Hoiberg wants to challenge young players with complex defense
Asked about the state of the Bulls' defense before Friday's game against Indiana, coach Fred Hoiberg vowed to keep things complex.
The Bulls caught plenty of heat for their record-setting leaky defense against Golden State. But they actually held two of the last three opponents below 100 points in regulation time.
"We've got a lot of different coverages and we're asking a lot of our guys, especially young players that have been playing a lot of minutes, (such as rookies) Wendell (Carter) and Chandler (Hutchison)," Hoiberg said.
"We're not going out there with one coverage like a lot of teams do. Based on where we are right now with injuries and lack of size, certain nights we're doing different things with switching or blitzing or trying to go under (screens) on certain guys. So we're asking a lot."
Even if the Bulls struggle defensively early this season, it could pay off down the road, in theory, to insist the young players learn the right way to do things.
There have been some high point totals in the NBA this season, with 18 of 30 teams averaging at least 111 points per game. But Hoiberg doesn't want to give up on defense.
"We spend more time on defense in practice than offense," he said. "You try to go out there and get back and build a wall and try to make teams take contested shots. Knowing how talented players are, when they hit some, you can't get deflated when that happens."
Better news for Valentine:
Denzel Valentine had another MRI exam Thursday on his injured left ankle. He hasn't played at all this year, including preseason.
"Denzel had good news from his scan," coach Fred Hoiberg said before Friday's game. "He has significantly decreased swelling in his ankle. He really just did straight-ahead running today and he did spot shooting. There's still no timetable on it, it's a matter of ramping up his activities and seeing how he responds to it."
Hoiberg said Lauri Markkanen is feeling better but is probably still at least two weeks away from returning from a right elbow sprain. Kris Dunn and Bobby Portis are out at least three more weeks with knee sprains.
Boylan files suit:
Former Bulls coach Jim Boylan - not to be confused with current assistant Jim Boylen - has filed an age discrimination lawsuit against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Boylan, 62, served as the Bulls' interim head coach for 56 games in the 2007-08 season after Scott Skiles was fired.
According to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, the lawsuit cited a voicemail left by then-head coach Tyronn Lue telling Boylan the Cavs wouldn't be picking up his option for 2018-19 and that general manager Koby Altman wanted someone younger for that position. Boylan had been with the Cavs since 2013.