Inside scoring? Bulls should first try to shore up defense
The NBA loves sending the Bulls to Memphis on holidays. Last year, it was St. Patrick's Day, this year Martin Luther King Day.
For Chicago viewers, this also will be "Take a Critical Look at Pau Gasol Day," when the Bulls battle the Grizzlies today at 4:30 p.m.
The Bulls and Memphis are talking Gasol trades for the second straight year. But as pointed out here last week, the chances of a deal happening may not be very strong.
The Grizzlies aren't likely to accept the large contracts of Ben Wallace or Kirk Hinrich, while the Bulls probably won't give up Ben Gordon or Luol Deng.
Then even if Memphis accepted an alternate deal, it would leave the Bulls with five players making a combined $60 million or so once they re-signed Deng and Gordon.
But watching the Bulls the past few weeks, I've come to a different conclusion on how to improve the team. They don't need Gasol and don't necessarily need an interior scorer.
More than anything, the Bulls need an interior defender.
The numbers speak for themselves. In 13 games since Jim Boylan took over as head coach, the Bulls are averaging 102.4 points and shooting 45.3 percent from the field.
Offense is not the problem. When the Bulls keep the ball moving, they can score plenty of points.
The biggest issue lately might be the Bulls' inability to defend the 3-point line. They are second worst in the league at opponents' 3-point percentage (.383) and have scored 62 fewer 3-point baskets than the opposition.
There are different reasons for this failure, but a big one is the Bulls' perimeter players leave too often to give help down low.
Wallace is a four-time defensive player of the year, but he's getting older and can only do so much at 6-feet-8. It's also safe to say that Joe Smith is not as strong an interior defender as last year's version, P.J. Brown, though Smith has been far better offensively.
So how do the Bulls solve this issue? Gasol doesn't figure to help, since Memphis might be the NBA's worst defensive team. In a loss at Charlotte on Saturday, the Bobcats hit 17 of 21 shots against the Grizzlies in the third quarter, with 14 of those baskets coming either on layups or dunks, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
The first thing the Bulls can do is make Thabo Sefolosha a permanent starter and see what happens to the defense with Sefolosha and Hinrich on the floor at the same time.
The 6-7 Sefolosha handled the job fairly well while Hinrich was out with back spasms. The Switzerland native messes with people on defense because of his freakishly long arms. There are people who would be exhausted traveling the distance between Sefolosha's elbows and palms.
The Bulls could try to acquire another interior defender. New Jersey's Jason Collins isn't bad, and his $6 million salary is thought to be available. Dallas' DeSagana Diop will be a free agent this summer, but it likely would take more than the midlevel exception to pry him away from Mark Cuban.
This isn't going to be popular, but it's possible the Bulls' best option is to sit tight and hope that Joakim Noah's lateral quickness and Tyrus Thomas' shot-blocking become defensive forces in the next few years.
Go ahead and criticize general manager John Paxson for "falling in love" with his own creation. At least this nucleus of players has been beyond the first round of the playoffs. No sense blowing things to smithereens just yet.
There could be deals available before the Feb. 21 trade deadline, but many would just create more holes in the Bulls' already-flawed lineup.
Tonight's tipoff
Bulls vs. Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum, 4:30 p.m.
TV: Channel 9, TNT
Radio: WMVP 1000-AM
Update: The Grizzlies (11-29) might be the NBA's worst defensive team, considering they rank 29th in both points allowed (105.5) and opponents' field-goal percentage (.472). Second-year swingman Rudy Gay and power forward Pau Gasol both average 19.3 points. Mike Miller sat out Saturday's loss to Charlotte with back spasms.
Series history: The Bulls are 1-5 against the Grizzlies in Memphis. They experienced an untimely 104-103 loss at FedEx Forum last year on March 17.
Next: Indiana Pacers on Wednesday at the United Center, 7:30 p.m.