Bulls' Brewer welcomes competition for starting spot
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau didn't need many words to summarize the state of training-camp competition.
"We're pretty sure about four starters; we have one position that's up for grabs," he said. "Playing time with our bench will be determined by how well people play."
The four obvious starters are Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. The open spot is shooting guard.
Ronnie Brewer has been the presumed starter at two guard since he signed as a free agent in July. But the Bulls also will want to get 3-point specialist Kyle Korver on the floor.
Veterans Keith Bogans and C.J. Watson are candidates to see time at that spot, while late camp addition Kyle Weaver played two seasons for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"I think that's the reason you play basketball is for competition," Brewer said following Wednesday's practice. "I think if you don't like going into camp having to compete for a job, you don't like playing basketball. I think we all take it in stride and run with it."
Brewer downplayed any competition with Korver, his former Utah Jazz teammate. They both seem to fit specific roles Korver is the outside shooter, while Brewer specializes in defense and slashes to the basket.
"I think we complement each other, make each other better players," Brewer said. "I want to be a good shooter, so I work with him on shooting."
Brewer's return to the Berto Center has almost a redemptive quality to it. Before the 2006 draft, Brewer visited with the Bulls twice, and he seemed a strong candidate to be chosen with the No. 16 pick.
The Bulls even moved up three spots on draft night, switching places with Philadelphia, but settled on Thabo Sefolosha instead. Brewer went one pick later, at No. 14, to Utah.
It would be easy now to say the Bulls picked the wrong guy, since they traded Sefolosha to the Thunder in 2009. But they chose Sefolosha over Brewer for a specific reason.
In the days before Rose arrived, the Bulls felt the 6-foot-7 Sefolosha might have the skills to play point guard and fit well in the backcourt next to the much smaller Ben Gordon.
As Bulls fans know, Sefolosha never quite panned out here, although he has been a valuable addition in Oklahoma City. The trade actually worked well for the Bulls, since they acquired the draft pick used to select power forward Taj Gibson.
Brewer obviously has no hard feelings toward the Bulls. He played well in Utah, then was traded to Memphis in February in a move that was mostly about avoiding the luxury tax.
"You learn early that it's a business," he said. "I felt really confident after I worked out here. I thought it was one of my best workouts. I didn't even work out for Utah and that's the team I ended up getting picked by. It's weird how the NBA works. It really didn't bother me at all.
"It is funny how it all works out. (The Bulls) told me when they signed me, 'We really liked you coming out of college, it just didn't work out. We felt like we couldn't pass up a second opportunity,' and I felt the same way."
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