Inside the United Center it’s been business as usual in the stands.
There are bodies in the seats, the crowds are loud, and the Dunkin’ Donuts Race still brings them to their feet, even for a team trapped between mediocrity and tanking for better draft lottery odds.
Outside the UC and in the social media forest, the fan base wants blood.
The latest member of the franchise to feel the ire is coach Billy Donovan, and he can thank former guard Ayo Dosunmu for that.
Dosunmu, traded to Minnesota at the deadline, was discussing his shot profile on Tuesday, and said, “In Chicago, midrange shots (were) really prohibited. It was threes and layups, no midrange shots unless it’s the end of the shot clock. Here, we got Rudy (Gobert), he’s setting big screens. So if you can set up pick and roll, you come off Rudy, you open.”
That made it sound like Donovan was anti-midrange, as if everyone forgot that DeMar DeRozan played under Donovan for years and the coach called frequent midrange sets for him. No matter, social media ran with it.
Donovan was asked about Dosunmu’s comments – which he said didn’t see – and in a roundabout way said he was not anti-midrange, he was anti-midrange for players that weren’t efficient at it, which is basically the entire roster that his front office has given him.
“To me, I think we let the guys play freely,” Donovan said. “I think when you look at some of the analytical stuff and I was on board with probably this a couple years ago; Zach (LaVine) played in the midrange, Vooch (Nikola Vucevic) played in the midrange, and obviously DeMar played in the midrange. And as great as all those guys are offensively we didn’t necessarily have an elite offense. Their shot making, all three of those guys, had the best shot making of their careers while they were together at different points and time. So I’m not opposed to the midrange.
“I think you have to play to players’ strengths, so I’m a believer in the first part of the shot clock you certainly want to try and get something downhill to the basket, and generally what happens is when the ball gets into the paint and the ball gets sprayed out that’s when the threes are going to go up. Most of the time the midrange stuff is coming off iso situations. It’s late clock, a guy is stuck with the ball, and at that time you’ve got to manufacture and generate shots.”
Which requires a high-level isolation player. The Bulls have no one that fits that description.
The other part that can’t be ignored is the Gobert factor and the physicality in which he screens. The Bulls have no one that fits that description, either.
There was a happy ending for Donovan, however, as Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was asked about Dosunmu’s comments on Wednesday and jokingly told reporters, “Sounds like my pupil is failing class here.”
Road dog
Donovan said on Wednesday that injured guard Jaden Ivey (knee) was progressing in his knee strengthening program and was scheduled to travel with the team next week on the four-game road trip.
“The hope is some time on the trip he will be able to get back on the court,” Donovan said. “I think a lot will depend on the testing, the metrics, and those kinds of things.”
Still on the shelf
Isaac Okoro has been dealing with a sore right knee, and according to Donovan it’s not exactly improving quickly. Donovan said he’s been doing some things on the court but is “pretty limited.”