4. A Lack Of Cristiano Felicio (and yes, R.J. Hunter)
We don’t know what Hunter can give us, but Jimmy Butler played 40 exhausting minutes in a loss. With Doug McDermott out, his first-option backups are Denzel Valentine (more of an off-guard than a small forward) and… Dwyane Wade or Jerian Grant (definitely not a three).
Next: Pippen Ain't Easy Roundtable Discussion: Three Alphas, Jimmy Butler, Felicio vs. Portis
R.J. Hunter and the injured rookie Paul Zipser are the only other true small forwards on the roster, and Hunter is the only other healthy one. Can it really get that much worse than Denzel Valentine at this point? I know Valentine is the more intriguing long-term prospect, but like the immortal Bobby Portis, Valentine is not ready on either side of the floor yet.
Last night, Valentine wasted five minutes of valuable playing time, scoring no points (and taking just two attempts) and grabbing no rebounds, while making just one assist and using his length to at least help out with two steals. He was -5 for the game.
Grant played just six minutes, had just two points (going 1-of-3 from the field), and had only one other traditional stat: two fouls, an impressive sum for such scant on-court time logged. He was -8. I’m still higher on Grant than Valentine, because he’s a better, speedier defender, but he clearly hasn’t earned the trust of his coach just yet.
So, why not see what Hunter (a DNP – CD last night) can do? Hunter had 19 points over the weekend when he, Grant and little-used backup center Cristiano Felicio (also a DNP – CD last night) were assigned to the D-League. All three actual Bulls had fantastic games, a reminder of just how valuable extended run can be for building up the confidence of little-used benchwarmers.
Grant loved his time logged with the Windy City Bulls over the weekend, when he scored 34 points in a win. “Nothing like getting game reps no matter what level,” he told reporters.
Felicio had 20 points and 12 boards. The D-League is an important tool, and if Hoiberg doesn’t think Felicio and Hunter have much to offer (which is nuts, considering how paltry the Bulls’ bench has been for a while anyway), why not keep them in the D-League for a bit? These are guys who really might be able to contribute to the NBA-level Bulls.
If it takes some time in Hoffman Estates with Nate Loenser to improve Hoiberg’s confidence in their abilities, so be it. Because we really might need them sooner rather than later.
I personally would love to see Hunter over Valentine and Felicio over Portis right now, since all advanced evidence (plus, you know, the eye test) suggest Felicio is better, right now.
But if that’s not possible, then let’s get them some run so we can see them in games that count at some point in 2016 please.
Seriously, can they be much worse than our bench right now? It’s worth a shot to find out.