Van Gundy looks at what went wrong for Chicago Bulls
What went wrong with the Bulls this season will be a popular topic in the coming days, especially when the NBA's regular season ends on Wednesday with - barring a miracle - the Bulls sitting out the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy, in town to work Saturday's Bulls-Cleveland game at the United Center, gave it some thought. Even with so much talk about new coach Fred Hoiberg and the dynamic between Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler, Van Gundy felt other issues might have been a bigger cause of the Bulls' disappointing season.
"As much as the best players have been analyzed or will be analyzed, so too do the supporting players," Van Gundy said in a phone interview. "They've had, I think, people within Chicago thought those guys had higher ceilings and were being held back. I think an honest evaluation would be that they're limited players."
Van Gundy is no doubt referring to Nikola Mirotic, Doug McDermott and Tony Snell, three young players who were supposed to give the Bulls a deep bench. McDermott and Mirotic showed promise at times, but neither were complete players in their second NBA seasons. Snell struggled to make anything happen offensively and dropped out of the rotation.
Van Gundy also is not convinced his good friend, ex-Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, will be a head coach in the NBA next season. Thibodeau was fired by the Bulls last May after steering the team to the playoffs five times in five seasons.
"I think he'll get offered jobs," Van Gundy said. "He's really enjoyed his year off. I think he's probably enjoyed it more than most observers would have thought he would have and I think maybe even has enjoyed it more than he thought he might.
"I think they owe him another year. So I think if he doesn't get exactly what he's looking for as far as situations, if he doesn't think there is a great fit for him, that he would be fine sitting out again."
Here are more of Van Gundy's thoughts on the Bulls and what went wrong this year:
Does the chemistry between Rose, Butler and Pau Gasol need to be addressed?
"Listen, Gasol has no chemistry issues with anybody. That one, I don't buy. The way he plays, it's a sharing game. He plays an incredibly sharing style of play. I don't see any chemistry issues Butler with Gasol or Rose with Gasol.
"Butler's had a great year, but he hasn't been as great when Rose has been on the floor with him, I don't believe. And Rose has had some really good moments, but not necessarily at the same time as Butler. So I think it's just playing well together, at times. I shouldn't say together, because that means they're not sharing with each other. Simultaneously playing well and having it lead to wins. They've had no problems in the past, so I don't see it as really, 'That's a problem.'"
What do the Bulls need to change to get better?
"I think the bottom line is they need more players to play better. Everyone knows they have a talented roster. But they didn't have enough guys play at a high level this year. They just didn't play well enough, consistently enough. I think people overreacted at the start of the year when they got off to a great start. Their schedule was very favorable and I think the biggest thing was the drop off on the road (5-15 since Jan. 31).
"Listen, I think too much is being made of what Fred has to do different. No. There's got to be a lot of people do things differently. I think Fred's at the bottom of that list."
What about the future of the frontcourt?
"The frontcourt dynamic has to be addressed. Do they have enough defense within the frontcourt if they move on from (Joakim) Noah and/or (Taj) Gibson? They have a quandary with Gasol - how much, how many years and does he even want to come back - because he's still playing at a very high level. There's a lot to come to grips with."
Is there any simple answer to what went wrong?
"People thought I was crazy, but I thought if they made it to seven (seed), I thought they would beat Toronto in the first round. I just think they're better.
"I think the 'what happened' is always more complicated. A lot of things went wrong. I think it will be interesting as they go forward, how people try to spin or point the finger of blame or who tries to do that. Because I think the main thing for everybody is when you have a struggle of a year is own it."
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Bulls scouting report
Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers at the United Center, 7:30 p.m.
TV: ABC
Radio: ESPN 1000-AM
Outlook: The league obviously thought this game would be meaningful when it was scheduled for the final Saturday night national broadcast of the regular season. There's not much on the line, though, with the Bulls just about eliminated from the playoffs. The Cavs can clinch the top spot in the East with one more win or a Toronto loss. The Bulls have won two of three games against Cleveland, including the season opener at the United Center 97-95 on Oct. 27. LeBron James is averaging 25.3 points and 10.7 rebounds against the Bulls, with Kevin Love at 15.7 ppg and Kyrie Irving at 15.0. James took the night off when the Cavs lost to Indiana on Wednesday, but is expected to play in this one. Derrick Rose is the Bulls' top scorer against Cleveland this year with 19.3 ppg. Nikola Mirotic is averaging 18.0 points against the Cavs, highest of any other opponent this season.
Next: New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Arena on Monday, 7 p.m.
- Mike McGraw