Takeaway No. 1: So, what’s the rotation now?
The Bulls could potentially be starting a playoff series in a week and Fred Hoiberg still appears miles away from setting a rotation. Players heading into the playoffs are best suited knowing their roles.
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Playoff rotations usually include around nine players. Hoiberg ran out 12 different players in the first half alone. With Wade back, the depth at wing has increased though there’s a sense that the younger wings don’t know what their role will be going forward.
Paul Zipser has been a serviceable starting wing in Wade’s absence. In Wade’s return, Zipser was rewarded with two minutes of play in the first half. It’s a frustrating situation for the rookie.
Cristiano Felicio was freed from Hoiberg’s DNP jail cell and split backup center minutes with Joffrey Lauvergne, revealing Hoiberg’s still unsure who his backup center is.
Anthony Morrow played seven minutes, with all of them coming in the first half. Hoiberg really has some thinking to do if he expects Morrow to be a dependable wing in a playoff series. One would think Wade’s return would allow Hoiberg to not have to resort to him but here we are.
One constant of the rotation is Hoiberg playing Butler a lot. He played a healthy 38 minutes in Saturday’s loss.