This was a good game. It's the closest we've looked to the beginning of the season in about two weeks. With MCW, Grant, and Felicio playing well we might have that critical mass of 2-way players you need to have a good rotation. I wouldn't be surprised if the allotment of minutes stays about the same throughout the year barring injuries. Grant and Felicio are quietly putting together decent sophomore campaigns.
If MCW keeps putting together games like that he's the no-brainer starter at the 1. The 0-3 from 3 hurts though. Doug 3-4 from 3. Niko 3-7. Wade 3-4. Butler 3-8. If those four can put up 23 3s and knock them down at a high rate Bulls will be heading in a better direction. Very solid game from Taj as well. Crazy to see Rondo simply not playing and Wade riding the pine down the stretch. If Niko and Doug can hit shots, MCW / Butler / Doug / Niko are an interesting lineup at the 1-4. But can Niko hit those shots and Doug not be too much of a negative in every other area of the game?
Yeah, this was a big win (I guess), but the two key offseason acquisitions (Wade and Rondo) were non-factors. It's clear to me that this season is a placeholder. The Bulls hope to make the playoffs, but they don't think any more of their chances to make any serious noise than I do. Forman talked about getting younger and more athletic this offseason then made moves that didn't come close to lining up to his statement. Obviously, Forman went to the grocery store expecting to come back with one bag of goods and came back with something very different. It's not clear to me whether the store had run out of what Forman wanted or if he got dazzled by the sale items, but younger and more athletic wasn't in his basket when he got to the checkout counter. I'm already sold on the MCW for Snell deal. Nice job, Forman. It's too early, but benching Rondo may be a galvanizing move that solidifies Hoiberg's authority. If so, I'm thrilled.
I think removing Rondo from the rotation entirely has helped quite a bit. On the nights when he doesn't have it he's a huge anchor on the team because he's no longer a good defender and whoever's guarding him just gets thrown at Jimmy. Especially at the end of games where the ball is in Jimmy's hands almost entirely anyways, having Rondo sit around on the perimeter without the ball in his hands is a huge detriment to the team. MCW probably does more of what we were hoping to get from Rondo right now. He's not nearly the passer, but to be honest I don't think Rondo's produced a lot of high value-added assists this year. The majority of his assists are usually through flow or over-passing when he would've had just as high a percentage of shot if he took it himself. Defenses sag off on him so much now and just sit on his pass that he doesn't have a lot of wriggle room to create space for others and his FG% has taken a huge dive this year, probably due to some combination of physical deterioration and defenses already packing the paint against Jimmy. When Wade came there was just not enough room for him on the roster. Hoiberg's always struck me as a mediocre coach, but my opinion of him went up after the decision. It seems to have worked.
MCW strikes me as a great player to have on your roster if you don't have to depend on him too much. I can easily see how a team could get sick of him if you wanted him to run your offense. He's simply too erratic. But he plays with a high energy level and defends three positions, so he's a nice X-factor guy. Will be interesting to see what his FA value is in the offseason. He's much closer to the ideal of what we hoped to get from Rondo than Rondo himself. It's hard to see him turning into a good shooter though. When he fires a 3 I find myself just hoping that he doesn't miss too too badly. I have this idea that Grant is the better long-term fit next to Jimmy due to neutrality of play, contract, and better upside as a 3&D guy. (Particularly the '3' part of that term).
