Bulls Q&A: Bobby Portis’ struggles, the Nikola Mirotic chia pet and more

Holiday cards to address. Presents to ship. Bulls mailbag questions to answer. At least the latter doesn’t involve postage.

The success or failure of this season is measured by what? — Mighty Black Duck

There are so many ways to answer this. Wins and losses? The development of Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott? Growth from Fred Hoiberg? But I’m going with whether or not Dwyane Wade either opts in or opts out and resigns. Wade fell into the Bulls’ laps. Post-Derrick Rose trade, the Bulls looked like a 28- to 32-win on paper. It’s why the internal debate whether or not to trade Jimmy Butler was so legitimate on draft night. When they decided to keep Butler — a decision that is looking quite smart, by the way — and signed Rajon Rondo and Wade in free agency, the future plan still centered on core pieces like McDermott and Mirotic becoming legitimate. But it also somewhat falls on Wade legitimizing the franchise as a free-agent target again and him committing to the Bulls and possibly bringing a buddy with him. In lieu of that, the long-term championship outlook isn’t great, mostly because core pieces like Mirotic and Bobby Portis still haven’t proven they can be frontline starters.

Why is Bobby Portis playing? The Nikola Mirotic/Portis combo has lost games while Mirotic/Cristiano Felicio has been successful? Michael D., Chicago

Ah, yes, Portis. He does seem to have regressed a bit early this season. He doesn’t seem to be running the floor with the same energy and isn’t making as big an impact with physical play. And while his shot selection has improved, his defensive awareness remains inconsistent. Hoiberg was asked whether Felicio is in play to grab minutes over Portis and he answered yes. So let’s watch the big-man rotation over the next few days. I agree the Mirotic/Portis pairing has struggled of late. Other people asked if I believe Portis’ draft position is influencing his minutes. While you can’t totally rule that out, it’s instructional to remember that Felicio began the season in the rotation over Portis. So I’d say no.

Did you get a Niko beard Chia Pet? — Pistol P., Dyer, Ind.

No, but I believe in Santa.

Do you see the Bulls making a move to help with bench inconsistency? — Caleb C., LeMars, Iowa

For now, the plan appears to be judge the bench more accurately once McDermott and Michael Carter-Williams return from injury. I don’t see much trade value in any of the Bulls’ reserves other than McDermott. Let’s face it: The Bulls acquired Carter-Williams for Tony Snell. The Bulls face a very intriguing decision regarding Mirotic, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they gauge his market value between now and the February trade deadline. I haven’t heard that happening yet. But given his contract expires and you still don’t know what you fully are getting from him on a nightly basis, it wouldn’t surprise me.

Would management look to move draft picks or Taj Gibson or Mirotic to add to the bench? As presently constituted, starters would have to remain very healthy for any playoff success. — Cory M., Chicago

This is a good point about the starters. They currently are being asked to carry too much of the load, no question. But again, the Bulls are missing two prominent reserves. And trading Taj trades one of those starters and pushes Mirotic into a role that he didn’t thrive in last season. As for trading draft picks, this management team values those incredibly highly. Again, I think the Bulls take a wait-and-see approach until McDermott and Carter-Williams return.

Other than Denzel Valentine, do you expect any of the current roster to be on the Bulls in two years? — Michael, Deerfield

Butler, Lopez and McDermott are safe bets. I’d guess Portis too, and you have to hope he’s developed more by then. That’s about it.

Given the bench’s recent lackluster performances, do you think it would be a good idea to reach out to Allen Iverson’s agent and see if Iverson would return? — John R., Chicago

I’m answering this one just to keep the Allen Iverson comeback questions streak alive. It’s been several seasons now. And I actually got two questions on The Answer. Shout out also goes to Nolan Russert from Chicago.

Obviously the Bulls have been without Doug McDermott and Michael Carter-Williams for some time, and Carter-Williams is still quite a ways from returning to the court. In the meantime, the Bulls have been pretty darn good without either player, prompting my question: How much do the returns of these two significant role players boost the Bulls as a force in the East? — Will M., Chicago

I mean, it obviously will make the Bulls better. I projected Carter-Williams to play a significant role following his acquisition. And I think he fits with what the Bulls are trying to do this season. He’s strong defensively, picks up fullcourt and has positional size. As for a force in the East, I think there’s a reason why many people projected the Bulls to be merely fighting for a playoff seed. I had them rated higher than that at 44-45 wins and fifth or sixth and I don’t think the East is as strong as many suggested. But some teams that have underachieved to this point, like Detroit and the Celtics, have battled worse injuries. So as far as being a championship force, I don’t see it.

Can you see the Bulls doing a deal for DeMarcus Cousins before the deadline? — Broadway Bruhz

No. But this is as good a time as any to offer the annual refresher on the Kings’ pick from the Luol Deng trade. This is the last draft the Bulls can potentially get a first-round pick from the trade. It’s protected 1 to 10 again. If the Kings remain stuck in the bottom 10 of the draft, which they seemingly always do, it becomes a second-round pick. But that, too, is protected for picks 56 to 60. So if the Kings are really bad, which a Cousins trade would aid, the Bulls would get no pick at all.

Thanks for your questions. We’ll do this again soon.

http://embed.sendtonews.com/player2/embedcode.php?fk=AFi9PEcr&cid=4591