Nikola Mirotic is questionable for Chicago’s next game, as the Bulls consider options

Nikola Mirotic hasn’t exactly made waves in his first NBA playoff turn. Mostly stuck playing out of position at small forward in two games against the Milwaukee Bucks, Mirotic combined for 13 points (missing nine of 14 shots) and nine rebounds in 36 total minutes before this happened:

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Mirotic left the court, limping, directly after that scrum. On Tuesday, Mirotic missed Bulls practice with what the team called a strained left quadriceps injury, with various onlookers also relaying that his knee was also pained in the altercation with Milwaukee’s (not-suspended) Zaza Pachulia. On Wednesday, Mirotic also skipped practice, choosing to fling a few set-shot jumpers instead. We don’t know how long he’ll be out for, but he is most definitely out.

Which is fine, even if Mirotic will be joining a long list of Bulls to miss time this season.

Derrick Rose, as well all know, missed a goodly chunk of the second half of the season after suffering yet another right meniscus injury, and undergoing surgery. Joakim Noah is absolutely not the same player he was last year, after undergoing what the Bulls called a “minor” knee operation last May. He’s missed 15 contests and looked hampered in three times as many. Mike Dunleavy and Taj Gibson missed a combined 39 games due to ankle injuries, Jimmy Butler missed 17 with an elbow injury, and Kirk Hinrich (who returns on Thursday missed 18 regular season and playoff contests with general Kirk Hinrich-ness.

Mirotic was the only Bull to play 82 games, providing depth where the team needed it most – its stacked frontcourt. Missing the next few games against Milwaukee is more than passable for the former Spanish League Finals MVP.

Nikola doesn’t play well at small forward. He’s not as terrible as many predicted as the technical NBA rookie made his long-awaited jump to the NBA last summer, but he’s far less effective at a position that basically turns him into a standstill shooter. This was more than evident in Games 1 and 2 (though Mirotic did take in some token minutes at power forward) as the 6-10 scorer missed nine of 14 shots and four of six of his three-pointers.

The Bulls may down Milwaukee in a breeze, but the Bucks just aren’t the right matchup for Mirotic at this point. And it’s probably time to force coach Tom Thibodeau’s hand in playing the other rookie that he’s ignored all season.

Thibodeau seemed less than confident in rookie Doug McDermott’s abilities in training camp, he kept him on a short leash despite some early-season successes, and McDermott’s knee surgery in December allowed Thibodeau the perfect excuse for Thibs to basically railroad his entire rookie season. Great coaches find ways to weave learning youngsters in and out of the rotation, preparing them for games that mean much more than second quarters in a mid-January contest versus the Pacers.

Tom Thibodeau, a very good coach, has failed in this regard. His either/or philosophy regarding McDermott has been a case of, make no mistake, bad coaching.

The Bulls don’t explicitly need McDermott to rush in to replace Mirotic’s 18 or so minutes a game, and they certainly don’t need him to save the series. Reserve swingman Tony Snell will likely see an increase of minutes, as will Mike Dunleavy Jr., and Chicago already has one of the best backup big men in the game in Taj Gibson.

Furthermore, resting the rest of the series won’t likely be a major boon to Mirotic’s recovery. Even if the Bulls make quick work of Milwaukee (which is no sure thing), Cleveland will likely make mincemeat of the Celtics even in Boston, and the team’s second round series matchup could be moved up to May 2. That would mean a week and a off for Nikola, which is nice, but there is a chance he won’t be fully healthy for the rest of the playoffs even if the Bulls play into June.

What would be nice, however, is for Thibodeau to shy away from the path of least resistance – playing his veterans long stretches for as long as he can. The mark of a great coach is the ability to think on one’s feet in times of storm and stress, and take chances when things aren’t easy, and options aren’t obvious.

Doug McDermott hasn’t played in more than half a game since the opening night of the season, when he poured in 12 points on 5-9 shooting. It’s time for Tom Thibodeau to find a place for him in the rotation.

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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops