March 01--Finally, the Bulls have a minutes limit on which everyone can agree.
"I mean, what's wrong with it?" Mike Dunleavy said, smiling, after Monday's practice. "I'm cool with the minutes I'm playing. I feel I can have a good impact on the game and Doug (McDermott's) playing really well. We get Jimmy (Butler) back and hopefully we can keep everybody's minutes down and be fresh for the stretch run."
Dunleavy is averaging 20.8 minutes in his first nine games back after September back surgery. But after planned limitations in his first four back, he has played 23 minutes or more in five straight games, and two of the last four have featured him at the preferred limit of 28 minutes
"I feel really good," Dunleavy said. "Physically, my legs are getting underneath me. Conditioning-wise, I'm feeling pretty good. At this point, I'm looking at the positives after missing all those games. I feel fresh."
Dunleavy's impact is undeniable. The Bulls are 3-2 since Dunleavy started playing 23 or more minutes. Last season, the Bulls went 9-10 in games Dunleavy missed and 41-22 in games he played.
"He's one of the smartest guys in the league," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "Even if he's not making shots, he knows where to be. Cuts, he opens things up for other players. The fact you've got to guard him closely, hug him out on the perimeter, helps.
"He does so many little things that don't even show up in the stat sheet. We really feel Mike is a glue to this group."
A high basketball IQ squares with the reputation of most Duke players. Another of Dunleavy's characteristics may not.
"Mike's got a little nasty streak to him," Hoiberg said. "Rarely do you see when Mike fouls somebody (the player) make the basket."
Dunleavy also is adept at drawing charges and his solid positioning makes him an ideal team defender, if not a lockdown individual one. As for his propensity for delivering hard fouls, Dunleavy said "only the strong survive" in the NBA.
That's a rare cliche from Dunleavy, an original thinker and possessor of dry wit. He's a straight shooter and as astute a league observer as can be found in a locker room, a nod to growing up around the league as his dad coached.
That's why his take on where the Bulls stand with 24 games to go is worth noting. Think about this: He and Jimmy Butler have yet to play together this season.
"Although we haven't played great, we haven't lost too much ground in the standings. That's the positive," Dunleavy said. "But we've got to make it happen. Shoot, we get Niko (Mirotic) and Jimmy back, there are no guarantees. Somebody else may go down. We've got to always be able to make it happen no matter who we have on the court."
The Bulls' chances are better whenever Dunleavy is out there.
kcjohnson@tribpub.com
