Torrey Craig minutes are a more useful veteran showcase

Unlike LaVine and Vucevic, with Craig playoff hopefuls probably need a reminder

Patrick Williams has had a terrible start to the season, and I saw someone who didn’t look physically right. This was confirmed over the course of last week, as Williams and the Bulls did their usual injury communication dance where they say everything is good, then it’s maybe not good but they’re not worried, to then yep he’s out.

Based on past experience, it’s “see ya next season, Pat”. He’ll still be only 24!

For the game in Milwaukee that was Williams’s first absence, nearly 34-year-old Torrey Craig was taken from out of the rotation entirely and inserted in the starting lineup. Somewhat strange it wasn’t simply next man up with backup forwards Julian Phillips or Matas Buzelis starting, but I suppose Billy Donovan wanted more strength and experience especially in a matchup versus Giannis Antentokounmpo.

Craig didn’t exactly help on that front, as Giannis trucked over him and everyone else on his way to 41 points (and that’s with missing 7 FTs). But on offense Craig was great, in nearly 28 minutes had 15 points on 10 FGA (3/7 from three), with 2 offensive rebounds and 2 assists to zero turnovers.

For one thing, Craig showed just how low a bar it’s been for Williams - 5th option on offense who can contribute in other ways - that he hasn’t cleared this season. If Pat did this attack of a defensive switch, a certain subset of Bulls fans would be saying it shows Pat has the dog or whatever is holding him back in his career¹.

Now, should the Bulls - a rebuilding team that won’t admit it, and only so far half-assing their “youth movement” - be playing Torrey Craig so much? Of course not. But they shouldn’t be playing Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine this much either for similar reasons.

But unlike those two, of whom every other team knows what they can do (and their limitations), it’s possible that in Torrey Craig’s case while being hurt and/or out of the rotation for much of his Bulls tenure he’s been forgotten.

Could Craig help a playoff team this year? Likely no, and that’s why he was available at the minimum for the Bulls two offseasons ago coming off a playoff benching by the Suns, and why he picked up his player option this past summer instead of going on the open market.

But like every season, there has been a deluge of injuries around the league, and there are teams who could plug Craig into their rotation right now and feel at least he’s a replacement-level stopgap.

And more critically in terms of trade value, relative to Vuc and Zach’s massive contracts Craig makes just $2.85M and it expires after this season. This not only means a low payroll option for an already capped-out and likely-taxed team, but there’s not these onerous trade rules limiting who can feasibly acquire him².

Hilariously, especially since it doesn’t look to be a long-term thing, Craig looked gassed as the game went on, and had to leave after falling into the baseline cameras area. All the more reason to trade him ASAP. He could potentially be a throw-in for a future LaVine or Vuc deal near the deadline, but that may get no added return as the Bulls will likely need to create roster spaces in those hypothetical trades. Whereas if it happens soon, maybe a team simply desperate for bodies (Pelicans? Pacers?) will give a 2nd round pick. Or, more likely the Karnisovas special: a young player with experience who stinks.

1. this is a dwindling subset, and if Pat is truly out for a while this year it’ll only dwindle further. Unfortunately it’s just year one of a five-year contract extension, so on the bright side: a lot of time to talk about his long-term future in the league.

2. Except the 2nd apron teams. For example, I think the Bucks would be interested in Craig, but couldn’t even do a straight-up deal for MarJon Beauchamp because Craig makes like $150K more and as a 2nd apron team Milwaukee can’t add any salary.