Positives from the Bulls Loss to the Magic

It's been a very tough few days. Not only did it take the Bulls a last second shot to beat the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, but now the Bulls have dropped consecutive games to the lowly Raptors and the mediocre Magic.

Even worse, Taj Gibson is back to earth, no longer looking like an all-star power forward. Jimmy Butler capped off his return by shooting 1-11 last night. Marquis Teague looks like his time with the Bulls is dwindling, and Carlos Boozer scored just 6 points on 3-10 shooting. Tony Snell, who had shown some promise, played just 5 minutes, shooting just one time.

So what the heck went right?

D.J. Augustin

D.J.  Augustin is the Bulls backup point guard of the future. For now, he'll log 37 minutes per night and make the Bulls wish they never waived Mike James. Augustin isn't a great shooter by any means, but he can at least occasionally hit open jumpshots, and he is a fantastic passer. He almost always makes the right pass, and he's shown the ability to make things happen off the dribble. He's quickly becoming a valuable member of the rotation, and while he doesn't quite score as easily as Nate Robinson, he's the best playmaker this side of Derrick Rose.

Mike Dunleavy 

Mike Dunleavy has emerged as a very valuable scorer. He's no stranger to being featured; in fact, he spent much of his early career as a featured scorer for the Golden State Warriors.  Dunleavy isn't he best three point specialist ever, but he does a great job of getting open off screens, and he definitely has the range to create ideal spacing on the floor.

Dunleavy's now scored in the double digits for 6 straight games, and he's shown that he doesn't mind being the man on offense. Believe it or not, that's a huge problem for the Bulls, and it's borderline embarrassing to see Dunleavy and Luol Deng have to shoulder the burden as the ONLY confident offensive weapons.

With the team struggling, it appears Derrick Rose is unhappy. Allegedly, Rose thinks the Bulls are going to start tanking and embark on a massive rebuilding effort. We all know Rose "just wants to win." But, what we don't know, is why Rose would complain so much about the release of Mike James. In reality, that's the only change this team has made. Deng, Boozer, Noah, and Butler all remain under contract, though a Deng contract extension is a matter of the salary cap. Management recently met with Nikola Mirotic and seem excited to get the ball rolling with him.

Rose might be more upset that the Bulls are tanking (unintentionally) and may be poised to acquire another star. It is overwhelmingly clear that Rose doesn't care about recruiting any friends or stars to this team. He wants to win a championship "on his own."

He might feel threatened by the arrival of another elite NBA player, perhaps even feeling expendable. We all know that's not the case. Rose is the face of the Bulls and Chicago sports. While I think he makes a 100% recovery, it's just smart business to diversify into less risky assets. If I'm Michael Reinsdorf, I want a team that's competitive without Rose and a team that can crush the Heat with him.

I understand why Rose may be upset, but he shouldn't be. His job is safer than Jay Cutler's.

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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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Derrick Rose Shows Some Real Progress while Dominating the Cavs

#TheReturn hashtag may have come a year too early, but I can finally tell you with confidence that #TheReturn is in full swing. Derrick Rose and the Bulls easily disposed of the Kyrie Irving-led Cavaliers, winning the game 96-81.

Without question, the highlight of the game was Rose, who finally looked like an all-star. I can't emphasize that he looked like an all-star enough--not the last MVP not named LeBron James, not a future Hall of Famer, but an all-star.

After a slow first half, Rose destroyed Irving offensively with his trademark explosive drives and acrobatic finishes. Rose also made some fantastic passes, some so excellent that the receiving player didn't see them coming (I'm looking at you, Taj).

While at times Rose looked lost defensively, a fast break drive by Irving where Rose was literally facing the wrong direction comes to mind, he did a great job locking down one of the league's best scoring point guards.

Rose only shot 8/21 from the field, but he had 16 points and 7 assists, and in his defense, the officials missed a few calls that would have sent Rose to the line. DRose did leave with a hamstring injury that occurred at an unknown time, but I doubt it will be anything serious. SB Nation posted a painful GIF of Rose limping. Every game like this is a major stride for the Bulls' MVP caliber point guard.

Boozer: Mr Efficient

Carlos Boozer played another wonderful game on Monday night, shooting 7/11 from the floor with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Boozer bullied Tristan Thompson in the post as expected, and he even demonstrated his excellent passing skills, highlighted by a beautiful dish to Joakim Noah in the post for an easy layup.

Boozer continues to keep his feet flat defensively. It becomes frustrating seeing such a powerful, athletic guy look unable to stop any decent offensive player. Still, Boozer wasn't signed to be a great defender, and his efficient scoring this season makes up for any defensive short coming.

Jimmy Shoots...No He Doesn't

Jimmy Butler played well defensively. Dion Waiters made some crazy shots, but still scored just 13 points and was a non-factor in the final outcome. I love Jimmy defensively. He's quickly becoming an elite perimeter defender.

Unfortunately, his confidence is not there, and it's painfully obvious. Butler received some great passes that gave him wide open three point looks, but instead, Butler pump faked, took 2 steps forward, and missed mid-range jumpers. Essentially, Butler trades higher expected value shots for lower expected value shots, and the reason is clearly confidence.

Butler has always had a flat shot, but last season it looked like he had made strides, connecting on 38% of his attempts. This year, he's down to just 25%. Hopefully Butler spends this large inter-game gap focusing on his shot because the Bulls desperately need his offense to get going.

Mike Dontleaveme

Mike Dunleavy earned his pay check last night, scoring 15 points in just 24 minutes, connecting on 2/3 threes and all 5 of his free throw attempts. Admittedly, 3 of those free throws came on an absolutely terrible call,  but Dunleavy still looked like a very capable scoring 6th man. I'd like to work out those long 2 pointers out of his repertoire, but I don't believe the Bulls organization supports sabermetrics, so that's just a dream.

Overall, you should be very encouraged. No, Cleveland is not a very good team at all. They have loads of potential, but the Cavs still largely go as far as Kyrie Irving takes them--which wasn't very far last night.

Still, Rose played a great second half of basketball, Boozer remained efficient, and Dunleavy showed confidence in his deadly three point shot. The Bulls get another shot at Indiana this Saturday after facing the lowly Raptors on Friday.

I'll be back with previews and some features throughout the week, and, as they say in France, Let's Go Bulls.

An Ugly First Half, but the Bulls Win!

It looked ugly there for a minute: the Bulls and Jazz were both running down the court, throwing ugly passes, and missing wide open shots. The first half was a high school basketball game played by the most ridiculous athletes in the world.

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.

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!

What's Going on with Derrick Rose?

The last time this Bulls blogger was able to write consistently, Derrick Rose won the MVP, and then faced a year riddled by injuries.

Flash forward to 2013: Rose is perfectly healthy, except for a sore neck, which has lead to some Kerry Walsh-inspired athletic tape.

After a dominant preseason, Rose has certainly stalled out during the first few games. To start the season, the former MVP has averaged 14.3 ppg on a disgusting 28.8% shooting. The second figure literally causes me to vomit.

Offensively, this phenomenon can best be described as rust. His shot is flat, he's having a hard time beating the first defender, and his famous ability to split double teams has been non-existent.



On the plus side, he definitely did not lose any jumping ability; in fact, Rose asserted that his vertical is 5 INCHES higher now at 43 inches. The athleticism is there, the confidence to split double teams and hit deep shots is not.

It may take a while, but he will be the Rose of old, and if his preseason jumper provides any insight into the future, it suggests he will be shooting at a higher percentage than ever. I expect a 45-47% shooting percentage to become the norm when he's healed, and if he can learn how to get LeBron/MJ calls, we could see that number move over 50%.

Once Rose is back, the offense will look brand new. 

Let's face it: the Bulls don't have another creator on the roster sans Rose. Jimmy has occasional flashes, but he's much better as a corner three point shooter who runs the court for easy buckets. Carlos can do some wonderful things in the post, and frankly, he looks better than he has at any point during his Bulls tenure.

But Dunleavy, Deng, Noah, Taj, Kirk and co. do not create opportunities for themselves. Unless the departed Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli were on the court last year, watching the Bulls play offense was an exercise in torture.

This year's offense looks familiar, but once Rose starts beating the first defender, defenses will collapse, corner three pointers will be open, and opposing defenses will have to choose between closing out on shooters and letting Rose drive, or stopping Rose and letting shooters go wild like they do in Miami. Here's a great story from SB Nation that explains why I love corner three's so much.

By no means is Mike Dunleavy quite the shooter that Ray Allen is (ok, he's the best shooter ever), but he will thrive when he gets open shots.

Patience is in order when it comes to this Bulls team. However, a championship is definitely not out of the question.