Bulls already showing signs this group of players can be salvaged
No matter what Charles Barkley suggested recently, the Bulls should not blow up the current roster and start over.
Why not? Well, surely everyone remembers the crudtastic rebuilding era, which dragged on for four miserable seasons. The Bulls basically gave up Jimmy Butler's prime years for a bunch of low-performing lottery picks, only to watch Lauri Markkanen blossom into an all-star with Utah.
The Bulls have some decent pieces. Work with them and figure out how to make this team better. Tanking is a terrible idea in today's NBA.
On the surface, the Bulls' biggest problem seems fairly simple: They need a floor leader who will take control of the offense. Someone who will decide it's time to go inside to center Nikola Vucevic, someone who will spot and exploit mismatches, someone who makes sure Patrick Williams gets looks from the 3-point line.
They could also use someone who can set the tone for the group. When things go south for the Bulls, they tend to splinter. A few frustrating plays and the Bulls stop playing defense or forget the team concept.
They get too worked up about foul calls at times, get frustrated with each other for missing open passes, lose focus when their shots don't fall. When the lulls hit, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine should be the ones to get everyone back on task, but if that's not happening, the Bulls need to find someone else who can get it done.
Billy Donovan seems to be the type of coach who wants to give his players autonomy out on the court. He doesn't like calling a lot of plays from the sideline.
It's possible a healthy Lonzo Ball solves all these problems. The Bulls not only functioned well early last season with Ball running the show, he also improved the defense and added a 3-point threat.
But there's no telling when or if Ball will return from arthroscopic knee surgery. Even the best-case scenario is starting to look like early February.
Meanwhile, the Bulls experienced a Christmas miracle this week. After a miserable defensive performance in Minnesota last Sunday, along with a heated locker-room argument at halftime, the Bulls snapped into shape.
Suddenly, they're not forgetting about Vucevic. He's scored 20-plus point in four straight games. At the start of the season, it took 22 games before Vucevic collected his fourth 20-point outing. Maybe it's finally starting to sink in how Vucevic can open up opportunities for everyone else.
There's another bigger-picture issue that seems to affect the Bulls' chemistry. When DeRozan joined the team last year, it was clear from the start he was option No. 1. He delivered more often than not, was named second-team All-NBA, and hit another game-winner Friday in New York.
The thing is, it's time to pass the baton, or will be soon. The Bulls invested a ton of money in LaVine this summer. He and DeRozan need to be co-No. 1 options, with LaVine eventually becoming the team's closer.
Reporters weren't allowed in NBA locker rooms last season, but there doesn't seem to be a tight bond between DeRozan and LaVine. They may get along fine, but it's not like the way Butler and Dwyane Wade partnered up in the 2016-17 season.
At the same time, the Bulls' top scorers made strides this week. LaVine hit a couple of late-game jumpers to keep things close in Atlanta. Then in New York, LaVine scored 33 points while DeRozan hit the game-winner.
DeRozan and LaVine are supposed to be the Midwest version of Klay and Steph, not engaged in a competition for shot attempts.
One other play that stood out this week was Ayo Dosunmu sprinting to the rim against Atlanta to get in position to follow DeRozan's miss at the buzzer. Those sort of winning hustle plays have been missing from the Bulls, particularly the Big Three.
During the next seven months, the Bulls will have to make a decision on Vucevic's future, whether to trade him before the deadline, re-sign him or let him walk as a free agent. His trade value isn't exorbitant, but that's one way the Bulls can tweak the roster, if necessary.
A contingency plan at point guard is another task. Dosunmu figures to be the starter for the next couple weeks after Alex Caruso was injured in a rough collision against Atlanta.
Does Dosunmu have the personality to command what plays to run, to light into teammates when they start sliding into the funk zone? Not sure, but Donovan should give him the green light to try.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports