The Bernstein Brief: Bulls' Offense Suits Nikola Mirotic
By Dan Bernstein--
(CBS) Pau Gasol may have led Spain to the recent EuroBasket title, but it's his teammate making the splashier start to the Bulls' season.
Nikola Mirotic has started the first two games at power forward and is averaging 18.5 points an nine rebounds while shooting 52.4 percent from the floor. He has made a league-leading seven 3-pointers in 12 attempts, helping to space the floor for coach Fred Hoiberg's quick-hitting play designs.
Mirotic is limited defensively, but this is a new environment that allows him to stay in the game despite the occasional lapse, allowing for his advantages to outweigh his disadvantages. Imagine that.
He even earned a lukewarm compliment from the Nets' Joe Johnson. According to the Tribune's KC Johnson (no relation, we think), he said, "I can't remember No. 44's name, but he got it going a little bit."
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.