Bulls search for silver lining

Here is today's optimistic spin on the Bulls' miserable 2-10 start: In 2004, they bottomed out at 2-13 and went on to finish with 47 wins.

That also was with four rookies in the rotation and before this group of players had any track record of success.

"I can't really point at one thing back then (that turned things around)," Luol Deng said of his rookie season. "The only difference is back then we really didn't know how good we could be. Back then we just kept battling and kept trying to win games. We got on a run and played a lot better."

"We came out and just worked really hard every day," Ben Gordon said. "We were consistent with our effort. We got better and we turned the whole season around. We still have that same mentality that we're just going to come out, work hard every day and something's going to change."

One thing the Bulls need to figure out is how to avoid fourth-quarter lapses in ball movement. Sunday's 93-78 loss at Toronto was the fifth time the Bulls were in contention late in a game and experienced an untimely scoring drought.

After Joe Smith's basket brought the Bulls within 70-68 with 9:39 left, they went scoreless for the next 5:40. The previous day in New York, Kirk Hinrich's jumper with 4:10 remaining tied the score at 75-75, then the Bulls managed just 3 free throws the rest of the way.

"We need to get the confidence back, because it's unbelievable how we are struggling right now," Andres Nocioni said. "It's not just one guy, two guys, it's everybody."

Inevitably when things have gotten tough this season, the Bulls stop passing the ball, settle for contested shots, and the offense grinds to a screeching halt.

"Actually, I think when we start winning, there's less doubt in what each other can do," Gordon said. "A lot of times when you're losing, a lot of negative things start to creep in. Sometimes you may feel that, 'I'm going to try to do it myself' or 'Maybe this guy has missed the last couple shots,' so I don't (get him the ball).

"I think it's subconscious. I don't think guys are going out there and just trying to take over. But when you lose, a lot of negative things may creep in. I think once we start winning, things will start to change."

The Bulls have a good opportunity to get back in the win column when they play at home for the first time in 17 days against the Atlanta Hawks, who have lost 11 straight in the series.

Just as the Bulls have started slowly every year since Michael Jordan left the team, they also have recovered from stretches in which they stop moving the ball on offense. This isn't a new issue.

"We've got to acknowledge while the game is going on that, 'OK, we just took a bad shot, maybe we took two in a row. Now we've got to get a good shot,' " coach Scott Skiles said. "I know it's a simplified answer, but it's true, so we don't string together five or six possessions where we're just coming up empty."