Kirk Hinrich, Jimmy Butler Return at Expense of Tony Snell

Feb 8, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game at Amway Center. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Orlando Magic 98-97. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Presumably, Jimmy Butler’s minutes load is unsustainable. With Tony Snell proving to be an effective NBA player he would be the perfect candidate to eat up minutes during the game and give Butler a much needed respite.

The most logical way to give Tony Snell minutes is to put him ahead of Kirk Hinrich on the depth chart. Although Hinrich’s production has dramatically decreased this season mostly due to his advanced age, he is still one of Tom Thibodeau’s most trusted players. Thibodeau has already suggested that Kirk Hinrich’s minutes will not be cut in favor of playing Tony Snell.

Thibodeau said Bulls are 11-5 in games Hinrich plays over 30 minutes.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 19, 2015

The above statement is a clear attempt by Thibodeau to justify his continued reliance on Kirk Hinrich despite his obvious drop in production and the myriad of better options sitting on the Bulls bench. Pippen A’int Easy’s own Ernie Padaon agrees that Tony Snell is a better option than Kirk Hinrich at this point in their careers.

Prediction Time: Kirk Hinrich will come back and continue to average the 27 minutes per game that he was given the first half of the season. Tony Snell will rot on the bench and go back to being the infuriatingly inconsistent Tony. When the Bulls really need him later on in the season, he won’t be ready to perform well because he won’t have that confidence and polish to his game that comes with consistent minutes.

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