Pacers will try to maintain intensity against new-look Bulls team
CHICAGO -- Given the number of new faces on the roster, the Chicago Bulls are still feeling their way around the new season.
The Bulls added veteran guards Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo along with center Robin Lopez in the offseason. More recently, guards Michael Carter-Williams and R.J. Hunter were also added to the mix. Coach Fred Hoiberg knows his team will have to be patient as it attempts to put the pieces in the right places.
"We're just trying to get our guys comfortable and continue to get them on the floor in spots where they're going to be during the games," Hoiberg told reporters at the Bulls' practice on Friday ahead of Saturday night's game at home against the Indiana Pacers.
"We'll continue to teach as we go along -- especially the new faces."
Wade sparked the Bulls (1-0) in their opening-night win over the Boston Celtics, scoring 22 points and connecting on four of six shots from three-point range.
Hunter signed a one-year deal with the Bulls on Wednesday after being cut by the Celtics on Monday. Hunter joins a team that is already deep at guard. But he told reporters that he was taking being an NBA player for granted and that he felt "absolutely blessed and fortunate" to find a new NBA home so quickly after being released.
And although the opportunity to contribute might be limited because of the depth the Bulls have, Hunter will take what he can get. On Friday, the Bulls also exercised their fourth-year contract option on forward Doug McDermott while picking up the third-year options on guard Jerian Grant and second-year forward Bobby Portis.
"Whatever I can do to help," Hunter told reporters. "It's actually a really deep team and talented team, so wherever I can find my niche and help the team, I think that's what I can do."
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While the Bulls look to gel, the Pacers (1-1) are attempting to discover how to maintain their intensity for 48 minutes. After scoring 130 points in its season opener, Indiana fizzled down the stretch in a 103-94 loss to Brooklyn on Friday night.
The Pacers shot just 37.8 percent from the field and managed only 15 fourth-quarter points on 6-of-21 shooting.
Coach Nate McMillan said the Pacers couldn't find a way to match the Nets' energy when it mattered most.
"Defensively, they really got out and got after us, denying and pressuring," McMillan said. "They played with a sense of urgency that we talked about we need every single night. I thought we had that in the first game. Tonight, we did not have that energy and I thought they played harder for 48 minutes."
Pacers forward Paul George said he and his teammates might have not had the focus they needed to put together their second straight win to start the season.
"We knew coming in that (Brooklyn) doesn't necessarily got the names, but they play hard and they play together," George said after Friday night's loss. "We should be jacked up every night."
