Hoiberg suggests Bulls' rotation could change after Friday's game
When play resumed after the all-star break, Bulls executive vice president John Paxson talked about looking at different players for blocks of games.
On Thursday, coach Fred Hoiberg confirmed the block is five games long and will reset after Friday's home game against Dallas.
"We'll go the same way (Friday), use the lineup we've been going with since the all-star break," Hoiberg said at the Advocate Center. "The next block, we'll start with the next five games and we'll make a change with the lineup and see what we've got with that."
Hoiberg didn't say how the lineup might change, although one clue is the Bulls will sign 6-7 forward Jarell Eddie to a 10-day contract. Eddie has averaged 16.7 points and shot 47 percent from 3-point range for the Windy City Bulls this season. Eddie appeared in two games for the Boston Celtics in January.
The Bulls' first lineup switch saw center Cristiano Felicio and forward David Nwaba added to the starting lineup, while Cameron Payne took over at backup point guard.
Veterans Robin Lopez and Justin Holiday went to the bench, though Holiday started in place of Zach LaVine in Brooklyn as LaVine played in only one of back-to-back games. Jerian Grant has made one brief appearance since the break.
Hoiberg said forward Paul Zipser will miss his fourth straight game with a sore foot, but the injury is getting better.
<h3 class="breakHead">Hoiberg recruited Loyola star:</h3>
Loyola guard Clayton Custer, who was named Missouri Valley Conference player of the year this week, played as a freshman for Fred Hoiberg at Iowa State.
After appearing in 12 games for the Cyclones, Custer transferred to Loyola, where he joined Ben Richardson, his teammate at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kan.
"I unfortunately can't talk about players at that level," Hoiberg said. "But there is a certain player in this town that I'm really, really happy for, but I can't say his name. But yeah, there's certain guys you absolutely root for, just based on your relationship."
<h3 class="breakHead">Collins on call:</h3>
He's kept a low profile, but Doug Collins, hired as a consultant before the season, has been a consistent presence at the Advocate Center. On Thursday, Collins was seen talking to coach Fred Hoiberg and later with Zach LaVine.
"It's good to have a guy like Doug around, who has pretty much been in every situation you can be in with over 40 years of experience in this league," Hoiberg said.