With Carlos Boozer amnestied and Anthony Randolph traded, the Bulls finally had the cap space to officially sign their big additions of the offseason, Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic.

First, you put the pen to the paper… @nikolamirotic12 pic.twitter.com/Vz3dIBe8Eq

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) July 18, 2014

…then each had their own press conference this morning with the media.

Highlight’s of Mirotic’s session:

Mirotic spoke in multiple languages, with his agent interpreting the more intricate English questions from reporters for him.

According to the Bulls website, they also signed a Paul Gasol!:

When asked about Mirotic’s ability to stretch the floor and the role of stretch fours in today’s game, Tom Thibodeau began his answer referring to Nikola’s drive and work ethic, because of course he did.

He directly noted that he wanted to improve his “physical,” referring to his strength and conditioning that he knows he will have to build up to succeed at the NBA level.

As for his plans the rest of the offseason, Mirotic said he’d return to Madrid to pack up with his family and go back to Montenegro to train with his personal trainer. He plans to return to Chicago in August and get here early to prepare for the season.

On why this was the summer to finally come to the NBA, Mirotic said many expected him to stay another year with Real Madrid since his contract hadn’t expired, as well as the Final Four for their league being held in Madrid next year.

Thibs cracked a smile when asked how his Spanish was, and compared it to coaching Yao in Houston. He jokingly said Yao understood him when it was praise but not when it was criticism or coaching, and said having Pau will help with the transition.

Mirotic confirmed he had not met Gasol until yesterday.

After answering questions, Mirotic posed for the press with his number 44 jersey. Note the Gar derpface:

An hour later, at 12:30 P.M. Central time, Gasol took the stage.

Before turning it over to Pau, GM Gar Forman said their goals of the offseason were to improve by getting deeper and add to their ability to shoot from outside. He also noted how important Derrick Rose’s health is and is optimistic about Derrick’s progress, specifically saying it’s “terrific” watching him play. Forman also said they got “good news” and took a bit of a pause, setting up the potential for breaking news, but no, the “good news” was just Kirk Hinrich staying with the Bulls despite competitive offers from other teams. He finished by noting that Pau has All-NBA and All-Star nods on his record, but that his championship background was important and a real fit.

Pau said he can’t wait to start working. Careful what you wish for, especially with Thibs sitting right next to you.

Asked which Bulls he talked to, Pau confirmed he met with Joakim Noah when Chicago’s contingent recruited in L.A., but also revealed he spoke with Rose on the phone, discussing how Rose felt physically and his feelings about having Pau come to Chicago, which Pau called very positive and encouraging. He said Mike Dunleavy also reached out to him, as did owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

He later lauded the humility of Rose and Noah. “Very important to not have big egos, makes things a lot easier. Their passion and hunger as well. They’re hungry to win…to be a part of a team that ll do whatever it takes.”

On his many suitors, which included staying with the Lakers, or going to San Antonio or Oklahoma City: “No decision was going to be a bad decision for me.”

About playing for a prestigious franchise and in The House That Jordan Built: “It wasn’t part of my decision,” but he did call MJ his idol, saying he had posters of him in his room. He emphasized again that that wasn’t part of his decision, and that he “thought cerebrally,” as well as with his gut on where to sign.

When asked to repeat an answer he had just given in Spanish, the entire room laughed as he paused trying to remember exactly what he had just said.

KC Johnson asked him about minutes management, to which Gasol said: “We’ll see, have to manage a bit.” He said he’ll talk with Thibs about it and “can’t predetermine too much but have an idea.” He mentioned paying more attention to detail to minutes as he gets older.

On playing against the Bulls: “Always had to respect, had your work cut out for you… have to match their intensity and physicality to have a chance,” adding that he respected their character.

Asked about playing in front of “better” basketball fans, as opposed to the sterotypical L.A. fan: “Laker fans were really good to me…can’t say one bad word.”

Having been through it himself, Pau was asked what the transition from Europe to the U.S. will be like for Mirotic. He said it will be an adjustment year and he will be homesick, but that playing on a competitive team will help, as will the Serbian community in Chicago. He said his family coming to Memphis made it much easier for him, and that “I’ll try to help him out as much as I can.”

Referring to his interest in medicine, Pau said he will contact hospitals to help out and work with, noting that it’s very rewarding to him to help kids. Later, a clueless reporter said this was the first he’d heard of Pau’s medical background, and asked what he can do to help Derrick’s knees. He answered the question respectfully and said “Hopefully there’s no need for anything.”

Why he signed with the Bulls over other contenders: “Money obviously wasn’t the priority here.” He said he prioritized being on a championship quality team and the chance to put that team over the top. “Here I was gonna have that opportunity,” later adding “I think we have all the pieces. It’s not easy…we can make it happen but it’s a process.”

When asked later about why the Bulls over the Spurs specifically: “San Antonio was another great option, but now it’s I’m here and that what i want to focus on. Woulda, coulda, shoulda, I have to put them behind me. This was the team i wanted to be a part of.”

On leaving Kobe Bryant: “It was difficult. we have a close friendship…I’m sure I’ll miss him…but our friendship goes beyond basketball. He was supportive and understood…that’s what friends and brothers do and that’s what we are.”

Asked if he talked to Carmelo Anthony: “We talked. we talked on the phone…if you could have made a difference to come to the Lakers or not, or stay in New York or signing here, things could have changed but those are hypotheticals.”

Pau acknowledged the colder weather. “Maybe my wardrobe will have to change,” he said.

On championship experience: Noting Thibs has won as well, “I think we can send the message, what does it feel like, what does it take.”

He somewhat side-stepped the question of if the Bulls are a title-or-bust team, but did say:”If I didn’t believe we had that potential, I don’t think i would have come here.”

He didn’t commit either way when asked if he would start, saying “we’ll figure it out as we go along.”

Pau finished posing with his number 16 jersey, which he will continue to wear with the Bulls:

The post Bulls Introduce Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Once Charlotte, the other main suitor for Kirk Hinrich, signed Brian Roberts, it seemed to be a fait accompli that the veteran would return to Chicago yet again, though hope remained another team might jump in. Those hopes were quickly dashed by Adrian Wojnarowski:

Charlotte had been pursuing free agent Kirk Hinrich, but belief is that he's destined to sign with Bulls, league sources tell Yahoo.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 13, 2014

That was quickly followed by David Aldridge:

Kirk Hinrich has re-signed with the Bulls, per source.

— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) July 13, 2014

The news was met with this reaction by about 90% of Bulls fans:

Details aren’t available yet, other than Aggrey Sam noting that the deal is for more than the minimum, and KC Johnson saying the terms are somewhat flexible until the Bulls are sure of how to sequence the transactions involving Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic, as well as the probable amnesty of Carlos Boozer. If Kirk were to make the veteran’s minimum, the league pays a portion of it so teams are not discouraged from adding veterans whose minimum salary is higher than those of younger players. By signing Hinrich for more than the minimum, the Bulls are now responsible for all of his salary.

KC noted, as he has before, that the Bulls feel Hinrich is the perfect complement to Derrick Rose. Maybe he was in his last stint with the Bulls, but he’s not that player anymore:

-As John Wall showed in the playoffs, Kirk can’t relieve defensive pressure off of Rose because he can no longer stick with fast point guards.

-He’s shot 38.6% from the field since coming back to Chicago. Other than Miami’s Norris Cole, Kirk had the worst PER in the entire league among point guards who played 20 minutes per game last year.

-Also, a dependable backup behind Rose is a necessity, but Hinrich has missed nearly 15 games a year since his age 30 season, and even more if one dates back to his injury-plagued 2008-2009 season. Either way, he’s missed at least seven games each of the last eight seasons, which means a back-up is still needed for the back-up.

The post Bulls Fulfill Their Destiny And Re-Sign Kirk Hinrich appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

The NBA’s annual Las Vegas Summer League kicked off today for the Chicago Bulls as they faced off with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Bulls started out the game with strong Thibodeau-esque defense against the Clippers and uncharacteristic offense firepower. But from there any semblance of defense dissolved and both teams began scoring at will. The Bulls eventually won the game by a score of 86-70.

We could bore you with a more detailed recap of the game, but we won’t. The importance of LVSL is to get the draftees practice and evaluate any potential talent to see if they’re worthy of getting a roster spot on the 2014-2015 Bulls roster. This year’s team notably features sophomore Tony Snell and rookies Doug McDermott and Cameron Bairstow, all of whom stood out amongst the roster in tonight’s game.

Tony Snell:

Snell was by far the most impressive player on the court for either team. From the outset Snell demonstrated an aggressiveness we have yet to see from him. He was shouting instructions on both sides of the floor, calling for the ball and clapping whenever he got a good opportunity, and was aggressive taking the ball to the basket. His aggression was rewarded quite handsomely. Using his improved physique (he’s added 10 pounds of muscle mass thus far this offseason), Snell pushed around anyone who got in his way while using finesse and an improved dribble to crossover opponents and beat people with his first step. His three point shooting was also on point today as he hit 5 of 7 attempts, both misses occurred in the opening minutes of the game. Snell finished with 27 points on 10 of 14 shooting. Overall it was an excellent performance.

Cameron Bairstow:

When the Bulls drafted Bairstow, my initial reaction was, “Who?” While I had seen him play a little bit I was far from familiar with his game. Though it’s only summer league and any production should be taken with a grain of salt, I can now see what the Bulls see in Bairstow. While he wasn’t an offensive savant he did have some nice post moves that he went to to get a shot off. Additionally, he worked well off of the ball making several nice cuts and rolled into the paint beautifully. Defensively is where he really impressed. Bairstow barely bit on any pump fakes and played incredibly physical and made his opponent fight for his shot. He could learn to show some restraint but as a raw product it’s a solid start. It’s easy to see why the Bulls could see Bairstow as an Omer Asik type player who is better on offense.

Doug McDermott:

Aka- McBuckets. McDermott is perhaps the player Bulls fans are most interested in. First it should be noted that McDermott is much smaller looking in person than I would have imagined. Looking at images of him at Creighton University, it seems the camera either added 10 pounds or he’s dropped some weight. Our guess is it’s the latter. McDermott’s body as constructed seems more suited to play at small forward rather than at power forward and indeed that’s where he spent most of the night for Chicago.

Offensively McDermott was great. Though he only scored 10 points on 2 of 8 shooting, McDermott’s abilities shown through. His shot form was excellent (he should have had a few more buckets but they rattled out of the rim), his passing was crisp and clean, coming off of screens he was quick and decisive thus allowing him to get open, and his movement off the ball was strong. Defensively was another matter. Though McDermott put in effort, he was, to put it kindly, vulnerable on defense. At various points he showed poor defensive awareness (on one fast break he followed the ball handler who was fanning out to the 3 point line thus opening up an easy layup for another player) while at other times he would get lost, get beaten on the first step, and/or get caught in screens. Thibodeau is a genius on defense, and obviously Thibodeau is not coaching this summer league team, so it’ll be interesting to see how Chicago makes it work and if McDermott can show improvement over the next 4 games.

The post Las Vegas Summer League Player Evaluation Game 1- Bulls vs Clippers appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

It’s nearly 11 PM here on the West Coast and the weekend has just started in the rest of the country, but NBA Hot Stove news has no bedtime apparently. According to Spanish sports outlet Marca, and now Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Bulls are about to get Pau Gasol from the Los Angeles Lakers in a sign-and-trade.

From Marca’s Jesus Sanchez:

Acuerdo prácticamente cerrado a falta de un 'sign and trade’ con @Lakers. @paugasol jugará en los @chicagobulls. Info en @marca.

— Jesús Sánchez (@Sanchez__Jesus) July 12, 2014

Wojnarowski, who does not confirm the sign-and-trade portion of the transaction:

Pau Gasol, Chicago working to complete an agreement, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 12, 2014

As of now, the details are unclear. The Lakers could receive a package including Mike Dunleavy and the WaivaBulls (Mike James, Ronnie Brewer and Louis Amundson), or maybe the Bulls threw in a future first to save the amnesty money on Carlos Boozer. The Lakers used their cap space to absorb Jeremy Lin’s expiring deal from Houston, so it’s no longer easy for them to take on Boozer’s expiring, but again, without the specifics, NBA transactions have taught us not to rule anything out completely.

A couple things to remember:

-Google translator is an approximation, so it’s tough to gauge the specifics of the Marca article.

-Without knowing what the Bulls are giving up in the deal, it’s too early to judge what this means for their pursuit of Carmelo Anthony. It does, however, take Phil Jackson’s top target off the market. Jackson was hoping to get his former player at a discount, a move that may have clinched Anthony re-signing in New York.

-If Gasol is acquired in a sign-and-trade, the deal will be for at least three years. Though a scary proposition, seeing as Gasol just turned 34, it’s mitigated by the possibility of unguaranteed or partially guaranteed seasons.

We’ll update the situation once more details break.

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UPDATE (2:16 PST)- KC Johnson of the Chicago Tribune also tweeted out that the Chicago Bulls haven’t been told anything.

FWIW, and obviously a fluid story, but Bulls haven’t been told they’re not getting Carmelo Anthony as of yet.

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) July 9, 2014

The door is still partially open but the scenario could very well be similar to Dwight Howard’s free agency situation last offseason in which he made a decision but teams were not informed at the time the news broke.

———-

UPDATE (1:16 PST)- Mark Medina of the LA Daily News is now tweeting sources say there is no decision made yet.

Source close to Carmelo Anthony insists “there is no decision yet.” Adds “still up in the air.” — Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) July 9, 2014

This remains a continuing trend of conflicting reports this offseason. While it is more than likely Isola is correct, it seems the door hasn’t completely closed just yet.

———-

After months of chatter and a quiet free agency, it seems we have the first real news of the NBA offseason- Carmelo Anthony plans to stay with the New York Knicks. The story was first reported by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.

A person close to Anthony told The News on Wednesday that barring a last minute change of heart Anthony will re-sign with the Knicks after “agonizing over this” for the past week.

The news doesn’t come as too much of a shock. Though he stated a desire to play for a winning team and Chicago is widely considered the best fit for him, Carmelo Anthony has expressed that it would be difficult to uproot his family and leave New York. The addition of Phil Jackson certainly helped matters for New York as his addition gave the organization a sense of direction for the first time in years. Following the release of the report, Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted out the following:

Within Anthony’s circle, belief’s been this, sources tell Y: Get NY’s $129M now, figure out destination later. You can always get a trade. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 9, 2014

Assuming this is true, and given the source it likely is, it seems Anthony did not learn from forcing a trade from the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks.

The writing isn’t in stone yet but given the two sources reporting the story it seems the Bulls have struck out on a superstar free agent once again. The Chicago front office will shift their attention to other options in the coming days and may possibly explore a trade for Kevin Love.

We’ll update you more on the story as more news becomes availableC

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The NBA All-Defensive teams are usually an annual guarantee to cause uproar among NBA Twitter. How did Carlos Boozer get a vote? How did the Defensive Player of the Year not make First Team? Which declining legend will cease being grandfathered in for their respective sport’s defensive honor first: Kobe Bryant or Derek Jeter?

This year, however, is a completely respectable group of selections. Joakim Noah avoided having to settle for Second Team honors as Tyson Chandler and Marc Gasol, the two previous winners of DPOY, did the last two years, as he had both the most First Team votes (105) and total points (223), based on the formula of receiving two points for a First Team vote and one for a Second Team vote. This is Noah’s third All-Defensive team as he made Second Team in 2011 and First Team in 2013.

Noah is flanked by Paul George, Chris Paul, Serge Ibaka and Andre Iguodala on the First Team. Other than Chris Paul and his six All-Defensive selections, it is either the second or third time for the rest of the First Team.

Joining Noah is teammate Jimmy Butler, whose 103 points earned him a spot on the Second Team. Butler’s selection is noteworthy as there is often a lag in recognizing up-and-coming players. Players often end up winning Most Improved or All-Defensive spots a year or two after establishing a high level of play. For Jimmy to make it in just his third year goes to show just how much attention the Bulls get for their defensive prowess and also how Butler’s high-profile shutdowns of Joe Johnson in the 2013 playoffs and the very best in the league this year helped his reputation:

In the month of March, George, Durant, James, Harden and Anthony have combined to score .61 ppp when Butler was the initial defender.

— Kelly Scaletta (@KellyScaletta) March 28, 2014

While the First Team is loaded with repeat winners, Butler is one of four players on the Second Team to be chosen for the first time, along with Patrick Beverley, Kawhi Leonard and Roy Hibbert. Rounding out the runners-up is LeBron James, who has made First Team every year since 2009 until now. Many felt LeBron shouldn’t have been selected at all, but his demotion demonstrates the attention paid to his lowered defensive effort did not go unnoticed.

This marks the fourth straight year the Bulls have been represented on at least one All-Defensive Team. As mentioned, Noah was selected in 2011 and 2013, while Luol Deng earned a Second Team selection in 2012.

Noah and Butler join Kirk Hinrich and Ben Wallace as Bulls duos to be selected in the same year in the post-Jordan Era.

The post Joakim Noah and Jimmy Butler Voted To All-Defensive Teams appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

“Oh, you can’t always get what you want.

But if you try sometimes, you just might find

You get what you need.”

Those iconic lines from The Rolling Stones essentially sum up the 2013-2014 season for Mike Dunleavy. The 33 year-old came to Chicago after 11 seasons with three franchises and only one playoff win to his name. He turned down more money elsewhere not just to play with Derrick Rose and on a title contender, but also in one of the most professional locker rooms in the league. Chicago’s chances for the title ended the same night Rose’s season did in Portland, but Dunleavy still relished playing on a winning team for just the second time in his career.

The first? That memorable 2006-2007 Warriors squad that shocked the Mavs in the first round – which Dunleavy wasn’t around for, seeing as the team, 19-20 at the time, traded him midseason to Indiana in the eight player deal that brought Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington to Golden State. He’d only been to the playoffs twice, with the 2011 Pacers (who lost to the Bulls) and last year’s dysfunctional Milwaukee squad (Bucks in 6!), two teams that squeaked into the 8 seed with below .500 records thanks to the putrid company surrounding them in the Eastern Conference.

With all that in mind, it’s easy to understand why Dunleavy took Chicago’s mini midlevel exception, and with it, his lowest earnings since his rookie season. He proved invaluable to the Bulls, especially after the white flag trade of Luol Deng, and no matters what happens from this moment forward, he put on one of the greatest shooting displays in playoff history.

The Numbers:

Overall: 82 G, 61 GS, 31.7 MPG, 11.3 points, 4.1/9.4 FG/FGA (43.0%), 1.5/4.0 3p/3PA (38.0%), 2.0 FTA, 85.4 FT%, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals, 51.0eFG%, 53.9 TS%, 17.0% usage rate

Pre-Deng trade: 32 G, 11 GS, 28.2 MPG, 10.8 points, 4.0/8.7 FG/FGA (45.5%), 1.4/3.7 3P/3PA (39.3%), 1.7 FTA, 83.0 FT%, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.7 steals, 53.8 eFG%, 56.9 TS%, 17.4% usage rate

Post-Deng trade: 50 G, 50 GS, 33.7 MPG, 11.7 points, 4.1/9.9 FG/FGA (41.6%), 1.5/4,1 3P/3PA (37.2%), 2.2 FTA, 86.5 FT%, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals, 49.4 eFG%, 53.8 TS%, 16.7% usage rate

The Good:

This section obviously starts with a mention of his Game 3 barrage against the Wizards. Practically shooting flames out of every orifice, Dunleavy went 8-10 from three, and the Bulls needed every one of his 35 points. Only 17 times in history had a player hit eight triples (Ray Allen has done it four times, and Chris Paul has done it since in Game 1 against Oklahoma City), and it was a career-high for Dunleavy, as well as a playoff-high for the Bulls as a franchise.

The season may not have gone as well as Dunleavy hoped, but for one night, the veteran with one career playoff win extended his team’s season with the best shooting display of his entire career. Pretty cool stuff.

Beyond that, he is to be commended for stepping into the starting lineup and playing a larger role than he should be at this point in his career. He tallied 30 games of 35 minutes or more in the regular season. Per Basketball Reference, only Zach Randolph, Kyle Korver and David Lee had more among players over 30, and Dunleavy is older than all of them. To find a player older than Dunleavy on the list, one passes a handful of perimeter players before landing on Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki, who each hit the 35 minute threshold 21 times.

The burden Dunleavy shouldered is even more impressive when considering he would often play the first 18 or so minutes of the game without a rest, and that he played in all 82 games for the fourth time in his career.

While he did post his lowest three point percentage since 2009-2010, 38.0% is right in line with his recent numbers and is no cause for alarm, especially when factoring in that he should get more catch-and-shoot looks with better offensive talent around him next year. (I’m assuming a bit there, but if the weaponry isn’t upgraded, then GarPax won’t have just fallen asleep at the wheel, they’ll have driven the car off the side of a cliff.)

The Bad:

Following in the footsteps of past Chicago wings, Dunleavy took a while to find his place in Tom Thibodeau’s defense. Because of that, and the sheer numbers game of Jimmy Butler (defensive stopper) and the Hinrich/Augustin duo (Thibs prefers two ball handlers) taking all three perimeter spots, Dunleavy often found himself on the bench to finish games. In fact, leaving him on the bench may have very well cost the Bulls a victory in Game 2 against Washington. Also, while his offense was needed against them, the Wizards did expose him on defense, as Trevor Ariza made the Bulls pay all series from beyond the arc.

The Grade: B

The Future:

Dunleavy is signed through next season, for which he is set to make $3,326,235. It’s a great price for the role he fills, and while many expected him to follow Deng out the door at the deadline, the Bulls resisted offers from contenders for him. Unless clearing his salary is absolutely necessary in order to bring in Carmelo Anthony or Kevin Love (should the Wolves decide to trade him), he should be back with the Bulls. Returning to a lesser role, as well as having another training camp to get comfortable on defense, should make Dunleavy even more successful in 2014-2015.

The post 2013-14 Year in Review: Mike Dunleavy appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way immediately: Jimmy Butler did not have a great season. And that is most likely an understatement.

Having said that, I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that the 2013-14 Chicago Bulls would not have won 48 games without Jimmy. He stepped into the void created when Luol Deng was shipped off to Cleveland and did a phenomenal job, so long as you’re not into stellar shooting percentages. There’s no disputing that Jimmy is one of the very best perimeter defenders in the NBA, and the Bulls defense would not have been as good without him.

The Numbers (per-36): 12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.5 blocks, 1.4 turnovers, 39.7% FG, 28.3% 3PT, 76.9% FT, 13.5 PER, 7.1 WS, 0.131 WS/48

The Good: Defense, mostly, though there were a few nice things we saw offensively. Pressed into a role as a secondary ball-handler, Jimmy did seem to improve his playmaking somewhat, evidenced by his increased assist total and assist rate. He continued to get to the free throw line at a very high rate, posting a .488 free throw rate, which is even higher than last year’s. But yeah, not a great year overall on that end.

The Bad: I mean, his jumper just straight up abandoned him. I’ve been blaming the turf toe injury he suffered in November, based on the fact that he was shooting 44 percent from deep in the first 9 games of the season and then shot in the mid-20s the rest of the way, but I have no idea. You could tell me someone hypnotized him and I’d probably believe you.

Though, oddly, Jimmy actually did pretty well from mid-range this year, hitting about 40 percent from 10-16 feet and about 36 from 16-23 feet, according to basketball-reference. That’s not great, but it’s not bad, and it’s a far cry from his abysmal 28 percent mark from three. Jimmy shot 45.7 percent on twos overall, which is pretty not bad. Don’t worry, I’m just as confused as you are.

Jimmy’s offensive rebounding, a big part of why he was so good in 2012-13, mostly disappeared. His defensive rebounding rate is essentially identical over the last two years, but his offensive rebounding rate dropped from 7.2% to 3.9%. The first number is elite for a wing, the second is … not. I feel pretty confident that’s because Jimmy spent so much more time on the perimeter this year compared to last. He attempted 240 threes this year in 67 games, compared to 105 all of last year in 82 games. Granted, he did play about 400 more minutes this year than last, but still, that’s a bit of an increase.

The Grade: B

The Future: I would very much like to think that a summer off will let Jimmy rediscover his jumper, which would make him a hell of a player again. It’s entirely possible that it won’t, and he’ll have to compensate by crashing the offensive glass and drawing fouls and such, and that would be fine too. But on a team so starved for shooting, I really hope he comes back with his jumper in hand once more. That would be delightful.

But even if he doesn’t, I’ll still love him forever.

The post 2013-14 Year in Review: Jimmy Butler appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Tony Snell’s rookie season was not a terribly smooth one. He spent the first 12 games or so barely playing, then was suddenly thrust into the starting lineup, then became something of a key bench cog, then went back to not playing very much. His calling card coming in was his shooting, something that never really materialized this year, aside from the occasional explosion. But overall, I think there’s a lot to build on here.

The Numbers (per-36): 10.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.4 blocks, 1.3 turnovers, 38.4% FG, 32.0% 3PT, 75.6% FT, 8.0 PER, 1.6 WS, .063 WS/48

The Good: As much as I liked him, there’s not really a whole lot of good here, at least statistically. Snell finished at the rim better than I would’ve expected (55.1 percent, per Basketball-Reference) and shot well from mid-range, though those are both very small sample sizes. I liked what I saw from him in terms of his passing, and his confidence never wavered, even as he continued shooting around 30 percent from deep late in the season.

Defensively, Snell was inconsistent at best. He had moments here and there, but got lost too much for my taste. The good news is that rookies — especially ones playing in Tom Thibodeau’s system — almost always take a year or two to adapt to NBA defense, and Snell did well enough for Thibs to play him quite a bit more than I expected going in. Snell appeared in 77 games (12 starts) and totaled 1231 minutes. That means he played about 16 minutes per game. For comparison’s sake, Jimmy Butler played 359 minutes in his rookie season, so Snell must have been doing something right.

Snell also appears in the Bulls’ best lineup by net rating, along with DJ Augustin, Mike Dunleavy, Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah. That group posted a +32.2 net rating in 74 minutes together, which ranks among the very best in the league for lineups playing at least 50 minutes together. Replace Jimmy with Kirk Hinrich and you get the Bulls’ sixth best lineup by net rating. Maybe it’s nothing, but I have to believe Snell was doing something right.

In the playoffs, though Snell’s individual numbers were ugly, the Bulls performed significantly better when he was on the court. With Snell out there, the Bulls were +8.4 points per 100 possessions, scoring 108.8 and allowing 100.4. With Snell on the bench, they were -7.3 per 100, scoring 98.6 and allowing 105.9. The sample size (46 minutes) is small enough that this is probably just statistical noise, but I thought it was interesting.

The Bad: Obviously, any time you’re shooting 38 percent from the field and 32 percent from deep, that’s bad. But as I wrote in March, that overall field goal percentage is a little bit misleading. More than half of Snell’s shots came from deep, dragging his overall mark down significantly. He shot over 45 percent on twos, so maybe we’d feel differently if Snell hadn’t taken so many threes. I expect Snell to extend his range this summer.

Otherwise, his defense wasn’t great — understandable — and … well, his celebrations could use some work. Otherwise, there’s not a lot here to get mad at. The big thing is the shooting, and I’m not worried about that.

The Grade: C-

The Future: In the short term, Snell is probably safe as long as he isn’t traded for Melo. I am personally against such a trade, as I believe the Bulls should stay away from Melo unless they’re going to get him at their price, but people keep bringing this up, so there you are. I think Snell sticks around and becomes a key bench cog next year after stretching himself out to the NBA three-point line. But there’s a ton of uncertainty for pretty much everyone this summer, so who knows?

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Nene Hilario has been a thorn in Chicago’s side this season, especially during the playoffs. His physical play defensively has impeded Noah’s passing from the high post and kept Chicago out of the paint for easy layups while his offense has been strong and bruising. With Nene on the court the Bulls are only a 1-4 on the season against the Wizards. Chicago may have gotten a break as the NBA announced Nene will be suspended for game 4 after his scuffle with Jimmy Butler.

According to an NBA press release:

Washington Wizard’s forward-center Nene has been suspended one game without pay for head-butting and grabbing guard-forward Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls around the neck with both hands and attempting to throw him down, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.

The incident, in which Nene received two technical fouls and was ejected from the game, occurred with 8:28 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Wizards’ 100-97 loss to the visiting Chicago Bulls last night at Verizon Center. Nene will serve his suspension tomorrow when the Wizards host Chicago.

The suspension isn’t a surprise. In addition to attempting to throw Butler down with what Mike Dunleavy described as a “MMA move,” replays of the incident show Nene cocking his fist back just as teammates started pulling him away. The entire incident can be viewed below.

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