The Chicago Bulls finished their preseason schedule with a 4-4 record on Friday night with a dramatic win over the Dallas Mavericks thanks to Doug McDermott’s clutch game-winner in the final seconds. Throughout the preseason, head coach Fred Hoiberg used a number of different starting lineups, but no one knows who will start for the Bulls on opening night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Hoiberg has not yet announced a formal starting five for the regular season opener. The only guaranteed starters are Derrick Rose at point guard and Jimmy Butler at shooting guard. The starting frontcourt, however, is uncertain. There has been speculation that Hoiberg will start Tony Snell at small forward, Nikola Mirotic at power forward, and Pau Gasol at center. Considering Mike Dunleavy Jr.’s absence due to back surgery, this is Snell’s opportunity to prove that he is worthy of being a capable two-way starter. Snell will most likely start over McDermott because of his defensive versatility guarding multiple positions. McDermott still needs to improve on that end, but his scoring versatility will ignite the bench.
A Mirotic-Gasol pairing should generate points, but both players are defensive liabilities. Mirotic is not strong enough to guard the Zach Randolphs in the league, and Gasol is slower than molasses defending the pick and roll/pop. The alternative is to go back to Tom Thibodeau’s pairing of Gasol and Joakim Noah, but the lane was too often clogged and court spacing was too constricted last season because neither can stretch the defense. Noah, the ultimate team player, has publicly stated his willingness to come off the bench if it meant more wins. If Hoiberg decides to have Noah play a bench role, a future frontcourt pairing of Noah and Taj Gibson would be a potent tandem against opposing teams’ backups. Mirotic and Gasol will put up points on the board, while Noah and Gibson, both of whom have proven they can play together and are very capable starters, can be more defensive-minded while still able to score. Don’t forget about Bobby “Crazy Eyes” Portis, who had an impressive preseason.
Once Dunleavy returns, he may have a more limited role in contrast to his role under Thibodeau because both Snell and McDermott should see more minutes. Dunleavy should see spot minutes for his shooting, but should not have close to starters’ minutes. The Bulls’ frontcourt depth is one of the deepest, if not the deepest, in the NBA, and it will be interesting to see how Hoiberg utilizes it throughout the season.
The backcourt rotation is more concrete with Rose and Butler dominating minutes, and Aaron Brooks playing point guard for the loaded Bulls bench. E’Twaun Moore should play much more than he did last season, considering he is a solid two-way player. He did make a game-winning three against the Oklahoma City Thunder last season. Kirk Hinrich is a solid player and fan favorite in Chicago, but he is not what he used to be during his prime. Hoiberg should give Hinrich spot minutes, similarly to Dunleavy, but if Rose suffers another injury during the season, which is likely, Hinrich or E’Twaun Moore should start in his place.
For opening night and by the time the playoffs begin, the starting five will consist of Rose, Butler, Snell, Mirotic, and Gasol, with a scary and talented bench barring injuries. This should be an exciting season.
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