Teague's Strange Day

Only two years out of college, I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on how people change jobs within their companies or organizations.  Still, I'm going to guess it's unusual for someone to get demoted and then regain their old position on the same day.  That's exactly what happened to Marquis Teague on Tuesday.

One would have thought Derrick Rose's latest season-ending injury was a great opportunity for Teague to give the Bulls some valuable minutes at point guard.  Instead, a 1.2 scoring average and an inability to crack Tom Thibodeau's rotation gave the team reason to assign him to Iowa of the D-League.  It's an unprecedented move for the Bulls, but one they felt necessary. 

Then, it was announced Mike James will miss a week or two with a knee injury, so Teague was brought back to the parent club.  This is as good a second chance as Teague is going to get before he heads back to the Hawkeye State.

True, it's only Teague's second NBA season, he's only 20 years old and it took a little time for Jimmy Butler to earn regular minutes during his sophomore campaign a year ago.  But at least then, Butler had a few signs that he could be something special in the league soon.  Teague has not shown any of that.

In fact, it's probably common for casual Bulls fans to forget he even exists.  James was brought in as insurance for point guard and to give a veteran presence.  However, the fact that he jumped Teague in the hierarchy suggests the former national champion with Kentucky has not been living up to Thibodeau's expectations.  I'm sure he still has an upside, but that is not yet clear.

Now, with James' injury, maybe we'll finally get to see him blossom into something that sets him apart from other NBA players.  Butler became an everyman when given his chance.  Teague will be the second point guard behind Kirk Hinrich, but is he about to become something more?  He probably won't break out against Miami tomorrow, but with Detroit and Milwaukee coming to the United Center next, this will be a perfect chance for him. 

He's not old enough to buy a drink in this country and yet, his chances to run an NBA offense are about to increase.  The question is will he know what to do when directing a crafty group of veterans?  The Bulls could also use a boost from an unexpected source.  Treading water right now, anything to get the team out of this funk would be welcome.

It's time to shape up and do what's expected of an NBA point guard, young man.  It won't be easy and it won't be smooth right away, but as long as you help your team win, everything will fall into place.  Do you want to stay here or head to Iowa?  Ultimately, that decision lies with you.  Your play will dictate it.  Now, go out and perform your job well.