At the start of the season last year, the Bulls second unit was branded as the “Rifle Squad” because there were up to eight players on the roster scoring in double figures at times, until Jimmy Butler (and Pau Gasol) had fits about the pace of Hoiball.
Coach Fred Hoiberg might have forgotten that the keel that kept the Bulls steady over the last eight years or so was the so-called “Bench Mob”; a defense oriented unit that could provide the spark to wear down opposing shooters and keep the lead or break an impasse and help make the game easier for the starters by whittling down leads to manageable levels.