Perhaps Doug McDermott is still feeling the aftereffects of his concussion from earlier in the season. Maybe he’s just in a rut. Whatever it is, the third year sharpshooter isn’t getting it done on the floor for the Chicago Bulls. He’s not the only one among the young guys. Nikola Mirotic looks completely useless, Bobby Portis looks nothing like a draft steal and Denzel Valentine can barely crack Fred Hoiberg’s rotation. You know, that “rotation” that changes every night? Nevertheless, Hoiberg must not think Doug’s struggles are that important or worrisome.
How do we know that? Fred completely side-stepped a question about McDermott after the team’s 123-92 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. But we’ll get to that in a minute.
Not So Sharp
Bulls fans were expecting big things from McDermott this season. With the departures of Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol, the Creighton kid could expand upon his offensive game and play a bigger role. After all, he did finish the 2015-16 season with the 6th best three-point percentage (42.5%) in the NBA. The expectation was for him to keep that up and add other elements to his game.
While Doug has done more this season making cuts to the basket and putting the ball on the floor, his bread and butter – the three pointer – is in seriously rough shape. He’s shooting just 37.2% from deep, more than a 5% drop from last season. And even though he’s working on the other elements of his offensive game, he’s still shooting threes at a nearly identical rate. 40.2% of his shots came from beyond the arc last season, compared to 39.4% this season. McDermott’s 37.2% is still second on the team behind Portis (who only takes 0.7 threes per contest) but that’s not saying much. The Bulls are devoid of range shooters.
Now, about those comments from Fred.
Thanks For That Question, Let Me Answer A Different One
Wednesday night, Dieter Kurtenbach of Fox Sports tweeted Hoiberg’s response to a question about McDermott. Check it out:
Fred Hoiberg's answer to a pointed question on Doug McDermott is astounding. pic.twitter.com/P9q6rYK1wo
— Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) February 9, 2017
The question is about Doug’s defensive struggles possibly contributing to his shooting slump on the offensive end. Hoiberg doesn’t even mention Doug in his response. Here’s the simplified version of his answer: “Hopefully we’ll have Jimmy & Wade back soon. Golden State came into the game rested, but I liked the way we played. Also, hopefully we’ll get Jimmy and Wade back soon.” Someone asked a follow-up question about Doug, and Fred sidestepped again.
Are you kidding me? Has Hoiberg been watching John Fox’s press conferences and taking notes on how to be a cryptic deceiver? Or maybe it’s Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer he’s been studying. “Thanks for that question, here are some alternative facts for you.” It strikes this author as a cowardly move; something Fred’s bosses also do quite often. “Ew, I don’t like that question. Dodge! Duck! Dip! Dive! Dodge!…Next question, please.” Or in Gar Forman’s case, “No questions, you’re welcome.”
Fully aware of Hoiberg’s sidestep from last night, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune made a point of asking the coach about his struggling sharpshooter again at today’s practice. Here’s what Hoiberg had to offer:
Hoiberg said McDermott has been guiding his shot.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 9, 2017
…That’s it? Oh wait, there was also this from Johnson’s column this afternoon.
“We have to get [Doug] back to hunting shots, having his teammates look for him in transition.” – Fred Hoiberg
That’s it.
Stop Coddling, Start Coaching
So, what’s the point of all this? The point is that Hoiberg just gave Bulls fans the latest example of his spinelessness as an NBA head coach. Fred lost control of the locker room last season as feuds bubbled between star players. More of the same is happening this season with Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo. Butler and Wade went on a tirade to the media about the young guys needing to step up, play better and care more. Where is that kind of talk from Hoiberg? He repeatedly states that “guys who step up will earn larger roles” (I’m paraphrasing) but that’s nothing more than lukewarm motivation. Where is the criticism when guys deserve it? These guys are well-paid professionals, not college kids at Iowa State.
It’s time for Fred to stop coddling his players and grow a pair. If he doesn’t want to be used as GarPax’s latest scapegoat, he needs to prove he has what it takes to command an NBA team and an NBA locker room. Forget about the x’s and o’s. I’m talking about how he relates to his players as a coach. Don’t be their friend. Be their damn coach.
Or, to borrow one of my favorites from a guy I miss more every day, “Do. Your. Job.”
