There’s a big difference between being available and being expected to play. No one knows that better than Bulls forward Jabari Parker.
Coach Jim Boylen said Saturday he expected Parker would be available Sunday against the Cavaliers after a virus that has sidelined him since Dec. 13. Will he play? That remains to be seen.
Multiple outlets have reported the Bulls are looking to trade Parker, all but admitting his homecoming has been a huge mistake. It also has been reported that things are amicable right now, with Parker’s camp hoping to be able to work with the front office to find Parker a team that will use him more frequently, preferably a contender.
Several teams have been hovering, with the Knicks, Nuggets and Jazz rumored to have some interest in Parker. But one source said trade talks haven’t even reached the beginning stages.
That’s why Boylen has no problem playing Parker when he’s healthy. He said the front office hasn’t told him not to do so.
‘‘No, not at all. We don’t operate like that,’’ Boylen said when he was asked last week if he had been told to stay away from using Parker because of a possible trade. ‘‘No, sir.’’
So why would he keep Parker, who is averaging 15.2 points and 6.9 rebounds, on the bench? Boylen again stressed the importance of defense and toughness. In his world, the two go hand-in-hand, and that’s the culture he’s trying to build.
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‘‘[The players’] communication is improving, which is a big part of defense,’’ Boylen said. ‘‘Protecting each other’s backs is starting to be who we are. There are going to be breakdowns or situations where we make mistakes. We want a defense where we protect each other, even with those mistakes, and I think we’re starting to get that. We’re not totally built yet, but you’re seeing signs of a team that is starting to commit to the defensive end of the floor first.
‘‘Hopefully we can rebound better. We have to improve our free-throw box-outs. Those are cleanups that happen all the time.’’
But the basics are getting closer to what Boylen wants. So while Parker well might be a top-three scorer on this roster, there’s a reason he has slipped behind players such as Chandler Hutchison, Bobby Portis (when healthy), Shaq Harrison and Cameron Payne in Boylen’s rotation.
Parker’s defense is nonexistent, which isn’t a mentality shared by his teammates.
‘‘I’ve been doing it my whole life because I feel like I always had to prove that I belong,’’ Harrison of playing defense. ‘‘So every level I played at, defense always translates. That’s the best way onto the court. So I’ve always had that mentality at the defensive end.
‘‘There’s going to be nights where you miss some shots and things are not really going for you. But defense, I believe, is 90 percent effort. So you bring 90 percent of that every single night, things will work out for you.’’
