Game Recap: The Bulls fall to the Nuggets

There are things I hate doing in life, and then there is addressing the issue of a Bulls' loss. This marks the 7th consecutive time the Bulls have fallen to the Nuggets in Denver, though for 2 3/4 quarters this game looked like it was in hand.

What went wrong?

It wasn't rebounding. The Bulls out rebounded Denver 58-48 while grabbing a whopping 22 offensive boards. Unfortunately, these second chance opportunities didn't matter as the Bulls shot just 38.8% from the field. The Nuggets' defensive wasn't necessarily lockdown, but the Bulls simply aren't a great shooting team, and the Nuggets' limited the Bulls post game in the second half, making scoring nearly impossible.

Carlos Boozer got off to a great start in the first quarter, but he couldn't help himself from broadcasting his shot. Thus, he finished with just 15 points on 7/18 shooting.

Deng was horrible offensively. He also began the game with a corner snipe, but he missed nearly every shot thereafter, shooting 3/18 on the night for 6 points. If you didn't notice there's a trend developing here--the Bulls can't score.

How about Derrick Rose? The star point guard scored 17 points in the first half, and for the first time all season, he looked comfortable every time he took the ball to the rim. Rose only had 2 turnovers, one of which was inexplicably thrown up the court and easily intercepted by Kenneth Faried.

In the second half, Rose mostly settled for jumpers, and things got ugly quickly. It's easy to see that Rose's jumper looks NOTHING like should. For some reason, not only are his feet staggered, but he is clearly not shooting at the peak of his jump, making him push the ball towards the rim. It was my understanding that Rose spent his time off honing his jumper, but as of right now, it looks uglier than it did in high school. He seems able to take threes, but any other jumper is a huge concern. I expect teams will start to sag off until he proves he can shoot.

Nasty Nate

Nate Robinson ignited a crucial 7-0 rally by himself last night, and Bulls fans across the world collectively cursed GarPax for not keeping him. Even in his post-game interview with Rachel Nichols, Robinson sounded devastated about his departure. Robinson only shot 3/13 from the field, but it was enough to spark solid play from Darrell Arthur and 17 points from Jordan Hamilton.

It hurts to see Nate do what he did best for the Bulls for the Nuggets, but it pains me even more to know that the Bulls do not have a comparable presence off the bench. Yes, Tom Thibodeau coined the good Nate/bad Nate moniker, and we know he hates players who don't play great defense (Nate tries!). However, it is easy for me to see the value of a high volume, irrational confidence scorer who can come off the bench and spark the offense. And Nate did just that for the Nuggets: Wilson Chandler was scoreless, Randy Foye and Ty Lawson weren't scoring much either.

Nate came in off the bench, took a lot of shots and gave the Nuggets are comfortable lead that boosted the confidence of everyone around him. The Bulls could use a guy like that, but they simply do not have one at this juncture. My hope is a Ben Gordon reunion next season but that seems like a pipe dream at best.

The Nuggets game was difficult, but I'm more upset from seeing the value of Nate Robinson than anything else. Perhaps the Bulls will find an irrational confidence guy at some point, but it probably will not happen this season.  

As a side note, I loved watching Taj Gibson and Thibs show emotion, even if it resulted in technical fouls. I do not like to see the Bulls go down silently.

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Game Preview Chicago Bulls (6-3) Vs. Denver Nuggets (4-6)

And the Circus Trip begins! Tonight, your Chicago Bulls will take on the struggling Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Bulls are coming off a very lackluster home victory against the Bobcats that likely induced more incidental naps than any game in recent memory.

A quick side note: doesn't the idea of the Circus Trip feel antiquated? Boers and Bernstein briefly touched on the issue during their afternoon program on the Score, and I couldn't agree more. I've never been to a circus, nor do I know anyone who goes to circuses, though I did meet a bartender who runs a nonprofit focused on getting funding for small circuses. Go figure.

Regardless of whether you enjoy circuses, it will cause the Bulls to take a 6 game road trip. From the interviews I've heard and read, the players seem to like the road trip since they don't have any distractions (family) and get to hang out with each other. The Nuggets are certainly a great opponent to kick off a long road trip. 

New coach Brian Shaw, who replaced very solid long-time Nuggets head coach George Karl, is doing something you don't see often in the NBA: damn near every player is averaging at least 15 minutes per game. True, the number is slightly skewed by injuries to Javalle McGee (stress fracture in his left tibia) and the recently recovered Wilson Chandler, but it suggest that Denver doesn't have too many players worth playing outside of Ty Lawson.

Key Players

Ty Lawson 

Speaking of Lawson, the former UNC star is averaging 22 points, 9 assists, and 4 boards per game--all career highs as he becomes the focal point of the Denver offense. Lawson is quick, but takes too many three balls. Nevertheless, he will pose a problem when he penetrates the lane. The Bulls have to respect the willingness and ability of Wilson Chandler to launch threes, so the team may not be able to collapse on Lawson, assuming he beats Derrick Rose off the dribble at least a few times.

Wilson Chandler

Wilson Chandler in a sexy, oversized candy cane number

Meanwhile, Chandler's three point shooting has been terrific this year. He's knocking down 43.5% of his 6 attempts PER GAME. Confidence isn't an issue with Chandler, who can pretty much do everything well. Chandler may experience some modest mean reversion (he's a career 33.7% 3 point shooter), but I think his game is much better after he dominated the Chinese professional league 2 years ago.

Still, I'll keep beating a dead horse here: the Bulls have fantastic perimeter defenders. Even if Jimmy Butler doesn't play, Luol Deng can handle Chandler by himself.

Kenneth Faried

Kenneth Faried might be the unhappiest player in the NBA. He was a perfect fit for George Karl's uptempo offense, but he has floundered in Brian Shaw's system. He will undoubtedly be traded this season.  Faried can treat every game going forward as an audition for his future team. With Faried looking for a blockbuster extension and the Nuggets looking for a juicy bid, do not be surprised to see Faried showcased a little more than someone of his offensive skill set should be showcased.

Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah will no doubt try to contain Faried and JJ Hickson on the boards, but it will be difficult. Though neither is as tall as Noah, both Nuggets are intense rebounders who will outwork opposing teams on the offensive glass. If the Bulls offense doesn't come to play tonight, the second chance opportunities created by Faried and co. may be difficult to overcome.

Overall, Denver is a middle of the road offensive team with a poor defense. The Bulls need all the help they can get after an aggressive Bobcats team nearly forced an upset.

Obviously I would love to see some of Derrick Rose's aggressiveness from the fourth quarter of Monday night's game carryover to tonight, but that may be a bit too much to ask. Boozer should return to normal tonight, meaning the Bulls will have to rely less on the offensive prowess of bench players to pickup the slack. Mike Dunleavy will get lots of open looks, so he will have a shot at a breakout performance.

Bulls 100 Nuggets 91

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