: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
Don’t I know you man? You look so familiar. Well Pippen Peoples the Chicago Bulls have done it again. I will say one thing, Bulls management can get blood from a turnip (or Jimmy Butler’s body based on the minutes he’s played these last few weeks) and proved it by releasing NBA clothing model Erik Murphy and replacing him with old “Bench Mob” member Ronnie Brewer. After Murphy was claimed off waivers by the Utah Jazz and signing Brewer for a ham sandwich and a can of generic soda that collects dust in the back of your neighborhood general store, I would actually let these guys handle my finances. This was done so sweet it had to be plan. With a handful of games left in the season, Brewer in comparison to NBA contracts is basically being paid a uniform and free trips on the company plane for about a month. When the players and owners sit down for their next collective bargaining agreement and fans start whining about the players making so much money, remember this guy. He’ll collect approximately 67,000 based on a pro rated scale. No matter the price, the Bulls have accomplished something that the Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets did about a month ago. They improved the bench. This bench now is solidified. The only difference is that they did it with two cents on the dollar.
The reason Ronnie Brewer was brought in was that Tom Thibodeau TRUSTS him. Period. Look Pippen Peoples, let me school you up on some game. Jimmer Fredette will fill Erik Murphy’s shoes as the dust collector on the bench, trust me. You have to be around for a while to crack the rotation. I get great comments all the time from the Pippen People family that Fredette needs to play. After this move right here, that dream is dead. Brewer was a part of the first free agent class under Thibodeau. Brewer was a key reserve under the title contending years in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 when the Bulls were the number one seed in the Eastern conference. Since he left the Bulls, his career got as ugly as his form on his jump shot. He went to New York and was unsuccessful (but then who is?) then he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder were he had just as much a chance to play as we all do sitting behind that Kevin Durant dude. He finally ended up in Houston this year where he was released after playing a Fredette like 158 minutes in 23 games. At least he will be fresh.
But how will Brewer’s presence on the Bulls bench affect the team? Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. If you need an example of how a trade or a late signing can affect a squad, take look at the Indiana Pacers. They signed Andrew Bynum after the Bulls waived him. He hasn’t played in so long it’s easy to forget that Bynum is still in the league. How about the Danny Granger trade for Evan Turner? That hasn’t panned out so great either. The Pacers have not dealt with these changes very well and it has attributed to the slump that the Pacers are in right now. After all of the retooling that the Bulls have done this year, Chicago is here from a different boat. Let’s see how it affects certain players going forward.
Jimmy Butler.
Let us all pray. Lord, bless Jimmy Butler with some help immediately. He plays so many minutes a game, I can only imagine how long his body can hold up. In Jesus name we pray…Amen. The Ronnie Brewer signing hopefully will provide some periods of rest for Butler who played an average of 41 minutes a game in the month of March. That is actually up from 39 minutes in February. This just in to Pippen Ain’t Easy, that’s a lot of minutes. He ranks fourth in the NBA in minutes per game behind Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and DeMar DeRozan. All these players happen to be All-Stars. The only difference is they don’t play NEARLY as much defense as this guy. This is why it drives me nuts when Butler continues to fire up three-point shots. He can’t have that much energy. Based on the drop in shooting across the board he doesn’t. Hopefully, he can sit down for about ten minutes a game going forward and rest while Brewer, who knows the system can hold the fort for a spell.
Tony Snell
Bring your cards because the only way you are going to get on the floor is in the lay up line. Coach Thibs has already cut back his minutes and when he gets on the floor he hasn’t done much. Look, Coach Thibodeau does not trust rookies. It’s a testament to Tony Snell that he has gotten playing time this season. Believe me it’s a rarity. In the playoffs, it’s an entirely different ball game that I don’t believe Snell is ready for. It’s not a knock on him or his game, but it would be a disservice for the team to put him in a situation that he my not be ready for. Ronnie Brewer at 6’7 225 pounds has the size to run with the D-Wades and Lance Stephensons of the world.
Let’s flip the script here. What’s the worst that could happen?
Nothing. The one thing I have noticed following the Bulls is that they are about two things…One, staying under the luxury tax and two, they will find the cheapest labor money can find. Remember when the Jimmer Fredette signing was supposed to be a big deal? He was to come in and provide the outside shooting the Bulls needed. Now you have to really think to remember what his uniform number is. Now Ronnie Brewer is slated to come in and provide more stability to the bench. The question now is…Will he play? I think he should be in the rotation. he is familiar with the system, the team and the culture. He should adapt quickly. The only thing is can the guy hit three jumpers in a week?
The stage is now set. Now we get to see if the “Bench Mob” is back together.