Dunleavy, whose only missed games with the Bulls thus far (19) came last year while recovering from an ankle injury, signed a three-year, $14.4 million contract this summer to remain in Chicago after Cleveland targeted him for a period. That interest came after he averaged 9.4 points per game and shooting 41 percent from beyond the 3-point line last season. Those numbers increased to 10.9 and 48 respectively. He's started at small forward every game he's been available for the Bulls since Luol Deng was traded.
Although Dunleavy should regain his starting spot when he returns, the competition to replace him for the interim could be a fierce one. Tony Snell, Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic are all candidates to win the temporary job, maybe even usurp that position permanently. No matter how long they hold down the fort, this is the first real challenge for Fred Hoiberg in creating his lineup. Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah are coming off their own injury troubles, but both should be ready by Opening Night, thus making the small forward hole the top priority.
Dunleavy was seen as valuable to keep around because of his 3-point shooting, which Hoiberg is expected to greatly emphasize. While he isn't lights out like Ray Allen, he's consistent enough that the Bulls turn to him most when they need a long shot. He knows his limitations and won't force himself to doing something he's not accustomed to. Hopefully, whoever replaces him for the time being will have at least some of that ingrained.
Mirotic would be a good player to fill in, but he more has the build and skill set of a power forward. Plus, the Bulls might not want to go too big with their frontcourt. You need that right balance of size when filling out your starting five so everyone can play to their strengths. Unless Mirotic morphed into Dirk Nowitzki over the summer, I can't see him starting for Dunleavy.
McDermott is in a prime position to show his rookie year was merely a combination of injuries, loss of trust from Tom Thibodeau and lowered confidence. He had too successful of a college career to just flame out in the NBA this quickly. With his luck, Hoiberg's college experience will help him hit the right notes and rediscover what it was that made him so special at Creighton. Until that time, I would play him off the bench.
Snell is my frontrunner to take the job for that first month. Although he's a natural shooting guard, he showed last year he could slide into the three if he had to. He has more quickness than is needed of a small forward and his shooting has greatly improved. Both these elements would make him valuable for any team in the league and Hoiberg could really bring out the best in his offense, which I don't think we've seen yet.
Although I've made my reservations about Hoiberg as an NBA coach clear, I and every other Bulls fan have to trust him to make the right call here. He can't just insert one of these guys into the starting lineup as filler and then ignore them like Thiobdeau was prone to do. He needs to develop these young players while having to throw them into the line of fire just as the team is learning its new strategy. It'll be up to his experience with younger players to pull that off successfully.
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