How does that old saying go? “Time heals all wounds”?
Time will surely heal the broken face of Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic, but it likely won’t heal his pride or his relationship with teammate Bobby Portis. When Portis knocked Mirotic out with one punch during practice a week before their regular season opener, Bulls VP John Paxson tried to convince the media that both parties just needed time to let the dust settle. Water under the bridge in a few short weeks, right?
Wrong.
Multiple sources have reported that Niko’s camp asserts this has become a classic “me or him” situation. If that is the case, how exactly will Paxson and his increasingly invisible partner Gar Forman deal with this?
Here’s what Paxson had to say recently regarding Mirotic’s “me or him” demand:
“We’re really sensitive to this entire issue and what Niko’s going through physically and mentally. We’re trying to be sensitive to him…But just like in anything, as an organization we have to do what’s in our best interest. That’s the bottom line.” – John Paxson
Bottom Line
The bottom line is as follows: Niko and Bobby cannot coexist on this team anymore. This fight was reportedly a long time coming, as the competing forwards have had numerous run-ins spanning the past two years. Portis did extend an olive branch – rightfully so, being the one who threw the only punch and seriously injured his teammate – but there have been no reports of Mirotic responding to any of Bobby’s calls or texts. In fact, Niko has only responded to a select few teammates despite every player on the Bulls roster reaching out to him during his recovery.
Throughout his first three years in the NBA and his free agency summer of 2017, Niko always expressed his desire to stay in Chicago. He and his family have built a happy life for themselves here. But recent rumors suggest that given the fight with Bobby, Niko is even willing to be the one who gets traded. Due to the team option the Bulls have on the second year of Mirotic’s contract, he can veto a trade this season. However, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, Niko’s camp said they wouldn’t veto a trade. Perhaps a change of scenery is the best thing for him after three frustrating seasons with the Bulls.
Something else to think about in the ongoing conjecture of who stays and who goes: Bobby’s trade value right now is significantly lower than Niko’s. The Bulls just picked up the fourth year option on Portis’s rookie deal for next season, but he hasn’t shown any consistent NBA-level talent through two seasons. He’s essentially a streaky shooting guard in a power forward’s body who’s prone to making mistakes. Oh, and he just knocked out his teammate in practice. How many NBA teams want to add that guy to their locker room?
“Calm down, everyone! Don’t all line up at once! We’ll take your Bobby Portis inquiries one at a time.
…Hello? Anybody?”
Mirotic might not have huge trade value either, but it’s definitely higher than Bobby’s. At least he’s shown glimpses of being a serviceable scoring option and three point threat off the bench. Plenty of teams could use that.
Timeline
It’s been two weeks since Mirotic suffered a concussion and facial fractures during that fateful practice on October 17. The initial timeline for recovery of 4-6 weeks remains the same, according to coach Fred Hoiberg. The Mayor also said Niko plans to do some light, supervised activity at the Advocate Center this afternoon. A noteworthy detail? He’ll wait to arrive at the practice facility until after his teammates finish their pre-flight practice. The Bulls head to Miami today for a game against the Heat tomorrow.
Is Mirotic going out of his way to avoid contact and communication with teammates? Or perhaps just Bobby? Although he’s still serving his 8 game suspension for the altercation, Bobby is allowed to attend team practices. Can these two not even be in the same building together? It certainly seems that way right now. One must go. So what’s the holdup?
If Paxson’s plan is to trade Niko, he can’t do so until January 15. If Mirotic’s face fully heals and he’s cleared to play by team doctors in another four weeks, that leaves a window of 1.5 months for Hoiberg to deal with a tornado of media drama and rotation roulette. With Portis off his suspension and Niko ready to play, who gets minutes? Will either of them supplant impressive rookie Lauri Markkanen, who already looks better than both of the “veterans” he replaced because they fought each other? (A. I hope not. Niko and Bobby are the past. Lauri is the future. B. Really excellent “culture” you’re building here, gents. *Eye roll*)
This timeline of Bulls troublemakers returning and possibly being traded has potential to get messy. If Mirotic wants to avoid the drama and leave town with a little bit of dignity, don’t be surprised to see the Bulls shut him down – even if he’s cleared to play – until they find a trading partner. They’ll come up with some PR-spin excuse for why he’s not playing, but we’ll all know the real reasons. He can’t be near Bobby, and Lauri is better than both of them anyway.
Get ready, Bulls fans. The shift from fall to winter is on in Chicago. In time, we’ll see spring again. But these winter months won’t heal any wounds in that Bulls locker room. It’s all broken egos, factions and frostbit cold shoulders until Bobby or Niko leaves town.
