So, last night’s Bulls game ended up being pretty entertaining. Blake Griffin and Zach LaVine were trading blows all night, both finishing with 33 points, in a game that ended up being tied at 116 with 24 seconds to go thanks to this beautiful shot:
Zach LaVine 3 pointer ties it up @ 116 pic.twitter.com/YlJ0IEUTvu
— Ⓜ️arcusD ᴿᴵᴾ ᴹᵃʳᶜᵘˢᴰ² (@_MarcusD3_) October 21, 2018
The ensuing possession is one that Fred Hoiberg would (hopefully) like to have back.
And the Bulls defense fails us again pic.twitter.com/zLdXjyLZ0N
— Ⓜ️arcusD ᴿᴵᴾ ᴹᵃʳᶜᵘˢᴰ² (@_MarcusD3_) October 21, 2018
The mistake Hoiberg made? Jabari Parker is in the game while Wendell Carter was watching from the bench.
Parker’s deficiencies on the defensive end are a secret to no one, while Carter’s well rounded, two-way style of play is the primary reason the Bulls drafted him. Carter should’ve been on the court and Hoiberg’s explanation for why he remained on the bench was unconvincing.
Fred Hoiberg says #Bulls didn't have Wendell Carter Jr. on the floor on Pistons' winning hoop because Detroit went small and he wanted to ride group that was fighting back.
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) October 21, 2018
A few things:
- If Detroit went small, leaving Parker out there along with Bobby Portis still puts you at a disadvantage.
- Of the group that stormed back to tie the game, Parker made the least amount of impact.
- It’s one thing to intentionally leave a player on the bench to send a message, Thibs used to do that with Carlos Boozer all the time, but there’s no reason to send that type of message to Carter right now.
Hoiberg has probably made more good decisions than bad ones since the rebuild started, but yesterday was one of his darker moments. Let’s hope he learns from this and doesn’t let Parker on the court in that situation again.
