Tom Thibodeau confirmed that the Chicago Bulls will start Jimmy Butler at shooting guard next season. "He does, he does," said Thibodeau. "I thought he had tremendous growth last year, and I think it started at the conclusion of his rookie year. He came into the gym and worked every day, had a terrific Summer League, and came right back into the gym in August. And he just got better and better throughout the season." Butler averaged 13.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game in the playoffs last season. Read more http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-t...-return-and-where-in-the-world-is-joakim-noah
Glad to see it. FYI, I don't see Butler as a prototypical SF, so I don't see it as him playing out of position. Being 6-7 with unusually short arms, he doesn't have ideal SF length. His handle wasn't ideally suited to SG coming out of college, but I saw improvement last season. His outside shooting, which needs to be good at either position, also improved last season. Importantly, he can defend either position VERY effectively. I'm excited about Butler as a starter this season and believe that he's easily the best and most complete basketball player the Bulls have started at SG in many years.
Let me add to that: He's the most complete and healthy SG we've had in many years. Another plus: he's heading into his third year with the team, and by now should be very familiar with the other starters and Thibs' defensive schemes. Our top 6 guys in the rotation have all been here 3+ years together with Thibs, and I believe we've gotten to the point where our continuity has become an asset.
Great point. This has become pretty rare in the league and is under-appreciated by the many fans who think the NBA works just like their video games.
Wade Bosh and LBJ were all Team USA buddies before that. We're not the Heat. But we can beat the Heat, which I'll take.
