Chicago Bulls small forward Mike Dunleavy is reported to make his return sometime soon, so what will that mean for the team?
As inconsistent as the Chicago Bulls have been this season, one thing is for sure: the team is a hot mess.
While one minute they are comfortably in second place in the Eastern Conference, coming up victorious against the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the next they are in fifth place and losing to the Utah Jazz.
This was understandable, even acceptable, at the start of the year. With former head coach Tom Thibodeau getting fired and the front office bringing aboard newbie Fred Hoiberg, as well as Derrick Rose making his way back yet again from injury, some degree of instability was expected.
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But by this point, Bulls fans are both confused and fed up.
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With only a little more than a week until NBA All-Star Weekend, Chicago is already well past the halfway mark. And although there are certainly positive attributes of the team to touch upon, there are still glaring errors to address.
One in particular, is the position of small forward.
Mike Dunleavy, the Bulls’ veteran small forward, underwent back surgery during the offseason and has yet to return to the lineup since.
Initially, he was only slated to miss around two months. However, after a setback, Dunleavy was ruled out without a timetable for his return. But now it seems the time may have finally come.
Dunleavy has been practicing with the Santa Clara Warriors, a D-League team, in preparation for his return to Chicago. On Wednesday afternoon though, he was recalled by the Bulls and it was announced that he would link back up with the team in Denver.
Two practices with Santa Cruz in, Mike Dunleavy recalled from D League. Will hook back up with Bulls for plane ride to Denver.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 3, 2016
Whether or not the 35-year-old will actually play in Chicago’s Friday night matchup against the Denver Nuggets is still up in the air, but regardless of when he does come back, the same question remains: What will it mean for the Bulls?
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Well for one, they will have someone to rely on at the three spot.
It is no secret that Tony Snell has not been able to step up for Chicago in order to fill Dunleavy’s void. Averaging just 5.6 points on 37 percent shooting and 3.3 rebounds a game, the third-year wing has not lived up to Hoiberg’s expectations. Once part of the league’s top 3-point shooters for this season, his numbers have diminished drastically during the month of January.
Doug McDermott has unfortunately also fallen short.
Besides only averaging 7.7 points and 2.3 rebounds, he is also streaky. While he has the ability to score in double-digits every night, he has the tendency to only do so every once in a while.
And then there is the now-sidelined Nikola Mirotic, who started at small forward in 13 games for the Bulls, and yielding iffy results.
Dunleavy will certainly deepen the position for Chicago, who is in serious need of help there. Obviously if Mirotic would be healthy, there would be less of a concern (especially as E’Twaun Moore, who has stepped in for the big man, has shown some promise so far). But as it stands now, it would be the perfect time for Dunleavy reclaim the role of small forward.
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He is certainly known to be more consistent offensively, and is strong on defense as well. While he can get hot beyond-the-arc and shoot lights out, Dunleavy can also get stops and control the rhythm on the other end of the court.
Will Dunleavy’s return be the team’s one-and-done saving grace? Probably not. But it will certainly provide an answer and help make the Bulls more successful during the second half of 2015-16.