During the Chicago Bulls’ Media Day on Monday it was the lofty championship expectations of Derrick Rose that stole the show, so it’s not surprising that perhaps the biggest endorsement of the afternoon went somewhat unnoticed. That endorsement being — Derrick Rose believes Jimmy Butler will be to Chicago what Bruce Bowen was to three championship teams in San Antonio.

Rose sees Butler as next Bruce Bowen: "He could really change the game; I think that’s the type of role Jimmy is going to find his way to.’’ — Sam Smith (@SamSmithHoops) September 30, 2014

Bruce Bowen’s Resume

To those of you who know basketball, it goes without being said how much respect the Chicago superstar must have for his teammate, Butler.

As for those of you who aren’t very familiar with the great Bruce Bowen, here’s a career snapshot:

3x NBA champion (2003, 2005, 2007)

5x NBA All-Defensive first team (2004-2008)

3x NBA All-Defensive second team (2001-2003)

And, last but certainly not least, his jersey number (12) was retired by the San Antonio Spurs in 2012. His number is only the seventh to be retired by the franchise.

Despite his many accolades and accomplishments Bowen was never selected to an NBA All-Star team. Reason being — if you want to be an All-Star you’ve got to put up points, and Bowen just didn’t do that.

However, his defense, work ethic, and hustle were things of legend for most of his 13 years in the league. He was widely regarded as the NBA’s premier perimeter defender during his nine-year stretch wearing black & silver.

Bowen may have had his shortcomings on offense, but keep in mind he was always there to knock down a clutch three-pointer. In fact, it was his specialty (his 40.5 regular season three-point shooting percentage ranks seventh in Spurs franchise history and his playoff mark of .438 from downtown ranks second among San Antonio Spurs playoff leaders).

From 2002-2008 Bowen played or started in 500 straight games, shattering Avery Johnson’s previous franchise record of 296. It’s worth noting that his streak didn’t end at a cool 500 due to injury, it was actually because was suspended one game for kicking Chris Paul.

Along with Chicago’s own Scottie Pippen, Bowen is one of only five NBA swingmen to earn All-Defensive Team honors for eight-or-more straight seasons.

When asked about Bowen’s worth to the franchise in light of the decision to retire his jersey number, legendary coach Greg Popovich had this to say about his former player:

“Bruce Bowen was the premier perimeter defender in the NBA for close to a decade, ” “His success is proof that hard work and determination do, in fact, pay off. Statistics are meaningless when talking about his importance to this franchise. The simple fact is the Spurs don’t win NBA Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007 without Bruce Bowen.”

Why the Comparison Makes Sense

Aside from the physical similarities with both players standing at 6’7″, the comparison makes sense because Jimmy Butler is an elite NBA defender and should not be a focal point of the Bulls offense going forward. In his second year, Jimmy Butler was not asked to score a ton of points and as a result his offensive numbers were solid (46.7% overall from the field and 38.1% from downtown).

Once Luol Deng was traded to Cleveland, Butler was asked to step up and provide a good chunk of the offensive void that Deng’s departure created. This in turn severely hurt Butler’s offensive efficiency.

Jimmy Butler is great at a lot of things and, much like Bruce Bowen, carrying a heavy offensive load is not one of them.

However, in the right system where he can focus his efforts toward his strengths, the value Butler could bring to the Chicago Bulls is immeasurable. Again, much like Bruce Bowen, playing top notch lock down perimeter defense, setting screens, and knocking down the occasional corner three is all Butler should be asked to do.

Now that the Bulls have added offensive help and with Derrick Rose presumably back and healthy, Butler should thrive in assuming the role of super-supporting cast member following the “Bruce Bowen mold”.

If the Bow Tie Fits, Wear It

It’s not very often that a young player is compared to a former great, and the comparison truly makes sense in almost every way. Fortunately for Bulls fans, this one does and they should be thrilled at the thought of Butler coming anywhere near matching Bowen’s career accomplishments.

Now with new additions Doug McDermott, Nikola Mirotic, and Pau Gasol in the mix Butler will most certainly calm down and ease into a more comfortable role. The 2014-15 season will be the first Rose and Butler will play extensively together, but if all goes according to plan the two could prove to be one of the best back court tandems in the NBA.

In order for that to happen, Thibodeau must put Butler in a position to succeed, especially if he’s going to be playing 40 minutes a night.

After an offseason in which adding depth and hungry unselfish players became the priority there is a feeling the Bulls are suddenly becoming the Spurs of the East?

In light of that, it only makes sense to embrace the transformation by coaching their own young swingman up to be the second coming of one of San Antonio’s greatest championship assets.