I could watch this loop all day. Jimmy looked every bit like the best shooting guard in the league tonight. That feels strange to say. I think the Mirotic-at-the-three-injury-experiment might be permanent. Thibs loves his defense and Mirotic took Ariza out of the game. Who's going to be the match up problem for Mirotic at the 3? Miami with Deng/Wade? I think that's probably O.K. Lebron James wouldn't be pretty but guarding LJ is never pretty. I think it might work . . . and Mirotic seems to give you more everything than Dunleavy.
I was actually thinking what if we used Pau's contract money to sign Ariza instead (of Pau). Pau's been great, but his minutes and most of his production would be made up by playing Taj and Mirotic more minutes. Then you have a legit SF. Regardless of his mediocre offense this year, he's got skills and he's a long and good defender (for free). More balance.
I like Ariza, but he's not a great fit for a Thib's defensive schemes. Thib's system showcases smalls who can guard bigs (Deng, Butler, Mirotic(?), Dunleav-ish) and bigs who can guard Smalls (Noah, Gibson, Mirotic(?), Asik). Ariza doesn't really fit the prototype.
I always thought Deng and Ariza were comparable players. Same build, same skill set, both long and good defenders. Even similar per 36 type stats. Not this season though. What he does that Thibs likes is guard smalls when needed
Wow, what a crazy game. Not a Bulls style game, that's for sure. Let's sit back and enjoy this Bulls fans. We're the odds on the win the NBA championship. Everything is coming together for once. Boom!
Just to add to this: playing Mirotic at small forward provides a physical match up advantage on both sides of the ball. I like how Mirotic can use his speed against fours, but playing him on threes allows him to use his size in the post. We've already seen Mirotic net easy post buckets against Jeff Green and Trevor Ariza, and the team hasn't really even started seeking out those match ups yet. I think it's going to take longer for Mirotic to fully develop into a handling three, but he has time. And Rudy Gay has seen a lot of success over the last decade and he isn't a handling type three, so those skills aren't strictly necessary to contribute. I think the Celtics game was it. Mirotic is a small forward here on out, or for at least as long as Thibs is coaching.
Having Mirotic start would be great from there on out. Allow Dunleavy to butcher second string, third string subs.
Whether he is emerging as an MVP candidate or not, Jimmy Butler isn't sure. The only thing that matters to him is the Chicago Bulls keep winning. Pau Gasol had 27 points and 14 rebounds, Butler scored 22 points and the Bulls won for the 13th time in 15 games, rallying to beat the Houston Rockets 114-105 on Monday night. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=400578804
Totally agree, K4E. Went to the game last night with my kids. We had the time of our lives. Pure enjoyment from the basketball being played on the floor, the dominance of JB, the suavite of Pau Gasol, the spurts of Derrick MVP, and the emergence of Mirotic. He missed some gimme threes, but was a real difference maker. And, Kirk did belong. Taj was good but irritating with his constant moaning about getting fouled. Jo had a tough cover with Dwight. He did well. I liked Aaron Brooks for his energy and defense, Their Lithuanian played awesome, and Josh Smith and Patrick Beverley were thorns in our side. But when the D clamped down in the fourth quarter, they fell apart. Driving home in the cold and snow was not fun.
