What Cristiano Felicio’s FIBA World Cup play means to the Chicago Bulls?
The Chicago Bulls are not properly utilizing big man Cristiano Felicio as evidenced by his play earlier this summer for Brazil.
Let’s take a close look at what to takeaway from the Chicago Bulls big man’s performance in the FIBA World Cup.
CBulls center Cristiano Felicio has a lot to offer, but the way he’s been underutilized the last two seasons resulted in underwhelming play.
Who’s to blame?
Many will turn to Felicio, but I beg to differ. Put the blame on the Bulls for the way the rebuild was handled initially.
The Bulls have been in reset mode since the organization parted ways with Derrick Rose. Some will argue the rebuild didn’t begin until after the Jimmy Butler trade, but let’s agree to disagree.
The Bulls signed Felicio after going undrafted in 2016, at which point the organization raved about the acquisition. The big man was lauded as an unlikely Bulls success story for having a nice motor, especially at his size.
Among other things noted about Felicio was his mid-range game. It seemed a little raw, but he could finish around the basket.
Felicio played well when granted proper minutes the first two years under a rookie scale contract. It’s also important to keep in mind the way the roster was constructed during the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 seasons.
About that time, the Bulls had playoff-level talent but weren’t configured to make a strong push for a championship. The regular rotation at times favored Felicio over Bobby Portis, the big man the Bulls selected in the first round of the 2016 draft.
It appears the Bulls were hesitant initially about entering into a rebuild. When the Bulls eventually sent Butler packing, it became clear the team had little, if any, direction. Still, Felicio went on to earn a four-year, $32 million deal.
You could argue the Bulls overpaid Felicio, which in turn, spiked the expectations set for him moving forward. However, there’s an elephant in the room that no one is talking about. Felicio shined earlier this summer during FIBA World Cup play for Brazil.
Check it out.
It’s not uncommon for NBA stars to perform well on the international stage.
Still, something has to give.
It seems the Bulls needed a scapegoat to cover up the ugliness that was the start of the rebuild. The Bulls organization has pushed a false narrative for too long depicting Felicio of not deserving meaningful playing time, and some fans continue to subscribe to that theory.
Let it be clear, the Bulls need to #FreeFelicio. The big man can play, and the Bulls could use a veteran presence at center.
Next. 5 biggest storylines heading into Bulls Training Camp. dark
Felicio has shown he has the ability to fill the role assumed last season by big man Robin Lopez. With Wendell Carter Jr. recovering from a core muscle injury, time is of the essence for the Bulls to make things right by allowing Felicio to absorb some meaningful minutes in the regular rotation.