By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Mirotic didn’t exactly struck a smile when he heard Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg telling him that from now he won’t be a part of the team’s rotation.
“He [Fred Hoiberg] told me that I’m out of the rotation,” said the international Spaniard, as reported by ESPN. “That I need to stay ready, but he didn’t give me any expectation that I would [or] when I can play. Just ‘stay ready’.
The 26-year-old forward who averages 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in the season, went to explain that he realizes his performance problems but still can’t find much logic in Hoiberg’s decision. “I know that I’m ready. I know I can help those guys. Of course I’ve been inconsistent, not just me, all the team up and down — but to be in this kind of situation, out of the rotation, doesn’t make sense for me.”
According to Mirotic, one of the reasons for Hoiberg’s decision is the arrival of French big guy Joffrey Lauvergne from the Oklahoma City Thunder during the trade period.
“I asked him what I can do to be back? What can I do to be in the rotation? What I should do differently? And it looks like he wanted to give an opportunity, a chance to a young guy who is on the team, [Joffrey] Lauvergne. And I just need to be ready. He said maybe there will come a time when you have another chance. That’s what I can do, work on myself, and wait,” added Mirotic.