Pippen Ain't Easy
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Fred Hoiberg should start Michael Carter-Williams next season

By Michael RENE KANOY

Apr 21, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Carter-Williams (7) is guarded by Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) during the second quarter of the game in game three of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 21, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Carter-Williams (7) is guarded by Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) during the second quarter of the game in game three of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Chicago Bulls’ focus of going “younger and more athletic” should give Michael Carter-Williams the starting shooting guard spot next to Rajon Rondo next year instead of tiring out Dwyane Wade.

Next season is partly a development year for the Chicago Bulls with an eye to making the playoffs.

Fred Hoiberg shuffled through all of his troops last year and it should be enough to know that Michael Carter-Williams should start next year to get him back into form as a defensive ace and relentless rim-attacking combo guard.

What the Bulls want out of Carter-Williams is the same thing that happened with Rajon Rondo. He got tough just in time for the playoffs and his game into top form. This may not reflect consistency in the stat sheet, but what counts is getting into playoff form and peaking at the right time. Stats at any time of the season don’t count if the team doesn’t peak at the right time and the Bulls need their young guns humming early.

Dwyane Wade coming back and starting defeats the purpose of getting the young Bulls into top form as soon as they can manage without losing too many games. Carter-Williams is competitive enough to get it done on defense and find his game on offense with whatever players are mixed with him, from Bobby Portis and potentially Nikola Mirotic, to Isaiah Canaan (his starting partner in the second unit before he got injured) and shooter Denzel Valentine.

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    • Forget all of last year’s DNP-CD games and his overall stat line. It’s time to start anew with what we all know he can bring to the game. Namely, defense, rim diving, attacking with pace that can be tempered by an awareness that the Bulls have walk-up 3-point shooters trailing the play, and hustle points off rebounds and put-backs.

    The only downside to MCW’s game is sometimes, he plays out of control and botches passes and often plays with blinders on consecutive possessions attacking the rim for awkward shots. That’s partly why he is the guard who needs all the playing time to get his game under control and get a good feel of who his teammates are and how they game during regular season games.

    Early in his career with the Philadelphia 76ers, Carter-Williams showed he can fulfill the role he was traded for: a defensive wing and a rim runner who constantly stays in the passing lanes and reads the plays of opponents.

    He can actually get most of his points off of defense, rim running instead of being the main gun on offensive sets. The sets can be ran off the Bulls bigs, which is what Hoiball is primarily designed for. Having big shooters and having MCW hang around to sneak into the lane and make some hustle scores will help because he is a tall guard with long arms.

    The thing about MCW is that he cannot have teammates on the floor at the same time who play the same role as him because it throws off his offense and his defense. Wade and MCW do not sync well with each other. It will be good for Hoiberg to commit to MCW as a starting guard and wean him into his system, even if the Bulls may incur some losses at the start of the season.

    This was how the Miami Heat discovered Dion Waiters was a player after grinding out games.  Last year’s random rotations every five games may not work well next year and there has to be a commitment to settle on which guards the Bulls should play and get going.

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    I’m pushing for MCW just because I’ve seen his game and it is what I see that I judge potential by and not the stats, which can be skewed so bad and not be a reliable measure for what you actually see on the floor.

    In a system that allows Carter-Williams to flourish, the Bulls get a hard-nosed, defensive wing-guard who can get most of his offense off steals and disrupting opponents’ set plays as well as being one of the high pace options alongside Rajon Rondo in the back court. Let him play and watch him shine.

    It’s what the Bulls did with B.J. Armstrong and Scottie Pippen when they came on. A report card on a game-by-game basis can be self-defeating. Look at the San Antonio Spurs weaning everyone in the team into a role to contribute and you know they’re doing something right.

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    By all means, do not trade or waive MCW. It will be the second biggest mistake after trading away Doug McDermott. If someone offers anything good for Wade, that option should be a better sign-and-trade idea than giving up a 25-year-old former rookie of the year who can still ball if given the chance to find his role over the course of a full season playing good, quality minutes.

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