R.J. Hunter Waived

I know, I've been away from here longer than I should be, but that happens when you start working one more day each week.  I've missed opportunities to recap games such as Wednesday's, which ended when Jimmy Butler beat the Brooklyn Nets at the buzzer.  But that's not why I'm here today.

The Bulls made a very minor move on Thursday, but one that reduced their roster size to 14.  They requested waivers on R.J. Hunter, who played in three games and collected one rebound over nine minutes during that span.  Not even time with the Windy City Bulls could improve his standing here.  Now, he finds himself looking for new work.

Hunter, as you may recall, was added to the team just before the season tipped off.  But the Georgia State product who caused his head coach and father Ron to fall off his chair during March Madness in 2015 never found his footing in Chicago.  Frankly, he probably didn't have much upside to begin with.  It remains to be seen where he lands next, but the D-League is probably his best bet.

Hunter is 23, so he's got plenty left in the tank.  But how high can his ceiling go?  If the Bulls, known to move the Jerian Grants and Paul Zipsers of the world back and forth between Chicago and Hoffman Estates, can't find much promise with him, perhaps he's not destined to last in the NBA.  But he has every right to show he belongs with the best and at his age, he'll have more chances to make it as a professional basketball player.

As for the Bulls, they already have enough trouble getting every young player into games each night.  With the roster being completely healthy for the first time since Halloween, it perhaps allowed the front office to reevaluate the situation and thus, determine that Hunter wasn't going to get enough chances here.  If they were really sold on him, they probably wouldn't have waited until after the preseason to give him a shot.  Whatever the case may be, it's the life of a professional basketball player, which is constantly prone to change.

I'll conclude this post by sharing a poster made especially for this blog.  When I find more time, probably after the holidays, I'll look for a way it can be displayed on the home page permanently.  My girlfriend Audrey gave it to me for Christmas and I'll actually be taking her to tomorrow's road game, her first Bulls game, against the Indiana Pacers.  My recap won't be up until late, but try to wait around for it before you go to bed, okay?