Is Payne up to the task of filling in for Dunn?
Election Day is coming soon, so this is an appropriate time to talk about Cam Payne.
The Bulls' backup point guard was pressed into starting duty when Kris Dunn left the team for the birth of his son. And Payne didn't have a memorable night, going scoreless with 5 assists in 22 minutes as the Bulls lost to Philadelphia 127-108 in Thursday's season opener.
Ryan Arcidiacono ended up playing more than Payne and led the Bulls with 8 assists. Newcomer Tyler Ulis played briefly late in the contest.
Bulls analyst Kendall Gill made his opinion known right away on the NBC Sports Chicago postgame show, emphatically stating the Cameron Payne experiment is over, implying the Bulls need to move on from the former Oklahoma City guard.
Before analyzing Payne's hold on a roster spot, an update: Dunn was not at Friday's practice and Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said he wasn't sure if Dunn would be back to play in Saturday's home opener against Detroit.
Hoiberg also said it's up in the air who starts at point guard if Dunn sits out again. It's probably a little soon for Ulis to start, but Arcidiacono is a viable candidate.
Plenty of Bulls fans have expressed frustration with Payne in the past and he didn't have a great preseason. Payne shot just 25 percent overall and 29.4 percent from 3-point range, while averaging 3.2 assists in 21.6 minutes.
But maybe we should give Payne a few weeks at the backup spot before declaring his Bulls' career over. Payne rarely played with the starters during preseason, so he was in a tough situation Thursday.
Payne missed most of last season recovering from foot surgery. The Bulls seem to think he can fit well with the second group and play at the fast pace Hoiberg prefers. Or they want to keep him because he's all that's left from the Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott trade.
"He did some good things, getting the ball up the floor," Hoiberg said of Payne. "Obviously, it's tough when you're not making shots, but he still can have an impact on the game and that's the thing we will continue to stress to him as far as sharing the ball, throwing ahead, which Cam does a nice job of that. Continue to get his confidence going with his shot."
Then again, what happens if Dunn misses a significant amount of time with an injury? Should the Bulls count on Payne to take over as the starter?
That's a bridge they could cross later. Using Arcidiacono, Ulis or picking up a veteran point guard would be other options.
The Bulls certainly had higher hopes for Payne's scoring ability. In the 25 games he did play last season, he shot a career-high 38.5 percent from 3-point range. Payne also has room to improve on defense. The Bulls matched him against Markelle Fultz on Thursday rather than 6-10 point guard Ben Simmons and no one on the roster should feel proud of the defensive effort against the Sixers.
Justin Holiday talked about missing Dunn before Friday's practice.
"Obviously, what he brings defensively would've helped us a lot," Holiday said. "One, it would've put different people in different places with the game plan we worked on. And obviously offensively, he plays downhill and gets everybody involved.
"But I actually thought Cam did a great job. Next guy steps up. I think Cam did a good job running the team and giving us everything he had. Yeah, it hurt not to have Kris, but that's not an excuse."
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls
Scouting report
Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m. Saturday at United Center
TV: NBC Sports Chicago
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
The skinny: For the home opener, the Bulls will get a good old-school matchup, throwback to when this would have been the biggest game in the NBA. The Pistons opened the season Wednesday with a 103-100 home win over Brooklyn. Longtime Bulls killer Andre Drummond piled up 24 points and 20 rebounds, while PF Blake Griffin scored 26 and PG Reggie Jackson added 19. Detroit also started Luke Kennard and rookie Bruce Brown in the opener. SF Reggie Bullock (illness) and SF Stanley Johnson (toe) didn't play against the Nets, but are expected to be ready for the Bulls. The Pistons went 3-1 against the Bulls last season, losing the Zach LaVine debut game at the UC Jan. 13.
Next: Dallas Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. Monday at American Airlines Arena
- Mike McGraw