Locker Room Talk: Bulls Fans Look to Debate
The Chicago Bulls have been making headlines in more ways than one this year.
From moving Derrick Rose to New York in a five-player trade, to signing Dwayne Wade and Rajon Rondo in free agency, to the original Benny the Bull’s retirement, to head coach Fred Hoiberg’s first career ejection, Chicago Bulls fans have a lot to talk about.
Mulling over the current state of the franchise, it appears that some fans are more optimistic of the team’s outlook, whereas others are more skeptical.
What happens when an optimistic Bulls fan debates a more skeptical Bulls fan on topics related to the franchise they love?
Look no further than Pippen Ain’t Easy Bulls beat bloggers Michael Rene Kanoy and Megann Horstead.
Kanoy says he’s been a Bulls fan since the day Michael Jordan torched the Boston Celtics for 63 points. Horstead’s Bulls fandom started when Chicago first became a host city to a dynasty.
While both writers are long-time fans of the franchise, their views tend to strike a contrast. Kanoy views the Bulls outlook positively, while Horstead is a little more skeptical of the franchise’s future direction.
Here’s what happened when Kanoy and Horstead went toe-to-toe in a debate on all things Chicago Bulls.
Should the Bulls part ways with point guard Rondo and give Jimmy Butler the go ahead to become the main ball handler?
Kanoy: I think Rondo should keep the starting playmaker spot just because he can play with pace when the Bulls have rim-runners on the court. Butler plays best as defensive wing who prowls for steals off sloppy passes or loose dribbling and can run out. Bobby Portis used to play this role well until head coach Fred Hoiberg assigned him as the center of the second unit, so he’s stuck boxing out instead of playing his natural role of weak side rebounder and oversized blitz guy for opposing ball carriers. Rondo can play with pace and can slow down the game when the Bulls need to be in control.
The only thing that Rondo is notoriously passive at is defending his opposing playmaker hard-nosed like Isaiah Canaan and Michael Carter-Williams does. Even Jerian Grant, the third option point guard, plays the passing lane and loose dribbles like a bloodhound and can get as many as five steals on a good night. Hoiberg should teach Rajon Rondo not to switch as much and hedge when he needs to or the Bulls get ripped apart by the pick-and-roll when mismatches are created with switching. Rondo may only be worth one season unless he can turn up his game to rev up the Bulls shooters and play with pace.
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The downside of Jimmy Butler as playmaker is that he walks the ball down, only passes at the last second when he can’t find his shot, and he takes it upon himself to take a shot for every other possession when the team would flow better on offense if he worked the ball around and got his shooter teammates into a groove.
Butler’s stats may also be misleading. The eye test proves that he will miss several shots in a row, sometimes during the end game in spite of already scoring 25 plus points; something he did last year when he gassed himself out at the end of games for hogging the ball too much as playmaker and as shotmaker.
If this continues this year, and he gets injured, or runs out of gas for not pacing his game well, he might not fit in the long-term plans of the Bulls to develop their young guns and cogs. Rondo is the better fit just because he plays with pace when the opportunity is there and his teammates run out.
Horstead: I, for one, am not sold by the Chicago Bulls’ decision to sign Rondo. If they were looking to get an upgrade at the point guard position, the franchise was mistaken the day they sent Derrick Rose packing. I call it a mistake that will go down in the history books as the biggest joke. At least with Rose, fans knew what they could expect from him offensively. He can create his own shot and help set up others. With Rondo, the Bulls receive an aging veteran guard that fails to show a great talent for shooting. He can lead the league in assists but could put the Bulls franchise in a situation where they end up playing four-on-five on most nights. That said, I would prefer that Jimmy Butler take more responsibility in handling the ball.
It should go without argument that Butler is now the Bulls’ best player. I trust that he will make the right decisions at the end of games. Seeing the way Butler has risen to the occasion as the Bulls’ best player surprises me. I’ve never taken a huge liking for his game, in part, because he’s a very quiet scorer whose impact doesn’t always register. At the same, I am fearful that giving Butler more responsibility will make him more susceptible to fatigue and injury. So, if there were a way to trade Rondo, I want to see it happen.
The only problem with this logic is that Rondo’s image isn’t the greatest. In previous years, he butted heads with head coaches. Being that Rondo’s contract is partially guaranteed through next year, I would argue that if a trade is possible, it’ll happen next year, at which time the Bulls will have less of an obligation to keep him on the roster.
If I could serve as the Bulls general manager for a day, I would move Rondo and a sum of cash to the Denver Nuggets for Emmanuel Mudiay and a first-round draft pick. This proposed transaction gives the Bulls another young option at point guard. Last year, Mudiay averaged 14.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4 assists per game. Those statistics can fuel competition for the starting point guard job.
Such a trade gives Jerian Grant and Michael Carter-Williams more incentive to work harder on and off the court. Competition is one of the greatest ways the Chicago Bulls can become great again. I don’t believe having Rondo on the roster makes the younger point guards better, despite what some might say.
Sure, Rondo can provide leadership in the locker room, but his track record shows that he can also create havoc.
Nov 5, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Glenn Robinson III (40) drives to the basket against Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Chicago 111-94. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Would it be worth it to trade Nikola Mirotic?
Kanoy: At the moment, I prefer that Mirotic stick with the Bulls, even if I wrote that they might want a better fit like Mindaugas Kuzminskas, the fearless 6’9” Lithuanian, stretch forward from the Knicks. Mirotic has surprisingly proven to be effective at altering shots against certain NBA opponents.
His only problem is covering both the driving guard or wing and covering a post player positioning in the paint at the same time. Mirotic is not a Tyrus Thomas fast-twitch shot-blocker. But, Mirotic can alter shots and this never shows up in the stats except for the plus-minus, PER stuff. Basketball is not analytics per se, although the stats do reflect the production and defensive capacity of a player, stats do not reveal what Bulls fans see when Mirotic is on a hot streak. Mirotic can shoot nine three-pointers a night if he were primed as the offense of the Bulls. Both he and Doug McDermott are both the strongest scorers. They can shoot as well as Butler if the Bulls offense were on their shoulders like the time when Jimmy got hurt last year and Doug went on a scoring rampage.
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Mirotic can only score when he is in rhythm, and that means playmakers must get him the ball in rhythm or he won’t cut it. We’ve seen Mirotic post up and ask for the ball in games and Rondo or Butler fail to give him the ball. We’ve seen a crucial turnover in the closing minutes of the most recent Lakers game where Nikola was open and Rondo got a turnover for not passing to Mirotic. Mirotic will be as prolific of a scorer as Kevin Durant if the team used him for primary offense along with Doug and they had someone like Ricky Rubio on the team to play alongside the shooters more effectively.
For now, Mirotic has to wait for opportunities whenever they present themselves. His situation makes you wonder: Would the Bulls play better if the team ran the offense full time as pace-and-space Hoiball with pure scorers?
Or, do they babysit Butler with ISO hero ball and slow down the game now that they can afford to do so and still manage to win games? Butler will get his stats too, make no mistake.
The question is do the Bulls allow that to continue? Or, do they run the team differently and get somebody really good for a five-player basketball offense and defense while Butler is still precious?
Horstead: I want to see Mirotic put on the trading block, but I don’t think he creates enough value alone to give the Bulls a shot at being a better team. The rationale behind this idea is that Mirotic isn’t performing up to par. There will not be a place for Mirotic on the Bulls roster moving forward. I’d hate to see the Bulls exercise their team option and determine that he’s not a good fit to fulfill the remaining year of his rookie contract. I want to see the organization trade Mirotic by the year’s end, so they can at least get something in return for the third-year wing player.
I, for one, was a huge Mirotic supporter in his rookie season where he dazzled fans with his play. Since that time, I have failed to understand what the coaching staff sees in him. I would’ve liked to see him develop his game a bit more. That doesn’t mean that I view the Bulls pulling an upset by bringing in an athlete of greater value through a trade. In the end, you get in return what you put on the table.
It should also be noted that the Bulls already have a lot of options at small forward. I want to see them bring in another power forward to challenge Bobby Portis for playing time. This time around I want to look at offers that entertain defensive-minded players. With all the talk about Hoiberg’s coaching style, it’s also important to note that offense isn’t everything, it’s defense that wins championships.
Nov 17, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) reacts to hitting a three-point shot at the first-half buzzer against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
What do you think of Jimmy Butler’s “I’m the Best” comment?
Kanoy: Jimmy Butler has been having an MVP quality season these past few games. However, he has been saying in the locker room that he is the best “effing” player in the NBA today. This might be misconstrued as him being arrogant by some quarters, but it was explained that Dwyane Wade told him to play on the court like he was the best as motivation to perform as strong as he can.
Butler does use motivation to drive himself to improve his game each year and get better. The only worry right now is that he may be doing too much and might burn out by March. We know he is young and in top condition, but a repeat of last year when he made a bet with his trainer that he would be playing all 82 games backfired and he got a fatigue injury to his knee. Being young and foolish can get you blindsided because you don’t have the hindsight of experience to teach you that you have to pace your performance and get your teammates going as well.
The year Michael Jordan accepted an adjusted role to involve his teammates in the offense with the Triangle system was the time the Bulls went on a championship run. We know that Jimmy can score as a physical player in the paint and he is motivated to be the best. We don’t want that to get to his head and have him gunning for 40 every night because he can because it does come at the expense of his teammates not being able to play their game too. Jimmy may be the best player for Chicago right now and we give him credit for being able to deliver an MVP performance. I also hope that Jimmy can get motivated to help the young Bulls help him win, too.
Horstead: Jimmy is getting ahead of himself when he told his teammates that he is the best. When his comment made headlines around the league recently, I was appalled. I’ve seen flashes of good play from the Rio Olympian this season, but I’m still not sold that he will be the franchise player the Bulls lean on in years to come. Just a few years ago, Butler was named Most Improved Player of the Year. He will inevitably hit his ceiling, at which time fans will know how far Butler can take the Bulls franchise.
I hate to keep throwing shade at Butler, but he’s no Michael Jordan. An athlete can enter each game with a positive mindset and a great work ethic, but Butler shouldn’t come out saying to his teammates that he’s the best. Taken out of context or not, I think he needs to scale back his comments. I doubt he meant to portray arrogance, but that’s another problem with the comment he made. You can think you’re the best and start off everything game with the mindset that you’re the best. That’s no problem.
On the other hand, I believe telling your teammates that you’re the best is an example of poor leadership. If Butler wants to be the best, then just do it. There’s no need to talk about it. Show the world through your actions and the world will take note.
Which side are you on? Let us know in the comments section.