The Chicago Bulls are one of the best teams in the bunched up Eastern Conference with their 11-7 record but they have lost two in a row and have generally not been too happy with how they have played so far this season. Because of that head coach Fred Hoiberg is considering making some lineup changes particularly in the frontcourt where Taj Gibson may take over for Nikola Mirotic as the starting power forward, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
Johnson reports that Gibson was running with the starters at shoot around while Mirotic was with the reserves so a change may be happening as soon as Wednesday night when the Bulls play the Boston Celtics. Mirotic has started each of the Bulls' 18 games this season along with Pau Gasol in the frontcourt and while he has been decent overall he still has yet to find his shot this season which is part of the reason for the potential change.
"We've put a lot of numbers together the last couple days just trying to figure out the best lineups that were on the floor the last year and through the beginning portion of this year. We'll see how it impacts the game. We had a lot of talks, debates over the last couple days. That was a big focus of our last couple days, just talking about different lineup combinations. And then at the end of the day, if you feel like you need to pull the trigger and make a change, you do it and try to do what's best for your team," said Hoiberg.
The fact that Gibson is likely the first option to replace Mirotic in the starting lineup is interesting as Joakim Noah has stated recently that he is not happy about his playing time. There are many fans that want Noah back in the starting lineup but the Bulls gave the Gasol, Noah lineup a shot all last season and it doesn't seem like Hoiberg wants his two centers starting together at all this season.
It will also be interesting to see if Mirotic is taken out of the rotation or has his minutes significantly reduced as they still have rookie Bobby Portis waiting in the wings. Portis has only appeared in three games this season but Hoiberg has said on a couple of different occasions that his time is coming soon so maybe it is possible that this potential lineup change could mean a rotation spot for Portis.
As for Gibson, who seems like he will be entering the starting lineup, he is the better defensive option over Mirotic which could be a big reason for the change as the Bulls have struggled on that end. Gibson though, has also shot the ball better as he is making 48 percent of his field goals but he cannot extend to the three point line like Mirotic can.
