Brewer also failed to crack the Rockets' rotation after signing with them last summer.

"I feel like I started off really well when I was in New York," Brewer said. "Our team was doing really well. And then (Iman Shumpert) came back from injury. Amare (Stoudemire) came back. I kind of fell off the rotation and got traded. Oklahoma City had their rotation and I couldn't argue with that. They were the No. 1 team in the West.

"With Houston, playing behind James Harden and Chandler Parsons, I didn't get a lot of time. I've been searching for a place where I can help."

Whether that happens with the Bulls remains to be seen. Thibodeau is notorious for sticking with his rotation. But it's conceivable Brewer could snag rookie Tony Snell's spot minutes to alleviate Jimmy Butler's workload.

This is for certain: Brewer's familiarity with the system and teammates can't hurt.

"He has the characteristics that we look for — high character, smart, and he plays for the team," Thibodeau said. "It's good insurance to have."

The Bulls are expected to add more insurance, with veteran guard Mike James poised to return as well.

Brewer, who said he had been working out at home since the Rockets released him in late February, spent close to 45 minutes post-practice working with assistant coach Adrian Griffin. He's three seasons removed from guarding critical wing players in the Bulls' unexpected run to the 2011 Eastern Conference finals.

But Brewer always has been a worker.

"He fits well in terms of five-man offense and five-man defense," Thibodeau said. "That's one of his strengths, his ability to play within the team system. We think that's a good fit, and the fact that he's been around. He's been in playoff games before.

"Whatever role you ask him to play, he embraces. If he's not playing, he'll be a great teammate on the bench. He'll provide energy. He'll make sure the guys out there have an understanding of what we're doing. He'll communicate well. He'll tell people what he sees."

kcjohnson@tribune.com

Twitter @kcjhoop