The Bulls Can’t Win Without Kirk Hinrich
Wait, so you’re saying the Bulls cannot win a game without their backup point guard? Yes, that is what I am saying. Is that a bad sign for this team? Probably. But the cold hard truth is that without Kirk the Bulls lack of backcourt depth has been severely exposed. Hinrich’s value to the team is undeniable, even with apparent disappearance of his already shaky jump shot. Take a look at the Bulls points allowed and record with Kirk as opposed to without him:
With Hinrich: (6-7) 96.9 points allowed per game
Without Hinrich: (1-4) 100.0 points allowed per game
But the real difference in the loss of Kirk can be seen against opponents the Bulls should be able to beat. Losses to great teams like the Lakers and the Nuggets are going to happen with or without Hinrich. Look at the mediocre to bad teams though. With Kirk in the lineup, the Bulls beat San Antonio, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Sacramento. Not only did they beat two good teams in the Spurs and Cavs, but they were able to take care of business against lesser teams.
Without Kirk, the Bulls have lost to the Jazz, Bucks, Cavs, and Raptors. Now the Cavs are a tough team and I don’t think Kirk would have changed that game, but the defensive liabilities of a Hinrich-less Bulls backcourt were severely exposed against Deron Williams, Brandon Jennings, and even Demar DeRozan and Marco Bellineli. Sure, our frontcourt has been torched by opposing big men, but with Pargo-Hunter-Rose defending the perimeter, the big men have to come off their men constantly to help.
Now word comes in that the Bulls will be without Kirk for at least two more games. While Atlanta is a far better team than the Bulls, if they lose to New Jersey tonight, that will only further confirm my theory. God I hope I’m wrong.
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Comments
Pingback from Not Qualified To Comment » Will They Just Fire Vinny Del Negro Already?
Time December 10, 2009 at 8:20 am
[...] As South Side Sheik pointed out to me last night, my little “Kirk Hinrich will save our team” theory was a bit off base. His 0-9 with 3 turnovers in 20 minutes was pretty ugly. And [...]
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Comment from Kevin Tapani Fan Club
Time December 8, 2009 at 12:00 pm
I never thought I’d see the day Stormin’. I know you’re not a Hinrich hater, but you definitely have been quite vocal about shopping him over the last few years, so I’m glad you are coming around. Listen, I’ll completely admit that he took a step backward in 2007-2008 (mainly in regard to his jump shot), but last year he was hurt for most of the year, so if he can just work on knocking it down more consistently (which he did in his breakout year), he is a very valuable member of the team when you combine it with his ability to penetrate the lane, his vision on the court, his leadership, and his over-achieving defense. I know we’re paying him a lot, but I’m fine slightly overpaying guys you like, as long as it doesn’t significantly handcuff the team in free agency, which it doesn’t seem to be at the moment.