Woo, that was more like it.

As Javonte “Woo” Green moved into the Bulls starting lineup and elicited his share of woos for 15 points, dunks, blocks and hustle as the Bulls, Friday, defeated the Denver Nuggets 131-113 to even the preseason record at 1-1.

“I thought oversell we played better (than against New Orleans),” acknowledged Bulls coach Billy Donovan.

Which then led to about 15 minutes of questions amidst the lengthy 16 of Donovan’s post game remarks about why Green started for Patrick Williams when this time Williams wasn’t injured, whether this was permanent, if this was the end of the Bulls hopes and dreams for Williams, and who the heck cared that DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 22 points, the Bulls shot 60 percent, had 32 assists and 23 fast break points.

C’mon, Billy, didn’t you remember this kid was the No. 4 pick in the 2020 draft, the highest Bulls draft pick since Derrick Rose in 2008, presumably one of the cornerstones of team’s future?

Billy, what the heck are you doing!

“We were looking at Javonte with that starting group and looking at Patrick with that second unit group,” said Donovan. “Did I like it? Yes. Javonte has played with that group in the past when Patrick was out with his injury. Look, I get it in terms of where he was drafted, but that’s just not who Patrick Williams is. For us, we’ve got to make decisions that are going to be best for our team. I understand the expectation. It’s a preseason game to me; the last thing I would call it is a demotion.”

The first thing I would call it is good for you, Billy.

Because one of the fatal mistakes organizations make, often to justify their decisions on drafts, trades and signings, is to force a player into a role or situation because that’s what you said you got him for.

Instead of putting him in, as the coaches love to say, the best position to succeed.

Williams just turned 21. His two seasons in the NBA coming out of college as the second youngest player in his draft were the first with no Summer League and limited preseason because of Covid, and last year missing most of the season with a broken wrist. Plus, he was a jovial and willing sixth man in college when he clearly was more talented than most of his teammates.

Donovan emphasized in his late Friday night post game interrogation that, duh (that’s my interpretation; Billy is much nicer), it’s just the second preseason game, so no decisions have been made. And didn’t Donovan tell everyone last week that preseason would be about testing different groups to determine how they played together? Duh (me, again).

Anyway, it just may make more sense for the Bulls to start Green because that starting lineup needs some woo. And whoosh.

Donovan has emphasized speed and pace, but without Lonzo Ball the first game became a still frame blowout loss in the opening minutes with the Bulls barely speed walking with starters like DeRozan, Nikola Vučević, Williams and Ayo Dosunmu who often play with more deliberation. 

Green deliberates whether to sprint, dash, dart, bolt or scamper.

The problem is Green is maybe 6-5, and Vučević next to him isn’t exactly Victor Wembanyama (sorry, but I can’t wait). Just the second preseason game. Can’t solve everything at once.

But the way modern NBA is, player speed can eclipse power. Well, sometimes, for sure.

The Bulls did that Friday, though Nuggets MVP Nikola Jokic didn’t play and returning Jamal Murray didn’t play long before he went out with a thigh problem. Hopefully, it’s not serious as he makes his return from anterior cruciate surgery (I wince still even writing that).

It wasn’t a great start for the Bulls, who fell into DeRozan isolations after missing several shots to start. And they didn’t make their first three until midway through the second quarter after attempting just two in a 27-26 first quarter lead.

These exhibition games tend to resemble All-Star games with the league wide lack of defense that has scores multiplying like slot machines. So after putting up 72 first half points, the Bulls made seven of 11 threes in the third quarter to take the air out of the Nuggets. Denver by then had gone deep into its bench while the Bulls were using a defined second unit that Donovan said he might try this season.

Last season, Donovan staggered DeRozan and Zach LaVine, the latter now easing into the games. LaVine finished with seven points on eight shots. Last season, DeRozan would be first sub and then lead the second unit in a second quarter start. Donovan said he wants to get a look at Bench Mob II (my term, not his, since he wasn’t around then and doesn’t know about those guys).

But it looked good with Coby White scoring 15 points in his return from a minor injury Tuesday and Goran Dragić putting more pace into the group with eight points and double figures in plus/minus along with Green, White and Alex Caruso.

Rookie Dalen Terry in the fourth quarter group had five points and Whitney Young’s Javon Freeman-Liberty made a pair of threes and had eight points in five minutes.

Playing a distinct second unit of 10 players over the nine Donovan favored last season, it would seem—yes, I know, just preseason still—without any more injuries Terry and Derrick Jones Jr. will not be part of the regular rotation.

Williams played about 20 minutes and had 11 points, but zero assists and two rebounds, and it seems like it might be better for both he and the team for him to join that second group.

Because when Williams starts pretty much every other day the focus of questions to he and Donovan is about Williams being more aggressive, doing more, stepping up, as the cliche goes. 

No one’s going to ask the 29-year-old Green that since he’s probably too energetic, and what’s the guy even doing in the NBA?

After starring for Radford College, going undrafted and playing in Spain, Italy and Germany.

What is he doing in the NBA?

Meanwhile, being drafted high doesn’t mean you are a star. That’s determined with your play in the NBA.

“Patrick was the fourth player taken in the draft; that wasn’t his fault,” said Donovan. “He’s here to help our team any way he can help our team. Whether he comes off the bench or starting. It’s almost like it’s OK for Ayo to come off the bench because he was a second-round pick and it was not for Patrick. We’ve got a team and you want to put guys in the best position where they can play to their skill set and help the team. Patrick always has been a team guy. It may be good for our team for Patrick to come off the bench; it may be good to start him. I don’t know if tonight necessarily shows anything else. I thought both guys played very, very well. We’ve got to look at different things.

“Javonte with that group brings a lot of energy; he makes things happen, loose balls, offensive rebounds, getting out in transition, really a high energy guy whoever he’s playing with,” noted Donovan. “We’ve got to make decisions that are best for our team; If Patrick starting for our team is the best thing, we’ll do it. If not we (won’t). We've got to look at the totality of the team. It may good for us, our team, for Patrick to come off the bench. It may be good to start him. I don’t know if tonight that I necessarily know anything else. Patrick is certainly more than capable of being a starter. And he’s more than capable of helping (us) coming off the bench. Right now just trying to look at different combination of guys.”

Bravo for Donovan for not worrying about what everyone outside will think compared with how everyone inside will do. 

Williams never would say it because you don’t say those things as a professional athlete. Too many arbitrary accusations.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it would be a relief for Williams to get the spotlight pointed away from him until maybe, you know, he’s 23.

“My job is to be productive,” Williams said. “My job is to go out there and use my talents and try to help the team win. I think that’s everybody’s job. It’s not up to me when or where my name gets called. At the end of the day, I’m just trying to win. I trust the coaching staff. I trust the front office that they want to win as well. So whatever decisions they want to make, that’s not on me.”

I don’t think I’d believe that from Russell Westbrook; Patrick Williams, yes. Perhaps everyone will say that’s his problem. But what’s wrong with being part of something big? “I didn’t really think too much into it (coming off the bench),” Williams said. “When he told me, I was all for it. I really think Javonte is a really good player. He plays with a lot of energy, and I kind of saw where he was coming from in terms of him being able to bring energy to that first group. And I think it worked. We won.”

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