Westerlund: 5 Takeaways From Bulls' Media Day
By Cody Westerlund--
CHICAGO (CBS) – The Bulls gathered for their annual media day Monday afternoon at the Advocate Center ahead of Tuesday morning's season-opening practice. While Derrick Rose was the center of attention – this time regarding a sexual assault civil lawsuit filed against him as well as comments he made about free agency in 2017 – there was plenty else to discuss.
Here are five takeaways from media day.
Mike Dunleavy's injury is worse than the Bulls initially let on
When the Bulls announced last Friday that projected starting small forward Mike Dunleavy underwent lower back surgery, they included a timetable of eight to 10 weeks for a return. Regarding that timeline, Dunleavy would miss the first 15 or so games of the regular season.
To hear Dunleavy speak, there's little chance of a comeback in that window.
"I don't really have a timeframe on it," Dunleavy said. "I'm coming back when I feel good."
Dunleavy then uttered a telling statement: "I have no idea, hopefully that will be this season."
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg also emphasized there will be no timetable for Dunleavy's return, saying it's most important to have him ready for the "end of the season."
Hoiberg just knows he wants Dunleavy, 35, back.
"Especially from an analytics standpoint, when Mike Dunleavy was on the floor, good things happened," Hoiberg said. "You look at the offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, those numbers, Mike was as good as anyone on our roster."
Opportunity awaits McDermott
Hoiberg listed an array of players when asked who could fill in for Dunleavy, with the most likely candidates being second-year wing Doug McDermott, second-year forward Niko Mirotic and third-year wing Tony Snell.
"You're going to have to do it by committee," Hoiberg said.
"Training camp's going to be very competitive."
The player who the Bulls would like to see step up is McDermott, who they gave up two first-round picks and two second-round picks to acquire in the 2014 draft. Hoiberg and McDermott are both Ames, Iowa, natives, so the two are familiar with one another, and McDermott has the shooting potential to become a favorite of Hoiberg's, though he was bad for most of 2014-'15 that saw him have knee surgery, struggle on defense and shoot just 32 percent from 3-point range.
"I know Doug can shoot," Hoiberg said. "That's one thing he's always been able to do. Especially with Mike out early, he'll get an opportunity to play with that first and second group a lot."
Starting five in flux
We can say this much with certainty regarding Chicago's starting five: Rose and Jimmy Butler will be in it. Pau Gasol almost certainly will be as well after a sensational stint in which he led the Spanish national team to the EuroBasket title recently.
It's not clear who will join them, as Hoiberg is entering training camp with an open mind. He wants to experiment in the preseason and, as anyone might have guessed, he went into NBA coach-speak mode by preaching about how it matters who finishes games.
Hoiberg acknowledged the legitimacy of a question about whether it's best to have big man Joakim Noah come off the bench, as to limit his minutes after his left knee hobbled him in 2014-'15.
"It's a great question," he said.
"As far as the rotations and how we're going to play and who's going to play together, we've got 28 days to figure that out."
Here's an easy bet: Mirotic is going to have a crucial role with the Bulls. Whether he starts right away, who knows. Ego, seniority, health and matchups could factor into that, but Hoiberg loves having a power forward who can stretch the defense and who's comfortable with the ball in his hands.
That's Mirotic.
"Niko's skill set fits in very well with how we play," Hoiberg said.
Noah, Gibson feeling good
In what's become a Bulls tradition in recent years, there was more than just one player to seek an injury update on.
In more promising news than Dunleavy's plight, both Noah and Taj Gibson had optimistic outlooks about their health. After being a shell of his 2013-'14 self in 2014-'15 because of a nagging left knee that was operated on in May 2014, Noah expressed more confidence after working out in Santa Barbara, Calif., for part of the offseason.
"Just needed a little time to regroup and get healthy," Noah said.
Added Bulls general manager Gar Forman: "Joakim looks like Joakim. He's live, he's active."
Gibson underwent left ankle surgery in mid-June to address a health issue that had plagued him for a couple years. He was initially expected to be sidelined from basketball activities until mid-October, the Bulls said.
Now, his progress is "ahead of schedule," Forman said. Gibson will be limited in training camp and likely not go through two-a-days, but he holds out hope that he'll be ready for the Oct. 27 season opener against the Cavs, though that appears to be an ambitious goal.
"I've been feeling good the last couple weeks," Gibson said. "It's about getting back into game shape. I haven't really been able to run for three months, so these last couple weeks have been really tough. But it's been a learning process, and I'm taking it slow."
Butler wants a chance at PG
Fresh off signing a five-year contract worth nearly $95 million in July, Butler wants to expand his game beyond being a wing player. That includes showcasing his point guard skills when Rose isn't on the court.
"Why not?" Butler said of playing point guard. "I think that's another challenge, something I have to get better at any way. The only way to get better at it is to go out and do it, attempt it. Trial by error, I guess. Hopefully I don't mess up too much, but I have confidence that I can do whatever my team needs me to do."
Butler has discussed the idea with Hoiberg, though he's not certain how receptive his coach is.
"I think he thinks I'm joking around a little bit, but I don't know," Butler said. "Maybe sometime in the season that may be called for. If not, I'll just keep dreaming."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
