ORLANDO – Jim Boylen wasn’t going to speak for his front office on Friday.
And the Bulls coach definitely wasn’t going to try and guess where Robin Lopez’s head will be once summer time and the free-agent frenzy is underway.
What Boylen didn’t hesitate to say, however, was he would be all in on Lopez returning to the Bulls to see this rebuild through.
“It’s his decision, but any program, including us, would be grateful for him,’’ Boylen said, when asked if he would make the case to general manager Gar Forman to pursue bringing Lopez back. “If he wants to be a part of what we’re doing that would be great. Obviously the business side of it is the business side of it, but Bulls across his chest means something. Even through all the trade rumors, all the junk that goes on before the deadline, he has a winning attitude and a great spirit.’’
Boylen already insisted earlier this week that he had no plans to cut Lopez’s playing time like the Bulls did last season when they went all in on the tanking.
With Wendell Carter Jr. (left thumb) ruled out for the season, the Bulls are paper thin at center and will continue to start Lopez in the middle, with Lauri Markkanen getting minutes there, as well as Cristiano Felicio in a pinch.
The way Boylen sees it, though, there’s always a place for what Lopez does.
“First of all, he brings a maturity and a work ethic,’’ Boylen said. “Practice is very important to him. His practice reps are very important to him. He fights for those, which I love when guys do that. He’s punctual, which is big for me. He cares about his craft. He’s an example to our young guys. He speaks up for the protection of the essence of the team, which I love and we need.
“Besides what he does on the floor, in the pocket and on the boards. His communication and his selflessness, those are great too. But he’s a team guy, he’s a winning player, and I’m just thankful he’s here.’’
Waiting game
Boylen was still unsure of a possible return date for rookie Chandler Hutchison (right foot), but did say the forward was progressing.
“I just know from what I’ve seen he’s out of the boot full-time, which is encouraging,’’ Boylen said. “I just hate to lead anybody on with something I’m not sure of, but I can honestly say he’s progressing. Where that’s at, I don’t know. I know he had a good break because he has a nice tan from wherever he went.’’
Settling in
It’s admittedly been a whirlwind for Otto Porter the last few weeks, going from his long-time home in the D.C. area, to being traded before the deadline and getting his belongings to Chicago.
The All-Star break came at a perfect time for the small forward.
“Anybody gets traded in the middle of the season has some type of effect on them, whether it’s moving your family or leaving the organization that you worked really hard for and things like that,’’ Porter said. “But at the end of the day, it’s a business. So you have to deal with it for a couple days, then move on.
“I did find an apartment. I’m good now. Now I can get some sleep.’’
