Oct. 18--Doug McDermott better enjoy starting in the Bulls' final exhibition Friday against the Mavericks in Lincoln, Neb., an hour's drive from where he earned national player of the year honors at Creighton.
Once that planned start to placate family and friends occurs -- including those making the drive from his and Fred Hoiberg's hometown of Ames, Iowa -- it will be back to scoring sub duties.
Hoiberg virtually confirmed McDermott's regular-season role following practice Saturday at the Advocate Center.
"That's a role that I anticipate for Doug, is coming off the bench," Hoiberg said. "He has (played well). I've liked (it). It will be a good role for him."
To which McDermott, he of the team-leading 16.6 points-per-game average and 43.2 percent shooting from 3-point range, shrugged.
"I'm completely fine with that," McDermott said.
McDermott even smiled.
"It has been good for me to see the game develop a little bit," he said. "We need scoring off the bench, so I feel I can bring that."
Hoiberg is confident he will receive similar buy-in from other players once roles are finalized after the final three exhibitions. To prove how much he and his staff still are experimenting with Mike Dunleavy sidelined indefinitely following back surgery and Derrick Rose and Tony Snell still out, Hoiberg said Kirk Hinrich and E'Twaun Moore will start at guard with Jimmy Butler sliding to small forward for Monday's exhibition against the Hornets in Charlotte, N.C.
That's one game after Nikola Mirotic started at small forward in a jumbo lineup featuring Joakim Noah at power forward and Pau Gasol at center. There's a lot still at stake these final three games, and Hoiberg said regulars will start playing fourth-quarter minutes.
As for the buy-in, Hoiberg said he would lean on past experiences of his and assistant coaches Randy Brown and Pete Myers to communicate to players the need to stay ready. Those talks will occur between Friday's final exhibition and the Oct. 27 season opener against the Cavaliers.
"The big thing is if they're not in the rotation or playing a lot early, you can't get discouraged," Hoiberg said. "You have to be ready when your name is called. We have a lot of people on that staff, me included, who played that role where you might not be in that rotation but something happens and you're ready to step in and make a big impact. We have good guys who will be ready to do that."
At least McDermott knows his role already. He's shooting 46.8 percent overall.
"I just feel a lot more comfortable, especially offensively," he said. "I have a long way to go on defense. I can't pick up early fouls like I have the last few games. ... But I wanted to prove something this preseason. I feel I didn't even play great in summer league, so this is a time where I'm really getting my swag back. It feels great."
Snell is expected to miss a second straight game Monday with his sprained left ankle. As for the starting small forward for the season opener, Hoiberg said "we'll get that figured out in the next nine to 10 days."
Eventually, that job will belong to Dunleavy. But it's all part of the buy-in Hoiberg will need to succeed.
Layups: Rose participated in the non-contact portions of practice and also worked out on the treadmill, bike and court on Friday's off day. "The big thing is getting that confidence that he can take a hit and everything is going to be OK," Hoiberg said, referring to Rose's orbital bone fracture. ... After practice, an instructor led the Bulls through a group yoga session.
kcjohnson@tribpub.com
