Bulls in no rush to thrust Payne into prime time
With 22 games left in the regular season, new Bulls point guard Cameron Payne isn’t about to be promised anything. There’s no mandate for him to be starting, and as with all young players’ minutes under coach Fred Hoiberg, they’ll be earned, not gifted.
“We’ll see how it all plays out,’’ is all Hoiberg would say about Payne starting.
Acquired last Thursday at the trade deadline in a deal that sent Doug McDermott and Taj Gibson to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Payne, Anthony Morrow and Joffrey Lauvergne, Payne— a second- year player out of Murray State— made his Bulls debut Saturday night in a 117- 99 victory at Cleveland, scoring six points in 12 minutes.
He returned to Chicago, got in a special practice Sunday and a full team practice Monday, then went through the shootaround Tuesday morning before the Bulls’ game against the Denver Nuggets. But Jerian Grant was again the starter while Michael Carter-Williams remained sidelined with tendinitis in his knee.
Yes, the Bulls would love to see what they have in Payne, especially since they considered him the centerpiece of the trade. But they’re also trying to win games and keep a playoff spot locked down.
“He’s been a guy who you can tell has a very high basketball IQ,” Hoiberg said. “He has learned very quickly to this point. In talking to people who know him well, he’s a guy who will pick things up quickly. We had him out there [ Monday] with both groups. That first group, he played with the ball in his hands, and he also played off the ball a little. We’re trying to keep things simple when the new guys are in the game.”
Payne seemed fine with the way he’s being brought along, understanding that the point guard spot comes with heavy responsibilities.
“It’s been a whirlwind, man— a lot of stuff going on,’’ Payne said. “Me trying to get here, me trying to get acclimated to the offense. It’s a lot. I’m just trying to pick up as much as I can, try to fill in as quick as possible.”
The big difference between this offense and the Thunder’s, he said, is the freedom he now has.
“It’s a little more laid- back,” Payne said. “You can go out there and play. It’s really free. It’s all about making decisions, and Coach does a good job of putting everybody in good positions to do what we need to do.”
Free Niko
With the trade deadline gone, forward Nikola Mirotic seems to be the Bull most freed up from the pressure of possibly leaving. He all but played himself out of the rotation before the deadline. After finding out he wasn’t being moved, he had a 20- point game against the Phoenix Suns on Friday and then 14 points against the Cavaliers.
“You look around the league — with so many rumors going on right now, just to get that day behind you, I’m sure, is a sense of relief to know where you’re going to be,” Hoiberg said. “Niko has played really good basketball for us. He’s hit shots. That’s very important that we get that production off that bench. Niko has been a big part of that.”