Chicago Bulls vs. Sacramento Kings Outlook: Boogie Comes to Town
The Chicago Bulls are struggling, but there’s hope! So are the Sacramento Kings, who stroll into the United Center on Saturday. How will the Bulls respond?Next: Jimmy Butler... Flopper?The Bulls play the Kings for the first time this season on Saturday, in a losing streak battle. Who will see their streak mercifully end? What team will get the great pleasure of tacking on another ‘L’ to their list?Sacramento is in the midst of a four-game losing streak, while Chicago has dropped two in a row. And if the Bulls drop this game, it will be the sixth time this season the team has dropped three in a row. That does not even seem possible, but this team finds new ways to disappoint every night.My main wish tonight is that Fred Hoiberg figures something out with the bench. K.C. Johnson wrote about Hoiberg’s frustrating rotations here, and how they are affecting the development of the young Bulls.Cristiano Felicio has finally been freed and it has been magical. Hopefully Denzel Valentine sees an uptick in consistent minutes, instead of the roller coaster minutes he’s had. I think we need a missing person poster for Isaiah Canaan at this point.Hoiberg being forced to experiment with lineups due to various injuries was a blessing, and now its time to take it to the next level.Chicago is at home today, where they are a respectable 13-9 this season. Pair that with the Kings’ 8-13 mark on the road, and the Bulls are in business.Next: Who takes over for Rudy Gay Jan 18, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) reacts after suffering an injury against the Indiana Pacers during the quarter at Golden 1 Center. The Pacers defeated the Kings 106-100. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Who takes over for Rudy Gay
DeMarcus Cousins did not have much help to begin with in Sacramento, and it only got worse when Rudy Gay went down with a fully ruptured left achilles tendon. Gay was the second leading scorer on the Kings with 18.7 points a game. Darren Collison is third at 12.5 points per game.
Gay is a polarizing player, but his impact on the Kings is significant. The Kings net rating plummets ten points when Gay steps off the floor.
Not only that, but Gay owns the second best offensive rating of Kings players with more than 40 minutes played, behind Cousins. Gay also has the second best defensive rating behind Omri Casspi. Casspi will also be out with an injury to his right calf.
Is Gay a defensive stopper? Doubtful, but the Kings need him considering they rank 26th in the league in defensive rating.
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I’d say Aron Afflalo will step up and help, but that’s a pipe dream. Seriously though, Afflalo has been awful this year.
Instead, I’d circle Collison and Ty Lawson as names to watch.
Lawson has been charged with running the King’s lackluster bench outfit, and need him to play well so the Kings don’t get run off the court. Luckily for the Kings, they’re playing another putrid bench in the Bulls.
I’m interested to see how the Lawson-Cousins pairing plays tonight. Thus far its been a fairly middling pairing, but the idea of surrounding a Lawson-Cousins pick and roll with three shooters is frightening. Lawson still has the quicks to jet by defenders, and Boogie commands a whole world of attention.
Oct 29, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (11) goes to the basket as forward Nikola Mirotic (44) and Indiana Pacers guard Joe Young (3) look on during the first half at United Center. The Bulls won 118-101. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Doug needs to get buckets
The Bulls need Doug McDermott to play well against the Kings, as he has slumped after his earth-scorching, mind-numbing 31 point explosion against Memphis.
In the last two games, McDermott has combined for nine points in about 37 minutes, shooting 4-of-13 from the field and 1-for-5 from 3-point range. That line reeks of Rajon Rondo, not the baby-faced sharpshooter from Ames, Iowa.
I’m worried fans will not get to see a consistent McDermott this year. Suffering a concussion is no small matter, and it can take players some time to return to form.
The always excellent K.C. Johnson recently reported that McDermott was still having short term memory issues a month later. McDermott also said he was timid upon returning from concussion, and it showed on the court. The Bulls need McDermott to be selfish and hunt for his shot.
McDermott has worked well with Jimmy Butler, and has been adept at cutting to the basket for easy looks when Butler careens into the paint. The Kings have a poor defense and Doug McBuckets can expose it with hard cuts to the paint and flashes to the corner.
Prediction
Both teams are on the second night of a back-to-back, so the on court product should be even uglier than originally expected. The Kings looked rough last night in Memphis, and barring a Meyers Leonard appearance that transforms Boogie into a cyborg sent to destroy all life on the opposing team, the Bulls should regain their footing at home.
