McCaffrey: Thibodeau Turns To Tony Snell With Jimmy Butler Sidelined

By Brendan McCaffrey-

(CBS) -- With Bulls starting guard Jimmy Butler still on the shelf last night due to injury, head coach Tom Thibodeau turned to an unlikely player for some help against LeBron James and the Cavaliers. That player: second-year guard Tony Snell.

The plan didn't entirely work, however, as James led the Cavs to a 114-108 victory in overtime in the Bulls' home opener. For his part, Snell showed some flashes and acquitted himself fairly well for a player tasked with guarding the best player in the world while looking to crack Thibodeau's 9 to 10 player rotation.

Snell played nearly 23 minutes, including the entire 4th period, helping cool off James, who had 11 of his game-high 36 points in the 1st quarter alone.

Snell did a reasonable job on defense, especially in parts of the 4th quarter. James was 1 of 5 from the field for 4 points and 2 turnovers in the 4th. Snell added 10 points off the bench, all in the second half, actually outscoring LeBron's 9 over the same timeframe.

"It's a big compliment," Snell said after the game on his LeBron assignment. "It shows that coach [Thibodeau] trusts me to guard the best player on the court, basically. I just try to do my best with my teammates helping me out, and just do my best to contain [James]."

In overtime, however, James could not be contained. He went to work against Snell and the entire Bulls roster, scoring 8 of the 12 Cavaliers points and ending any Bulls shot at a victory in their home opener.

Despite the loss, Snell was somewhat pleased with his play.

"I think I did pretty good," Snell said. "Defensively, I'm just trying to stay in front of my opponent and communicate on defense."

Thibodeau was terse after the game when asked about Snell's performance.

"We'll see," Thibodeau said. "I want to take a look at the film."

Not exactly a ringing endorsement from your coach, but Snell hopes he can continue to provide minutes off the bench as part of Thibodeau's rotation. With Butler banged up and Derrick Rose sore after the game with a twisted ankle, Thibodeau might have little choice but to find more minutes for Snell.

"My plan is just to work hard, and just stay ready for whatever," Snell said.