Its important to set the stage properly. Hinrich is a Bulls icon, according to management. He was anointed Mr Bull before the season started. He was given an above market value contract for this season, paying him like a guy that is going to get some serious minutes. Somewhat inexplicably, management decided to also grant him a player option for next season, once again at above market value, all but insuring he'll be back next season. He's the favorite son of Paxson and Uncle Jerry. And we all know what happens if you are not playing a guy the minutes Paxson wants. So, he's dropped off quite a lot this season. He's never had a game that lit up the statistics, but head coaches have always loved him. He always gets minutes. So, given the status of this guy, what can you realistically do with him? He's coming back next season, so can you just flat out bury him on the bench, 0 minutes a game, embarrassing the face of the franchise like that? Part of managing a team is managing egos, and he's coming back next season. Can you just do the same for an entire season next year? If you were just playing NBA2K, its easy. In the real world, its a really tough situation, given Hinrich's status with the organization and that assassine player option management gave Hinrich for next year.
So you're saying, instead of Thibs overplaying Kirk in his rotation, it's a third party moving his hand? (Paxson)
Can't shoot him or the compromising pictures he has of GarPaxDorf would get out. How about we just get him to retire and hire him as head coach?
Who knows? The head coach on this team isn't allowed to pick his assistant coaches, which is pretty much unheard of in the NBA. The head coach isn't allowed to decide the proper number of minutes for rookies on his team during a "win now" season without being smeared in the media. The previous coach was physically attacked by upper management for not allocating minutes as they saw fit. And the manager in question (Paxson) actually got to keep his job after the incident. Would the head coach even be allowed to just flat out bench management's favorite son? They signed Hinrich to a contract with a dollar amount where he is expected to play. Management also granted Hinrich a player option for even more $$$$ next year, so they likely expect the same next year. He's coming back next season. This isn't just some jamoke of the street. This is Mr Bull Kirk Hinrich we're talking about here. Paxson and Uncle Jerry's guy.
The Bulls need to have a day of the rope. Big market team that hates spending. Even though the Hinrich contract contradicts my previous statement. What a mess. The story on Thibs assistant is when they fired Ron Adams(?) without his consent. They see where there's fire, there's smoke - that could be our current situation.
I would not be surprised if this happens. If not head coach, some other position in the org. If Hinrich retires, does he still count against the cap / tax threshold / etc?
Another management-bashing thread, ya gotta love 'em!!! Especially the blatant lies: Hinrich is a Bulls icon, according to management. Nobody in Bulls management has ever called Hinrich an icon. He was anointed Mr Bull before the season started. Hinrich has never been anointed anything, certainly not "Mr Bull". He was given an above market value contract for this season He actually signed for below market value, as he was offered more money to play elsewhere. "Hinrich took less money from the Bulls than he was offered by other teams" http://www.csnchicago.com/bulls/source-kirk-hinrich-re-signs-bulls paying him like a guy that is going to get some serious minutes. I'm not sure how having the 7th highest salary on a team means that you are "are going to get some serious minutes"... Hinrich makes $2,732,000 and has played 26.1 minutes per game Meanwhile... Mirotic makes $5,305,000 and has played 18.0 minutes per game Brooks makes $915,243 and has played 20.8 minutes per game He's the favorite son of Paxson and Uncle Jerry Yet they dumped him like yesterday's garbage - even throwing in the 17th pick in the draft and CASH just to get rid of him while getting NOTHING in return - in the summer of 2010. And we all know how much Uncle Jerry hates to give up CASH. So Uncle Jerry is an incredible tightwad who only cares about PROFITS, but he pays cash out of his pocket to uncerimoniously dump THE FACE OF THE FRANCHISE who is not only MR BULL and a BULLS ICON, but also HIS FAVORITE SON!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This shit gets funnier and funnier every time you try to spread it. Seriously, thanks for the laughs!!! You should try to get a job writing for Saturday Night Live, you truly have a gift for comedic writing.
I think the answer is pretty simple. Give him the Nazr treatment. End of bench guy, good for the locker room, can fill in when the situation calls for. People always get injured so he'll get his number called sooner or later.
Bulls management put Hinrich on billboards all over chicago. I saw them with my own eyes last time I was there. That would make him an "icon" wouldn't it? They dumped his contract to have room to sign LeBron and Bosh. How'd that turn out?
Funny, if you Google "Hinrich Billboards Chicago", not one billboard of Hinrich shows up. Not even in the "Image" search. Huh. Though it is quite predictable to see the laughable excuses come rolling in from the other member of the FOH club.
I just wonder why Uncle Jerry didn't move Deng's bigger-than-Kirk's contract to clear cap space in 2010 instead of dumping their "favorite son" who is an "icon" and "Mr. Bull"??
First off, my only problem with Hinrich is his shooting. He's never been a high percentage shooter, but since his first injury this season, he's been awful. The good news is that he's playing like he realizes this (I'm sure he does), based on his career-low usage rate of 13.6%. As for what you do with Hinrich going forward, obviously that's up to the head coach. I like how Thibodeau is handling this situation. He seems to be de-emphasizing Hinrich despite the fact that the team is currently down its two starting guards. Good. Ultimately, if Hinrich's a sub-20% 3-point shooter, which is what he's been since late-January, he's an end-of-the-bench guy. For a year and a couple months, that's not the worst thing in the world.
Games played as a Bulls (March 8th, 2015) 1. Jordan, Michael 930 2. Pippen, Scottie 856 3. Hinrich, Kirk 698 4. Sloan, Jerry 696 5. Paxson, John 645 6. Deng, Luol 637 7. Boerwinkle, Tom 635 8. Love, Bob 592 9. Corzine, Dave 556 10. Grant, Horace 546 So Kirk is somehow a Mr. Bull. But it would be ok if he see about 3 minutes or less a game at the moment.
Would you answer the same if X was "picking assistant coaches" and "allocating minutes to rookies" on this team? I pretty much agree on with your take on Hinrich. He's not going to be signed to basically a 2 year deal for non-insignificant money and not play, especially since he's popular with the organization and the coach. Over the course of this year his game has deteriorated, and as you said, his usage has decreased as has his role on the team. Moore is closing out games at times in place him. Once Rose and Jimmy come back it will be interesting to see what happens. Hopefully he doesn't take the player option and accepts his inevitable post playing role in the Bulls organization in some capacity.
