However, the Bulls ultimately overcame a terrible first half to easily discharge the Jazz, 97-73. The victory was quite impressive, especially while the Bulls registered 21 turnovers (the Jazz had 17).
What I loved
Luol Deng came to play, as he does every single game. He might be the single hardest working regular season player in the NBA, somehow grinding out 38 minutes in what should have been a massive blowout.
Deng just missed a triple double, shooting 7-9 from the field for 19 points, with 11 boards, and 9 assists. Deng also had 5 steals and 5 turnovers, so he really wasn't THAT far from a quintuple double.
I remain extremely optimistic about Deng's performance for the rest of the year. Even a hardworking, charitable citizen like Deng is motivated in a contract year. Whether or not the Bulls pay him, Deng will get at least $50 million this offseason, and performances like last night reinforce what an excellent player he is. Although a faction of Bulls fans think Deng isn't good enough of a player to contribute to a championship, I can see Deng singing this song, foreshadowing when the Bulls lose him in the offseason and LeBron drops 40 points.
Mike Dunleavy also finally hit some shots. He did look a bit hesitant in spite of having some wide open looks, but I was pleased to see Dunleavy take 7 shots in 21 minutes without once turning over the ball. While it can be easy to get down on a "blockbuster" offseason move who struggles at the beginning of the year, it looks like Dunleavy will eventually settle in and start becoming the a serious deep threat.
What I liked
Unfortunately, Derrick Rose is not yet Derrick Rose, yet every game he shows some flashes of returning to his MVP form. Rose passed the ball a little bit better and actually registered 5 free throw attempts.
Still, Rose turned the ball over far too much (4 times) and struggled to attack against the inferior defenders that guarded him. The last part of Rose's rehab is to return to game play, so let's just think of his current performance as part of his rehab program. I think we'll see him return to dominance by mid-December.
Defensively, the Bulls looked like a shutdown team, though that may have been a product of the pathetic Jazz offense. The blueprint for stopping the Jazz wasn't rocket science, but the Bulls executed perfectly, holding the team to 29% shooting. Bravo defense, bravo.
What I hated
This team is still missing a lot in terms of both effort and discipline. Lazy passes, only 8 three-point attempts, and 21 turnovers are not positive, particularly against semi-decent teams that can capitalize. I hope that Thibs hasn't worn this team out the way Scott Skiles did in the mid-2000's. Thibs is a fantastic coach, but so is Skiles--but only for a few years at a time.
Additionally, Jimmy Butler continues to look completely lost on offense, with practically no confidence in open shots. I've seen some folks appropriately dub him Jimmy Pump Fakes, since he refuses to quickly pull the trigger on wide open threes. Butler needs confidence, so ideally, I'd like to see him take the next few open threes he gets without hesitation. As the great Colin Keeley says, great shooters shoot through adversity. If Jimmy can become a knockdown shooter, then the Bulls offense becomes significantly more dangerous.
Bottom line...it was an ok win
The Bulls need to win easy games to ensure a higher seed in the playoffs. Frankly, Bulls teams in the post-Jordan era have been notoriously sloppy against bad teams, so the weak first half performance against the Jazz comes as no surprise. Bulls by the Horns provides a more positive assessment of the game for those who do not share my frustration.
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| Anthony Bennett: Ready to miss some shots |
The Cleveland Cavaliers come to town Monday with perhaps the worst #1 overall pick since Michael Olowkandi and a struggling Kyrie Irving.
I'll write a full preview, but at the moment, I think it's safe to say another victory is in the cards.
As always, Let's Go Bulls!
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