For weeks now, fans of the Chicago Bulls have been screaming for it, but it's not going to happen. At least not yet. I refer, of course, to head coach Tom Thibodeau benching ice-cold starting guard Keith Bogans and replacing him with the younger, faster, apparently more dynamic Ronnie Brewer.
↵In a phoned-in (literally) interview on ESPN 1000 radio this morning, Coach T yet again put the kibosh on such an idea, saying, "I like the way it's worked with Ronnie coming off the bench."And Keith has done a good job guarding some primary scorers." This has pretty much been Thibodeau's stock reply to this incessant question throughout the, thus far, quite successful 2010-2011 season. He did, however, offer some light at the end of the tunnel by remarking "We'll see how the season unfolds."
↵Brewer made his loudest on-court plea yet for a starting job last night against the Detroit Pistons with an 11 point, six assist, two rebound outing. And we'd be remiss if we failed to mention that he essentially secured his place in Bulls history alone in yesterday's game by feeding Derrick Rose one of the sweetest alley-oop dunks ever to go down at the United Center. Meanwhile, Bogans remains locked in a turgid slump, shooting just .368 from the field and .302 from behind the arc -- both well under his career averages. And whether he's making up for his poor shooting defensively is arguable to say the least.
↵So, for the time being, Bulls fans will have to remain patient. The team is, after all, winning. And, earlier in the season, the then-hot-shooting Kyle Korver seemed a possible solution for the Bogans dilemma. Not so much anymore as Korver's gone pretty cold himself -- now shooting .388 from three-point range, a fair ways beneath his .409 career average. It appears only time, and Coach T, will tell whither and how this bleak spot in a bright Bulls season will draw to a close.
↵The Bulls next game is tomorrow night vs. the Charlotte Bobcats. Tip-off time: 6 pm.