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Bulls miss Noah's fire, team-first attitude

By now, there's not much point in asking whether the Bulls can make the playoffs. Three straight blowout losses to bad teams seemed to answer that question.

But with the Atlanta Hawks in town on Monday, this is a good time to look back and wonder where it all wrong.

The Bulls were 10 games over .500, riding a six-game win streak and leading the NBA in defensive field-goal percentage heading into their first game against the Hawks on Jan. 9. The Bulls lost in Atlanta that night 120-105 and haven't been the same since.

Their record since Jan. 9 is 14-24. The defensive field-goal percentage was .416 on Jan. 9 and has been .463 since then. The Bulls also rank 25th in the league in offensive efficiency during their extended slump.

Explaining what's gone wrong with the Bulls might require a 10-part series. It's a mixture of new coaching staff, too many injuries, too many young players, too many passive personalities in the locker room and three stars who have not been able to stay on the same page.

When it comes to fixing the problems, the first place to start might be a greater appreciation for Joakim Noah. This storyline isn't a perfect fit because Noah originally injured his left shoulder on Dec. 21, so he missed the entire six-game win streak mentioned above.

Noah returned on Jan. 11 and played light minutes in two losses before being knocked out for the season with a left shoulder separation. He had surgery in New York a few days later and stayed there for roughly six weeks before rejoining the team recently.

During his nine seasons with the Bulls, Noah has stood for intensity, defense and ball movement. The Bulls have gone in the toilet in all three categories during their slump. They'll show signs of playing well now and then, but it's always taken a turn for the worse after a few days.

So if there's any one dominant factor in the Bulls' slide, it might be how much they miss Noah as both a leader and role model with his team-first attitude. Perhaps more than anything, the Bulls need someone to light a fire beneath them, because over and over again, they'll come out in an important game with a lackluster first-quarter effort.

Looking ahead, coach Fred Hoiberg will certainly be back and he should benefit from having his first year of NBA coaching under the belt.

On the court, maybe the best place to start is with the Bulls' three homegrown all-stars - Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Noah. Rose and Butler are under contract next season. Noah will be a free agent, but it's reasonable to think he's open to returning to Chicago.

When Hoiberg watched video of the Bulls last season, he worried about Noah and Pau Gasol fitting together. When Hoiberg visited Spain in the summer and watched Gasol lead his home country to the European championship, he thought pairing Gasol with Nikola Mirotic was the way to go. Hoiberg ended up using several different lineups, with mixed results.

One of the coaching staff's concerns last summer was how to ease Noah into a reserve role, a drastic change for a guy named first-team all-NBA in 2013-14. They were concerned about how he would accept the move. Noah wasn't happy about it, but never lost his team-first attitude.

Noah's health is a concern. But when this season began, he seemed to have moved past the knee soreness that plagued him last year and the Bulls can hope surgery fixed the shoulder problem.

So maybe the best place to start when it comes to the offseason fix is to go back to what worked in the past and try to lock up Noah, 31, to a new contract. Next on the wish list would be some veteran bench players, along with more athleticism on the inside and the wing.

The Bulls held a light practice Sunday after the loss in Orlando and tried to air out some problems in the film room. With a tough schedule ahead, it may not be possible to solve all the Bulls' issues right now. Gasol is listed as probable with a sore right knee, while E'Twaun Moore (hamstring) has been ruled out.

Get the latest Bulls news on Twitter by following @McGrawDHBulls.

Bulls scouting report

Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks at the United Center, 7 p.m. Monday

TV: Comcast SportsNet

Radio: ESPN 1000-AM

Outlook: The Bulls have had no luck with Atlanta this season, losing three times by an average of 17.7 points. Against the Bulls, C Al Horford is averaging 22.3 points, PG Jeff Teague is at 16.0 ppg, with PF Paul Millsap at 15.0. The Hawks (44-30) have been rolling lately, winning three in a row and 11 of the last 13 to move into third place in the East. The Bulls have been short-handed in the last two games of the series. Jimmy Butler scored 27 points in his lone appearance against the Hawks this year, a 120-105 loss on Jan, 9. That game sent the Bulls on their current 14-24 slide.

Next: Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday, 6 p.m.

- Mike McGraw

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