Chicago Bulls vs. Sacramento Kings Takeaways: A Win with a Wild Finish
By Ben Rains
At Least He’s Trying
By most accounts, Hoiberg is a great guy. The referees don’t even want to give the guy a technical foul, even when he is practically begging them to T him up.
But his pace-and-space is nowhere to be found. And this is not his fault. The Bulls don’t have the personnel to play his desired style. The Bulls also don’t have the talent to win at a high level at the moment. So he is trying to make it work.
Hoiberg, to his credit, is trying his hardest to play different lineups off the bench. He even mixed up some of Wade’s minutes in the Bulls win over the Kings. Hoiberg has showed very little hesitation to simply not play guys who aren’t getting it done. He also seems unafraid to go with the hot hand, as he did tonight, giving Zipser some of McDermott’s minutes in the second half.
The second-year head coach also sat Rajon Rondo for the entire second half. This should be refreshing for Bulls fans. The only problem with Rondo’s benching is that neither of the young and forgotten guards took his place. But this is not Hoiberg’s fault.
Chicago’s front office put him in an odd spot. They tried to get young, but then they paid some veterans. They are also trying to make the playoffs. And now, as the Bulls hover around the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoffs standings on a weekly basis, the young unproven guys become almost unplayable.
Hoiberg has stayed positive in an odd stretch for the Bulls, and fans should give him credit for trying to shake things up as much as he can.
Next up for Chicago is a trip to Florida.
The Bulls head to Orlando Tuesday to take on the Magic, with a 6 p.m. tip on WGN-TV.