CHICITYSPORTS – Chicago Sports  Blog – News – Forum – Rumors – Fans
  • BEARS
  • BULLS
  • BLACKHAWKS
  • CUBS
  • WHITE SOX
  • MESSAGE BOARD
Navigation
  • About Us
  • Chicago Sports Podcasts
  • ChiCity+
  • CHICITYSPORTS – Chicago Sports Blog – News – Forum – Rumors – Fans
  • Get In Touch
  • Join Our Group
  • Newsletter
  • Our Writers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Want to Write for ChiCitySports?
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • BREAKING: Chicago Bears Coaching Staff Changes Announced For 2023
  • Great American Football Scholarships in 2023
  • Bears Insider: Pro Bowl OL Most Realistic Option In 2023 Free Agency
  • Patrick Mahomes’ father reveals pre-draft tidbit from Chicago Bears in 2017
  • BREAKING: Chicago Bears Cap Space Changes Drastically For 2023
  • 6 NBA Teams Which Have Won The Most Championships
  • How Do Bonuses Work In The Demo Version Of The Slot?
  • New report suggests Packers are ready to move on from Aaron Rodgers
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Our Writers
  • Want to Write for ChiCitySports?
CHICITYSPORTS – Chicago Sports  Blog – News – Forum – Rumors – FansCHICITYSPORTS – Chicago Sports  Blog – News – Forum – Rumors – Fans
  • BEARS

    BREAKING: Chicago Bears Coaching Staff Changes Announced For 2023

    February 1, 2023

    Bears Insider: Pro Bowl OL Most Realistic Option In 2023 Free Agency

    January 31, 2023

    Patrick Mahomes’ father reveals pre-draft tidbit from Chicago Bears in 2017

    January 30, 2023

    BREAKING: Chicago Bears Cap Space Changes Drastically For 2023

    January 30, 2023

    New report suggests Packers are ready to move on from Aaron Rodgers

    January 29, 2023
  • BULLS

    Chicago Bulls are on the way to the top this 2023

    January 26, 2023

    3 possible trade targets for the Chicago Bulls

    January 19, 2023

    Air Jordan 11 ‘DMP’ to get Holiday 2023 release?

    January 19, 2023

    Chicago Fans’ One Wish for Every Team in 2023

    December 31, 2022

    Zach LaVine trade rumors: 3 possible destinations

    December 30, 2022
  • BLACKHAWKS

    Comparing the Dynamic of Two Rebuilding Clubs

    January 25, 2023

    Chicago Fans’ One Wish for Every Team in 2023

    December 31, 2022

    Blackhawks’ Sam Lafferty returns to line-up vs. Jets

    December 9, 2022

    Blackhawks recall Lukas Reichel from Rockford

    December 6, 2022

    Phillip Danault: A Player Extraordinaire

    November 29, 2022
  • CUBS

    Chicago Cubs still sculpting their bullpen

    January 17, 2023

    Chicago Cubs 2023 prospect watch: Matt Mervis

    January 15, 2023

    Cubs add three shortstops through International Prospect signing day

    January 15, 2023

    Cubs and Trey Mancini agree to a two-year deal

    January 14, 2023

    Cubs hot stove: With Nick Madrigal as the odd man out, could the Cubs trade him?

    January 13, 2023
  • WHITE SOX

    Chicago White Sox 2023 prospect watch: outfielder Oscar Colas

    January 18, 2023

    Chicago Fans’ One Wish for Every Team in 2023

    December 31, 2022

    MLB analyst pitches insane White Sox Yankees trade

    December 22, 2022

    Outfielder Andrew Benintendi signs with White Sox

    December 16, 2022

    Analyst Reveals Poor Grade For White Sox Offseason So Far

    December 12, 2022
  • MESSAGE BOARD
Facebook Twitter Instagram
CHICITYSPORTS – Chicago Sports  Blog – News – Forum – Rumors – Fans
Home»Bulls»Meet the newest Chicago Bull: Mike Dunleavy Jr.
Bulls

Meet the newest Chicago Bull: Mike Dunleavy Jr.

Z PBy Z PJuly 2, 20134 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Email
dunleavyreturns fullsize story1
dunleavyreturns fullsize story1
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

dunleavyreturns_fullsize_story1

Well, that didn’t take long.

On the first day of free agency the Bulls have reportedly agreed to a 2 year, $6 million deal with small forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. Many, including myself, expected Chicago to sit back and watch the dominoes fall in free agency before making any moves. Instead the Bulls aggressively pursued one of the best shooters on the market.

My initial reaction to this deal is conflicted. On one hand Dunleavy is a tremendous shooter, but on the other hand he turns 33 in September and has struggled with knee problems in recent years. He fits the mold of a Bulls player perfectly — a winner and hard worker who’s regarded as a quality teammate — but at the same time the signing reminds me too much of Rip Hamilton and Kirk Hinrich (who were both plagued by injuries last season). Dunleavy played 75 games with the Bucks this past season, so an injury-free year isn’t out of the question. If he’s healthy, the dude can flat out shoot.

Dunleavy ranked 34th in the league in points per play according to Synergy Sports thanks to his sweet stroke. He was especially a monster in spot-up situations, ranking 27th in the NBA (he shot 44.9 percent from downtown in those situations). Although Dunleavy spot-up on 31.4 percent of his possessions, he was also effective coming off screens (44.6 percent on 3’s) and in transition (47.8 percent from behind the arc). Overall he ranked 8th in the NBA in 3-point percentage at 42.8 percent. For those of you wondering why the Bulls signed Dunleavy instead of pursuing Kyle Korver (who’s the superior shooter), the Duke product provides much more than your average sniper.

The 11-year veteran has learned a thing or two about scoring around the basket. Dunleavy ranked 18th in the league among swingmen with a 69.7 field-goal percentage at the rim last season according to hoopdata.com (min. 40 GP and 1.0 attempts at the rim per game). To put that number in perspective, Korver shot only 54.2 percent at the rim on 0.3 attempts per game (Dunleavy attempted 1.5 per game). Dunleavy also shot 44.4 percent from 3-9 feet which is well above the league average for swingmen (39.2 percent). For a 32-year old 3-point specialist, Dunleavy can defend quite competently.

Dunleavy has allowed a sub-10.3 PER the past two seasons while defending at small forward according to 82games.com. This past season Dunleavy allowed an 11.7 opponents PER overall, ranking sixth in the league (right behind Tony Allen and ahead of Andre Iguodala). Synergy wasn’t as kind to Dunleavy, ranking him only 226th in the league. The Bucks also allowed only 0.9 points per 100 possessions fewer with him on the floor, so Defensive Player of the Year he’s not. Nonetheless, Dunleavy is at least neutral at the defensive end, which is a huge positive considering the Bulls got him for his shooting.

I understand this signing isn’t the home run Chicago fans were looking for, but the move makes sense. If Dunleavy stays healthy (which is a big if) he will provide the 3-point threat the Bulls have missed since trading Korver. Once Hamilton is bought out the Bulls will have 11 roster spots used up (including the two 2013 Draft picks), so don’t expect much to happen the rest of the summer. Maybe the Bulls will re-sign Nazr Mohammed or pursue a different backup big man, but the roster is pretty much set. That means free agents Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli have likely played their last games for Chicago.

A lot of Bulls fans will complain about the conservativeness of the front office with the lack of sexy moves made this offseason, but I’m actually shocked Chicago signed someone outside of a minimum salary with the luxury tax breathing down their neck.

No, Dunleavy isn’t going to provide the much needed second scoring option to Derrick Rose. But who knows, maybe he’ll hit a season-saving shot like Ray Allen did for the Heat… or maybe he’ll be wearing a suit come playoff time a la Kirk Hinrich.

Let’s hope for the former.

For More Great Chicago Sports Content

Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE

Chicago Bulls Kirk Hinrich Mike Dunleavy Mikey Wonsover NBA Richard Hamilton
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email
The Worst Things Bart Simpson Has Ever Done Ranked
Z P
  • Twitter

Chicago sports.

Related Posts

Bulls January 26, 2023

Chicago Bulls are on the way to the top this 2023

Bulls January 19, 2023

3 possible trade targets for the Chicago Bulls

Bulls January 19, 2023

Air Jordan 11 ‘DMP’ to get Holiday 2023 release?

Bears December 31, 2022

Chicago Fans’ One Wish for Every Team in 2023

Bulls December 30, 2022

Zach LaVine trade rumors: 3 possible destinations

Bulls December 28, 2022

Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls: 1 Best Bet

Leave A Reply

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Team Message Boards

bears TP
bulls TP
cubs TP
sox TP
hawks TP
we want you to write
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
  • Home
  • Message Board
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Our Writers
  • Want to Write for ChiCitySports?
© 2023 ChiCitySports. Designed by Dope Guys Who Run ChiCitySports.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.