Bustin’ My Bulls: In Memory of the Bench Mob

Earlier this year, I wrote a column called Bench Mob Survivor, taking a look at who should stay… and who should go. Little did I know that the whole second unit would be irradicated in order to make room for the highly-touted, superstar player Kirk Hinrich. I would express my distaste for this a little more, but I think it’s been beaten to death.

It’s time now to reminisce and look back at the high’s and low’s of Ronnie Brewer and CJ Watson and Kyle Korver’s careers in the red, black and white. I can’t say I’d bring back all of these guys, but the fact that all of the above-mentioned names have coinciding nicknames that are attached to so many great memories brings me a hint of sadness, as this era officially comes to and end.

Let’s start off with Ronnie Brewer, or Chicago’s finest Brew. I think we can all agree that our favorite Ronnie Brewer moment was this insane dunk over Tyler Hansbrough. Aside from that, we’ve been witnesses to countless sneaky baseline cuts and tantalizing defensive plays. Anybody who watches the Bulls knows what the worst of it is: Multiple. Missed. Dunks. Including this one. There isn’t a person in Chicago that doesn’t get just a little bit nervous when Ronnie is taking it up in transition. The worst of it: these momentum-swinging plays would almost always result in an eventual loss.

On to the Hot Sauce… local Chicago heartthrob Kyle Korver is headed to Atlanta, in a move that’s broken the hearts of Bulls fans everywhere. His greatest moment as a Chicago Bull came in his first playoff game. The Bulls rallied back from a double digit deficit late in the fourth quarter & this clutch three-pointer put them over the top.  Another notable Korver moment: his game-winner against Miami.

As most things go though, where the high’s are high, the low’s are even lower. One of Kyle’s worst defensive traits is that he never understood his own defensive limitations. If there was a stat for and-1 play’s given up… Korver would have to be on the top of the list. Here, delivering one of the most demoralizing instances of Korver’s career is JaVale McGee.  Let’s take a look at another one, compliments of Blake Griffin.

CJ Watson, loved by some, hated by many had an up and down career as a Chicago Bull. He started to come into his own around the end of last season and really had a strong start to this past season until injuries slowed him down. His unfair criticism at times often came with bone-headed plays. My favourite Watson moment has to be his game-tying three-pointer against the Heat, as well as his 33-point game against Denver, even if it came in a loss.

I think we all know what the worst CJ Watson moment was. It was the pass the Omer Asik, the one that ended the Philadelphia series, and season for the Chicago Bulls. It comes with no YouTube clip, because it is not in anyone’s best interest to see it. Really, it’s either too early in the day or too late in the off-season to cry about this. I can’t decide. Even aside from that pass, CJ had a rather forgettable series.

Time will tell if Omer Asik makes it back to Chicago but if he doesn’t, he’s had enough high’s and low’s in his short career to fill a whole column himself. Whether Kirk Hinrich, Jimmy Butler, and Marquis Teague can step up and fill the void that will be left in the Bulls second unit is a question that has yet to be answered. All I know is that it’s been great watching this squad take over games despite their lack of sheer talent and that I’m looking forward to the impending nicknames of the new guys.