I have been putting off this blog post for a while now because even though something is obviously wrong with my beloved Chicago Bulls, and has been for a while now, it kills me to admit it, as I still love them and truly believe they are a great team. However, with another loss under their belt, this time to the Lakers, it is about time I face the facts and touch up on this subject.
I must start off by saying that even though the Bulls lost to the Lakers this evening, I am proud of the way they played, something I have not said in a very long time. Of course it would have been nice to win, especially against a team so great as LA, but I appreciate the effort the Bulls put forth and the fact that they gave it their best shot. With this said though, there is still a lot of room for improvement.
When the Bulls started their Circus Trip by beating the Kings, I was thrilled. In the past Chicago frequently had trouble with the Circus Trip, and due to their recent inconsistent nature of play, I was afraid that would be the case this time around as well, at least until before we played Sacramento. After that, I stupidly let down my guard, thinking we were safe and had nothing to worry about. Did I jinx their game? Perhaps, as lately I've noticed the more I talk up a game or a team they lose, but this is not what matters. What matters is what happened next.
The Bulls lost all but one game in the Circus Trip and things only got worse when they returned home. Not only did they lose, but they started to lose badly, and not only to good, or even decent teams, but to awful teams such as the Nets. They lost all confidence, all spirit, and unnervingly enough, all skill, making even the biggest Bulls fans (ie myself) start to lose hope.
Then finally a win came their way as the Bulls beat former teammate Ben Gordon and the rest of the Detroit Pistons at home. Looking back on that game, the Bulls did not play amazingly, and I hate to put it out there that if the Pistons were all healthy, the win may have not gone to Chicago, but either way, that night was Chicago's, and it seemed as though everything may turn around.
Of course as we all know, it did no such thing, and the Bulls went back to losing, back to being discouraged, and back to confusing fans. What happened to the team that went head to head with the Celtics last Spring, almost beating them at the end of a seven series game? What happened to the team with Derrick Rose, rookie of the year, as their point-guard? What happened to the team who made Chicago proud game after game, win or lose?
Honestly, I have no idea. But I do have a few points to be made which I believe have had some affect on the Bulls, massively screwing up their game.
-Derrick Rose's ankle injury: I hate when people blame losses on injuries, or attributes everything to them, and in fact I am usually the first one to call someone out when using this excuse...HOWEVER, in the case of Derrick Rose, it must be said. Its not so much that he missed most of preseason and then a few games as the real season began, though both of those things obviously messed up the flow of the team as well, but its more what happened after he got back into the game. Derrick drives the ball. That is his game. He is rarely a jumpshot kind of guy, and until recently, I had no complaints about that. However, it is clear to me that after his injury, as it often happens to players, in fear of not re-injuring his ankle, he started to fall back on his drives and started trying to count on his jumpshots to win games, something that will not, and can not, work. It is understandable why he would rather play it safe and protect his injury, but if he wants to be the leader his team needs, at least in terms of points and skill, he needs to start putting himself out there more and taking a risk. Injuries are part of the job. There is no way around it. And if the doctors cleared him to play, its exactly that he must do. As I previously mentioned the Bulls played well tonight, and I think the same can be said in terms of Derrick Rose individually, as he took some killer drives and seemed to be more like his old self than ever before in the season, but unless he keeps this up, the Bulls are going nowhere. I think hes going down the right path though. At least for now.
-John Salmons and Luol Deng need to become more consistent with their shots: Both Salmons and Deng are unbelievable players, no one is arguing that. When they are heated up, they start a fire in the building, a fire that is very hard to put out. However, it takes them so long to get to that point, sometimes barely scoring more than a few baskets for games on end, that in general they cannot be seen as reliable scorers for the Bulls. And thats where the problem begins. After letting Ben Gordon go, something I still think was a horrible idea, instead of picking up a few new guards, the Bulls picked up forwards Taj Gibson and James Johnson, leaving the guard position to Jannero Pargo, a player who once played for the Bulls and did not leave too impressive of an impression. Now don't get me wrong, I like the guy, but he is no second BG. And because of that, it is up to both John and Luol to step up their game and be the scorers we need them to be. Because like I said, when they're hot, they're HOT, but when they're not...things don't go very well for Chicago.
Vinny needs to change his coaching style or leave: I actually like Vinny Del Negro for whatever reason, something that especially lately, many Bulls fans will yell at me for, but I cannot help but notice he is doing nothing to improve nor motivate his guys. True he tried to change his starting lineup a few times, but that can only help so much, as eventually the starters will have to sit, bringing a new rotation into the game. Whether or not he is able to make an impact on the Bulls or not, I am not in a position to tell you, however, the Bulls organization better figure that out soon because if not, its time for a new coach. Obviously a game is mostly in the hands of the players, but without a good support system, without a good leader, teacher and mentor, especially after being on a losing streak for so long, there is only so much a player can do before giving up hope all together. I hope that tonight's game was a result of a new coaching method on the part of Vinny Del Negro, but only time will tell with that one. Just like the Hornets and the Nets had to let go of their coach, if results aren't produced soon, we may have to follow suit.
As I said, why the Bulls have been failing lately, is beyond me, but what is important now is to look towards the future and hope that the loss to the Lakers will not lend itself to another blow to everyone's ego, but instead be seen in a positive light, as the Bulls played the best they have played in a very long time. Bulls, if you are reading this, keep your heads up and know that despite the last couple of games, you are still a great team, a team that can come back from anything. And Vinny, you better tell this to your players day in and day out and give them their confidence back, otherwise you will surely be looking for a new job before you can say "dribble drive".
Oh and Dwyane Wade...we need you. Bad.
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