The key is to take the gains the team has made with Jimmy out and incorporate his game into it when he returns. I think one of the most mentally challenging aspects of team sports for a star player is learning to trust guys you know are less talented than you to do things you can probably do better yourself. For any particular play the star is usually correct that the highest percentage play is go at it alone, but that mentality is systemically harmful if repeated too often because it diminishes the contributions of the team's lesser players in a way that makes the team easier to defend due to higher predictability and a generally lower level of play from the 4th and 5th bananas.
Incorporating Jimmy and getting the most out of him while winning is the job of the coach. The previous guy, Thibs, could take pretty much any competent player and get the most out of him, even if that guy doesn't exactly fit his system. It seems that as this years team flounders about, some speak of how the personnel doesn't fit "Hoiball" and the team needs to be revamped. The issue is that the guys usually targeted in this are the all-star level talent on the team, Butler, Gasol and Rose (at one time he was). The issue there of course is that the NBA is a talent driven league and if the team is devoid of elite talent, it doesn't really matter what system is being run. Its pretty clear that the new system isn't a match for the existing talent, as the team is performing far worse on the offensive end this season versus last. Butler is a top 15 in the NBA player right now and a top tier all-star. Hoiberg hasn't proven squat in the NBA and didn't really accomplish much of note in college either. Butler also saw the team perform much better than it is now on offense before Hoiball was imposed. For instance, last season the Bulls were 10th / 11th in Off EFF. Its been a rough ride for Hoiball the last year. His college team lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament and his first year of NBA head coaching he has driven the 11th most efficient offense in the NBA down to 24th. There is absolutley no indication at this point that "Hoiball," whatever on earth that exactly is, is the way to go or worth making talent decisions over. If we want to be the Warriors, we'll need a Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, who have very different games than our key guards Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler.
PJax couldn't have said it better. Getting Jordan to embrace that "equal opportunity offense" of Tex Winter's was a crowning achievement. It pains me to believe that players I like may not be willing to embrace the team concept wholeheartedly, but from what I've seen of "the new and improved Jimmy Butler," it's a real concern. The Bulls have some talent, but it's clear that their talent isn't such that it can carry them very far in the playoffs. Playing in a way that makes the whole greater than the sum of its parts is the only way for them to make any real noise.
Good point. This seems like the big problem. They often don't play as a team. They are talking about playing as team but don't back up their talk.
