Okay...so the title is a bit hyperbolic. Okay, a lot hyperbolic. But this Bulls franchise is desperate. At least the fans sure are.
A high level timeline includes a bitter end to a 90's championship dynasty which was followed by beacons of disappointment such as names like Tim Floyd, Jay Williams, Marcus Fizer, and Eddy Curry.
This period morphed into the Baby Bulls eventually, led by the likes of Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni, etc. This period morphed into the Derrick Rose era, which featured names such as Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, and Jimmy Butler.
Fast forwarding us to today, where the Bulls are stuck in a weird post Dywane Wade/Rajon Rondo era, which is kind of fully committed to a rebuild but at the same time flirting with success as soon as possible. Which I guess is ideally what you want in a rebuild period anyway.
A beacon of hope and success includes guard Zach Lavine. After his acquisition on draft day this past summer, Zach quickly became an afterthought because of his still-being-rehabbed ACL tear which was planned to keep him out for an indefinite amount of time.
Now Zach's back.
At least this Saturday he will be, and Bulls fans are stoked. Now they can officially see what the returns look like in an originally extremely lopsided trade including Butler for Markannen, Dunn, and Lavine. All of sudden, Dunn is showing more promise than he ever showed in Minnesota, Markennen has exemplified all the requisite eye tests of bright, young NBA player, and Lavine is..well....back for the first time.
What to Expect?
So what does Lavine's return really mean? Initially he will be on a minutes restriction, set by Bulls president John Paxson. We all know how Paxson feels about his minutes restrictions, so unless Hoiberg wants to get challenged to a fight, this will probably be pretty iron-clad for the time being.
In an interview, Paxson said the team is still unsure if Lavine will start or come off the bench. I think it's likely they bring him off the bench in his initial start but it's still up in the air. He also won't participate in the second of back-to-backs for the time being, accorinding to Paxson.
“This is the continuation and ending of his rehab,” he said. “That’s how we’re looking at it. We’re going to continue a conservative approach with him. He has done everything at such a top level getting back ready to play. And I know he’s really anxious to.””
Lavine should provide some quality 3-point attempts and overall scoring which the Bulls always seem to be in short supply of. In the five games prior to his ACL tear, Lavine was averaging 16.4 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists on 42% shooting.
What to Watch For
The biggest thing to watch for with a player coming off an injury as serious as Lavine's is his explosivesness.
It pretty much goes with out saying, that's what the majority of those who will be tuning in are looking for; how aggressive is Lavine and is he the same player he was trending into before he got hurt last February?
Almost three months ago, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune wrote an article that mentioned, 'LaVine's testing points for jumping, speed and strength are near or better than when he tested at the NBA predraft camp in 2014.'
This was approximately Three. Months. Ago.
Sounds hopeful that Bulls fans et. al will be in for a treat, if not Saturday night against the Pistons, but ensuing games as Lavine gets his game shape under him.
Potential Defensive Matchup on Saturday
Unluckily for Lavine, if he starts at the 2-guard on Saturday, he can look forward to Avery Bradley being his first test defender. According to Basketball Reference, Bradley is in the top 30 NBA defenders according to an estimate of points allowed per 100 possessions.
If Lavine comes off the bench, he may get some spot minutes of Bradley, but has potential matchups with Langston Galloway or Reggie Bullock. He should be okay there.
What does Zach think about the return?
“I’m OK with everything. I’ve got to be OK with that. That’s where you start, I know it’s not going to stay there. It’s just part of getting back. Even though I’m back, it’s the last part of me getting back with the little bit of restriction. I know how to play, I know the way I want to play. I know it’s going to take a little time to get the rhythm back . but regardless I think I can do some things.”
Comical enough, Lavine said he was ready to play 2 months ago but really tried to adhere to the doctors and trainers in terms of their rehab schedule and being diligent about the process instead of the "reward".
Considering this franchise is no slouch in terms of "returns", this approach should be optimal for everyone involved in terms of the long term health and progression of this Bulls roster.
What Does Coach Fred Hoiberg think about the return?
“(LaVine) does fit with how we are playing right now, pace has been really good.
Really the last month of the season, the guys are starting to understand and get out and run and get things accomplished early in the possession, and Zach certainly fits into that as well, so he’s a guy who can shoot it — you have a lot of plays to get him shots coming off screens. I think he’ll be really good.”