Jimmer Fredette takes shots at Kings after signing with Bulls

CHICAGO, March 3 (UPI) -- After he was bought out by the Sacramento Kings last week, BYU alum Jimmer Fredette signed with Chicago on Sunday and suited up for his new team during the Bulls' 109-90 victory over the New York Knicks.

Although he only hit one of two baskets in his three minutes on the floor, Fredette had no problem taking some veiled shots at his former team.

"I see how this team plays and they play hard every single night," Fredette told ESPN. "And they play for each other and they play the right way and that's kind of something that I was looking for, to come into a team that I could fit in and play the way that I wanted to and play hard every single night and be a part of a team. So I'm excited to be here and I can't wait to start and get out there and play and see how things go. But I'm really excited to be here."

"Sometimes things don't go the way that you want it to all the time," Fredette added. "But I appreciate everything that happened in Sacramento. It was character building for me, continuing to go out and play hard. And I feel like I progressed as a player even though sometimes you didn't get the minutes you wanted to, you just got to continue to work hard and know that if you keep playing hard and doing the right things that eventually things will turn your way so I'm hoping that will happen here."

Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau is happy to have Fredette in the Windy City as well.

"I think that he's more than just a shooter," Thibodeau said. "I think what he can do in the pick and roll can be very effective. He's very good with the ball. He's got to learn defensively what to do in terms of team defense and that's usually the biggest adjustment. But the fact that he can shoot the way that he can, I think it complements our primary scorers as well."

Fredette wanted to come to Chicago because he has seen the way that Thibodeau has maximized the talents of other fringe NBA guards like Nate Robinson, Marco Belinelli and D.J. Augustin.

"He's done a great job with that and I'm excited about that," Fredette said. "Hopefully [I'll] come in and he plays to your strengths. That's what he told me when I talked to him, that he's going to find out what my strengths are and play to them. Hopefully we'll be able to do that and further my career."

[ESPN]