The Bulls Flat Out Suck.....Right Now
I’m not a hop off the ship after 4 games type of guy. If you know the NBA, you know that games in October/November are basically an elongated pre-season. If the Bulls are playing this bad in say mid-February then I’d be worried. So let’s play a little optimism/pessimism game for the start of the season. And yes, I admit I was a little too pumped up for basketball and D-Rose to be back before the Heat game, it’s called being a fan, sue me.
The Bad news first…
Pessimism
-D-Rose currently has more turnovers in each game this season than assists. This is like your quarterback having more interceptions than touchdowns. He is completely lost at this point. It’s been bad.
-The Bulls offense thus far is somewhere between woeful and putrid. 11 field goals in the second half yesterday, 11. That’s gross.
-The Bench is not what it has been in years past. Remember the Bench Mob, CJ, Asik, Korver, Taj, and Brewer , Yeah those guys were really really good at their jobs. The reason the Bulls won the most regular season games in 2011-12 was because of team depth and that bench carrying a lot of key minutes. Do I think this bench can get better? Sure. But if you think there is nearly as much talent as that 2011-12 team then you’re crazy. I don’t know what the answer to this one is, but it’s an issue for sure.
-The Bulls have yet to put together 48 minutes of good basketball. Even against the Knicks they were terrible for long stretches. Last night was a good first half and a TERRIBLE second half. No bueno.
Optimism
-It’s early. 4 games is a very small sample size. If you’re a meatball calling for Thibodeau’s head, well then you should probably just stop watching basketball and walk into oncoming traffic because your brain is not fit for this earth.
-Everything that is wrong with D-Rose thus far seems to be mental. This is a very good thing. He physically is fine. Mentally he seems to be pressing, getting caught in double teams, contested shots etc. I would love to see D-Rose become a facilitator first, shooter second until the game slows down for him. I would also love for him to put his magic tape back on after I got David Stern to allow it.
-There’s a new offense! Not sure everyone realizes this but Thibs has installed a totally new read and react offense this year. What does that mean? Well for one it means more turnovers, missed shots, and poor execution to start while the team figures out how to move and run the offense correctly. Patience.
-The Bulls are currently 26th in the league in Free Throw Attempts. If you’ve watched the Bulls this season you know that will change. It’s an anomaly. They are getting to the rim, drawing contact and not getting calls. Sometimes the bounces go your way, and sometimes they don’t. Right now they aren’t but it will even out in the long run.
-This guy will be an All-Star
-The Bulls have now shed expectations. I love this. Back to an underdog-esque role. Everyone is talking about the East going through Indiana and Miami. Fine, perfect. Let them forget about the Bulls all together. You know what the best feeling in the world is? When someone considers you a rival and you look at it as just another game. Because that’s what the Pacers are doing. They treat games in November like championships. They think the Bulls are a rival. They’re angry about Chicago, yet the Thibs and D-Rose have said, the only rival is Miami because they are the Champions, which is the correct answer.
So no one go jumping off any ledges, give it a few months. Let the offense gel, let the bench hopefully improve, and watch D-Rose find his groove. Besides, nothing helps cure your ails like a home game against the Jazz on Friday.