Plenty of reasons for slow start, but there's one that stands out
This is one way to silence all the Kobe Bryant rumors. If the Bulls keep losing, they'll slide right off of Bryant's list of preferred destinations.
The prevailing question right now is why have the Bulls played so badly? They fell to 0-3 after an ugly 78-72 loss Saturday in Milwaukee.
The answer is a number of things have gone wrong. But I'd say a good place to start is the contract negotiations for Luol Deng and Ben Gordon.
Based on the market this summer ($55 million for Sacramento's Kevin Martin, $65 million for Minnesota's Al Jefferson), it seemed as though the Bulls came in a little low with their offers. Deng and Gordon turned them down, expecting to get more next summer.
That's fine. But to justify that decision, those two players need to come out and prove they are NBA stars. When negotiations end on the first day of the regular season, it's easy to see how that process could get into a player's head.
Trade rumors may have been a distraction to the Bulls last week, but those happen all the time and the players know it's something they can't control. Someone's first attempt at contract negotiation is much more complicated.
"The contract and the trade thing … I don't want to blame me struggling on something like that," Deng said following the loss to the Bucks. "When I'm on the floor, I'm supposed to be performing and produce, and I haven't done that the last two games."
Deng played well in the season opener at New Jersey, but he was missing in action in weekend losses to Philadelphia and Milwaukee. He averaged 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, shot 35 percent from the field and didn't look like himself at all in the two games.
Gordon wasn't terrible last week. He's far and away the Bulls' leading scorer at 22.3 points and, oddly enough, the second-leading rebounder (7.7 per game) behind Tyrus Thomas. Gordon's shooting percentage (.386) has room to improve, but he gave the Bulls a chance against the Nets and the Sixers by getting hot from the outside.
According to Gordon, the Bulls discussed playing through distractions in a team meeting Saturday morning.
"In the NBA, there's distractions all the time," he said. "You have to play through those things and not let them affect your game. When you're on the court, that's the only time where you can block everything out and just go out and play and have fun."
The Bulls have plenty of other issues. Kirk Hinrich (9.3 points, .343 FG percentage) has been in foul trouble every game. Ben Wallace (4.3 points, 3.7 rebounds) still is bothered by a sprained left ankle. Thomas played one of his best games against the Sixers, then never got involved at Milwaukee.
It would be nice to see the Bulls run some back screens for Thomas and try to launch more lob passes to create easy baskets. Joakim Noah's return from an ankle injury could help, too, since Thomas theoretically could play with more energy in fewer minutes.
Another idea would be to run Gordon off some screens to try to get him some open looks when the pick-and-roll game bogs down.
Right now the offense seems out of sync all the way around. The Bulls are shooting 37.8 percent, second worst in the league, and have nearly as many turnovers (51) as assists (60).
The Bulls have been notoriously slow starters in recent years, so this experience is nothing new.
But there should be a sense of urgency. This week features three challenging home games against the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit and Toronto. The Clippers are 2-0 even without the injured Elton Brand, though their opponents are a combined 0-6.
Then comes the annual circus road trip with contests against Phoenix, the Clippers, the Lakers, Denver, New York and Toronto. If the Bulls don't find their game soon, this season could get uglier real fast.
mmgraw@dailyherald.com