Nazr Mohammed, best known at DRaT for being a dinosaur, will be Joakim Noah’s back-up center once again next season. And yes, the Bulls wanted this. But why? It’s a good question, considering the fact that Nazr hasn’t even played over 20 minutes per game for a full season since 2004-05. For context, I was Bar Mitzvah’d in November of the 2004-05 season. Mazel Tov. For some reason though, Chicago’s front office really likes the career 6.3 PPG and 5.0 RPG big man. So much so, that it was reported today that not only does Nazr have a no-trade clause on his new deal, but the contract also holds a 15% trade kicker. (Side note: Mark Deeks has a phenomenal salary cap website that any NBA junkie should explore). This means that in addition to having veto power over any proposed deal, Nazr also gets kicked back an extra 15% of his salary if he allows a trade. This isn’t really a big deal because the Bulls would probably have no reason to trade their 12th man, but it goes to show how much Gar Forman and co. value Mohammed.

I just don’t understand why. It’s not like he’s a staple of the franchise–last season was his first in Chicago and Mohammed himself has stressed the opportunity to play with Derrick Rose as his motivation for re-signing. Furthermore, Mohammed was basically useless in Oklahoma City in 2011-12 and averaged less than 3.0 PPG once again in the Windy City this season. Perhaps the Bulls value Nazr’s championship pedigree (he started on the 2005 San Antonio Spurs that won the Finals), but I think most Bulls fans would agree that bringing in Rip Hamilton for his championship experience worked out great (and Rip had significantly more left in the tank when he arrived in Chicago).

Here’s a conspiracy theory: perhaps, as some speculated, a temporarily insane Thibs sent Nazr after LeBron in the Eastern Conference semifinals in order to prove a point. Now, the Bulls are bound by honor to reward their assassin for his loyalty.

Yeah, right! Clearly, for some odd reason, Thibs and the front office irrationally love Nazr. Don’t get me wrong, I respect the guy and am 99% certain that he makes a formidable impact on the locker room. There’s no doubt that he’s a great teammate and member of the organization. However, the fact remains that Mohammed cannot contribute more than 10-15 very average minutes as a back-up center. With Joakim Noah coming off a season in which he set a career high in minutes as well as a nagging foot injury, back-up center is a vital position. Maybe I’m overreacting, but the Bulls’ endorsement of Nazr as Jo’s back-up makes me sweat a little.