DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Despite calling his first Chicago Bulls practice "very confusing," and admitting that donning a Chicago uniform will be "very awkward" at first, Rip Hamilton said he will do whatever his new team needs in order to win a championship, even if it means not starting.

"I'm coming to do whatever the coach and the organization want me to do," Hamilton said. "If they want me to come in and play 20 minutes, I'm going to do that. If they want me to play 30 I'll do that."

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said he has not yet decided whether Hamilton or Ronnie Brewer will start in the backcourt with the league's reigning MVP Derrick Rose.

"Whatever the team needs, whatever the team needs, man, because the biggest thing I want is to win a world championship," Hamilton said. "I won it once, had an opportunity to win it again and didn't. Now it's the opportunity to feel good that you have a chance again. I'm excited."

Hamilton, who signed a two-year, $10 million contract with a team option for a third season after playing the last nine seasons with Detroit, called his new team "an awesome fit," though he stopped short of saying he was the missing piece.

"We'll all see," Hamilton said. "I love the game of basketball. I think I can help this team in so many different ways, and I'm excited about it. They've got a great group of guys. Today, in the first day of practice, they really showed me they want to be out here. It wasn't a thing where we all came out and showed up and everybody went through the motions. When the clock turned 10, 11 o'clock, they were ready to go. I liked it. I liked it a lot."

Thibodeau said he was unsure if Hamilton will play in the Bulls first exhibition game Friday night against the Pacers in Indianapolis but liked what he saw Thursday.

"He looked good, he's in good shape, picks things up quickly," Thibodeau said. "He's been around. He's a pro's pro, smart, high energy. He did a good job."

The Bulls will look to the 6-foot-6 guard to take pressure off Rose offensively, and Hamilton's career 17.7-point scoring average over 12 seasons suggests he will, despite the fact that his average dipped to 14.1 points in just 39 starts last season.

But perhaps more importantly is what he will bring to a young team come playoff time against teams such as the Boston Celtics and Eastern Conference final opponent Miami Heat.

"I've played against those guys for nine, 10 straight years and in the Eastern Conference finals," Hamilton said. "At this point and time, when you get into the playoffs, you know what I like to do, and I know what you like to do. It's a dogfight. Now we're going to see who is going to outwill each other. I've been there. I love it. I live for it. I'm excited to get back there."

Thibodeau went along with comparing Hamilton to Celtics guard Ray Allen in their ability to find their shots and their difficulty to guard, and agrees with Hamilton that he's a great fit with the Bulls.

"I think he fits in with our team because of the fact that he's unselfish and he requires you to put two on the ball," Thibodeau said. "Most teams are going to trap him on the catch-and-shoot plays, and he'll hit the open man. So it gives us something else we can go to. I like his size at that position, I think that can help us, and his experience. I think that goes a long way."