From thirtysomething to Kid Nation
One explanation for the Bulls' miserable start this season has less to do with the players on the floor than it does with those who have left and gone away.
Somehow during the course of the past four years, the team's supporting cast has drifted away from a veteran presence.
Among the 15 players on the current roster, there are four rookies (Joakim Noah, Aaron Gray, Thomas Gardner and JamesOn Curry), two second-year players (Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha) and a couple of veterans who rarely play (Adrian Griffin and Viktor Khryapa).
The Bulls have said goodbye to Jannero Pargo, Othella Harrington, Malik Allen, Eric Piatkowski and Darius Songaila -- who all left as free agents -- in addition to retired big men P.J. Brown and Antonio Davis.
"Having veteran guys as opposed to having younger players definitely makes a difference, even if they're not playing a lot, just by their energy and the vibe they give off. No question," guard Ben Gordon said. "I think vets, they're kind of like the glue of the team and they kind of keep things together."
Last year, the Bulls basically assigned Brown, a fellow Louisiana native, to mentor Thomas. Brown occupied an adjacent locker and frequently invited the LSU product to his home.
Now Thomas' stall in the United Center locker room is situated between Noah and Curry, who is on assignment in the Development League.
"It's different. But I have Joe (Smith) and Ben (Wallace) still," Thomas said. "I learned a lot last year.
"It's like how you have a teacher (in school) and then the next year you go to another teacher. It's kind of like that. It's different, but it's not anything dramatic. And I still talk to (Brown) probably once or twice a week anyway."
The Bulls have just three players in their 30s on the team -- Wallace, Smith and Griffin. The fourth-oldest player is Andres Nocioni, who celebrated his 28th birthday Friday.
"We used to have guys coming off the bench and guys that didn't play much, they were all vets," Gordon said. "Now we have younger guys, so it's a little bit different.
"Veterans just have a way about them. They have a lot of experience, so when we're going through these stretches where we're not playing well, veterans always have a way of talking to guys, taking guys to the side. I know Griff, my rookie year, would take me to the side and tell me a couple of things I needed to do."
Of course, it's not like many of those departed veterans were major contributors with the Bulls. The highest scorers were Songaila's 9.2 points in 2005-06 and Harrington's 8.0 in 2004-05.
Of the 11 Bulls who saw the most playing time on last season's 49-33 team, only two are no longer here -- Brown and Allen.
The Bulls believe they found a reasonable replacement at power forward in Smith, whose stats so far are similar to what Brown provided last season.
But there is little question that first- and second-year NBA players are more likely to be inconsistent and therefore less reliable.
Though Pargo's and Piatkowski's playing time was usually limited, there were occasions when they came off the bench hitting shots and helped save a game.
Pargo, a 6-foot-1 guard, is now in New Orleans. In two recent games when Hornets point guard Chris Paul was sidelined with an injury, Pargo stepped in and averaged 16.5 points and 7 assists.
Most of the other ex-Bulls are making minor contributions on their new teams. Harrington is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a knee injury and won't play when the Charlotte Bobcats visit the United Center tonight.
The smaller number of veterans on the roster may be a factor in the Bulls' 3-10 start, no matter if the team is missing their presence more on the court or off.
"Those guys made very silent, big contributions," coach Scott Skiles said. "But those guys are here. Those specific guys aren't here. But Joe Smith has done a good job in games, Thabo's played better the last couple of games. We have plenty of depth there.
"Across the board, we have to be better. Each guy's got to play better."