Bulls overloaded at point guard after adding Felder
If nothing else, the Bulls may lead the NBA in point guard depth.
The Bulls claimed former Cavaliers backup Kay Felder off waivers Monday and he was at the Advocate Center a day later for practice. In a payroll-cutting move by the Cavs, Felder and Richard Jefferson were traded to Atlanta and immediately released.
"When I first heard about it, there was a smile on my face," Felder said. "I thanked God for it. Being part of a rebuilding process could be fun as long as we're working hard and listening to the coaches and competing."
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said the acquisition doesn't change the plan for Thursday's regular season opener in Toronto. Jerian Grant is expected to start at point guard, with Ryan Arcidiacono the backup. Arcidiacono, the former Villanova star, has a two-way contract, meaning he'll spend most of the season with the Windy City Bulls.
Arcidiacono moved up on depth chart because Kris Dunn will miss the first few games with a dislocated left index finger, and Cameron Payne is sidelined for another month or two after having foot surgery.
Arcidiacono has been here all through training camp, which is why he figures to stay in the rotation for a few games. He'll eventually move onto Hoffman Estates, but Felder's addition would still leave the Bulls with four point guards when everyone gets healthy.
"He's a young explosive point guard with great speed and quickness," Hoiberg said of Felder. "He fits how we want to play, up-tempo, and he's a guy that I know everybody upstairs really liked coming out of college. ... He's a good guy to take a look at and see if he fits with the future plans."
Realistically, the point guard tryouts will continue. The Bulls are hoping Dunn develops into a quality starter, but he's unproven. Grant was better at the start of preseason, but there are still questions about whether he's a better fit at two guard. Payne has been disappointing since arriving in a trade with OKC last February. So there's probably room for Felder to grab a spot in the rebuilding plan if he does well.
The 5-foot-9 Felder believes he can become a pocket-size star along the lines of Isaiah Thomas, who was a Cavs teammates for several weeks.
"I feel like we're the same player, honestly, "Felder said. "I can take a lot from his game, just the hard work he put in."
Felder lit up MSU:
Kay Felder's signature game at Oakland University was when he piled up 37 points and 9 assists against Michigan State at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Dec. 22, 2015.
Michigan State, undefeated and ranked No. 1 at the time, needed overtime to knock off Oakland, 99-93. Bulls forward Denzel Valentine was injured and did not play that night.
During the 2015-16 season at Oakland, Felder led the nation in assists at 9.3 per game and also averaged 24.4 points. The Detroit native was chosen in the second round of the NBA draft and appeared in 42 games for the Cavs last season.
One of Oakland's assistant coaches during the 2015-16 season was Valentine's older brother Drew, who has since landed a job at Loyola and is now living in Chicago.
Bulls don't extend LaVine:
The deadline to sign players from the 2014 draft class to contract extensions passed Monday and the Bulls did not come to an agreement with Zach LaVine.
That means LaVine will be a restricted free agent next summer, but the Bulls can match any offer he gets from another team. Since he was the centerpiece of the Jimmy Butler trade with Minnesota, it's safe to assume the Bulls plan to keep LaVine long term. He's currently recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee and may be ready to start practicing in mid-November.
Valentine hungry:
Expectations are low for the Bulls' rebuilding campaign, but Denzel Valentine thinks a surprising win total is possible.
"Yeah, we've got a brand-new team," he said. "We go from three superstars to basically no superstars, only a couple proven guys in the league. So a lot of guys are hungry to make a name for themselves, including myself. So we're going to be hungry, we're going to play hard, and hopefully we get a lot of wins this season."
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