Bulls send Parker, Lopez to bench, roll past Pacers
Three games into preseason, coach Fred Hoiberg could tell the Chicago Bulls' lumbering locomotive was headed down the wrong track.
So he made a couple of dramatic changes Wednesday, which included sending expensive newcomer Jabari Parker to the bench. Bobby Portis and rookie Wendell Carter Jr. joined the starting lineup, replacing Parker and Robin Lopez.
It all worked like a charm. The Bulls displayed better energy from the opening tip and rolled past the Indiana Pacers 104-89 at the United Center. The home team led 91-69 at the end of three quarters.
The Bulls improved to 2-2 in the preseason with one game left Friday against Denver. They'll open the regular season in Philadelphia on Oct. 18.
"I'm not a coach. It's preseason, so obviously we're going to try different lineups," Zach LaVine said. "I was excited Bobby got an opportunity to start, though. He deserved it. With Lauri (Markkanen) down, he definitely can take that role and fill that four spot. It's preseason; we're going to try different roles regardless."
LaVine and Justin Holiday led the Bulls with 22 points each, while Portis added 20. Before the game, Hoiberg said Holiday had been shooting the lights out in practices at the Advocate Center, and he finally delivered in game action, hitting 4 of 7 shots from long range. As a team, the Bulls made 13 of 30 attempts from 3-point land.
"We're going to continue to look at it," Hoiberg said of the revised lineup. "I like the way it looked here on the first night we did it. Practiced yesterday and liked some of the things from both groups. I thought Jabari as a facilitator, especially in the first half, did some really nice things."
Parker finished with 11 points, all in the first half, and 6 rebounds. He left the locker room quickly and declined to speak to reporters.
Rather than thinking of this as a demotion for Parker, it's probably more accurate to say Hoiberg is trying to help the Chicago native find success. The Parker-Lopez pairing didn't seem to bring enough speed to work defensively. And with an eye on Markkanen's eventual return from an elbow injury, starting Parker at small forward already seems like a bad idea.
Parker is being paid $20 million this season, but that was mostly incentive to sign with the Bulls. He's likely to get a smaller, long-term deal next summer if the Bulls want to keep him, and it's very possible after two ACL tears, Parker's NBA future is as more of a role player than star.
What Parker does best is bring a variety of skills. He was the Bulls' leading rebounder in the preseason, passes the ball well and is able to lead the fastbreak after clearing the defensive glass.
Carter was limited by some early foul trouble Wednesday but can bring more shot-blocking than Lopez. The starters pushed the Bulls to a 34-17 lead after one quarter.
"We just played with a lot of effort and energy. Everybody was talking," Portis said. "That's how we've got to be the rest of the year, everybody playing together, playing unselfishly and just playing to win.
"I think I'm more comfortable than ever. I think I put a lot of hard work into my game. Hats off to Coach Hoiberg and the staff for believing in me."
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