Del Negro: Just showing up not going to cut it
A few days ago, the Bulls returned from their annual circus road trip brimming with optimism.
Traditionally, the trip has been more of a horror movie than three-ring extravaganza for the Bulls, at least since the championship era ended. This year, though, they went 3-4 on the road and faced the prospect of eight winnable games looming on the schedule.
Well, so far the Bulls are 0-2 in those winnable games. Wednesday's 97-90 loss at Milwaukee brought a cold jolt of reality that it will take more than just tossing the ball to Derrick Rose for the Bulls to become a serious playoff contender.
"Every game is a challenge," coach Vinny Del Negro said following the loss. "We can't rely right now on anything other than playing hard and trying to improve. We're not good enough to say, 'Look at the schedule.'
"Like I've said all along, we're unpredictable. I feel we can beat anybody and that's the beauty of the NBA. But if we don't go to work every night and know what our job is, it's difficult no matter who you play. These are pro teams you're playing and they want to win as well."
Neither of the 2 losses was an egregious result. Two days after losing to the Bulls at home, a talented Philadelphia squad came back with more energy and won in overtime at the United Center. Then the Bulls (8-11) played the next night against a Bucks team that had been idle since Saturday. Milwaukee also sagged to a 7-12 record because of what was most likely the NBA's toughest November schedule.
"We've just got to make sure we bounce right back," Bulls forward Luol Deng said. "I think we've got a good stretch this month and can have a run here and turn it around. It's a long season, so it's not time to be down."
Del Negro canceled Thursday's practice and will return to the United Center today to prepare for Saturday's home game against Washington, which has the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
Coming next week is a home game with the run-and-gun New York Knicks, a visit to Rose's college home of Memphis, then a home date with New Jersey.
From the locker room in Milwaukee, Rose and Ben Gordon offered specific suggestions for where the Bulls need to improve.
"We've got to go in the gym and just think about nothing but defense," Rose said. "I'm telling you, we're a transition team. You can't do well if you're taking the ball out (after a made basket). You do well when you get long rebounds and you're pushing the ball up. If you keep taking the ball out, (defenses) are going to be set and teams are too good for that."
Added Gordon: "We're not sharing the ball as much as we need to. I think it shows when we start to move the ball, good things happen. We've just got to continue to trust each other and believe in the system and play together. That's something we're struggling with now for whatever reason."
Gordon started slowly against the Bucks, hit 7 straight shots at the end of the third quarter, then went 0-for-2 from the field in the fourth. Rose finished with 18 points and 9 assists, but as a team the Bulls totaled 19 assists, compared to 27 for Milwaukee.
Deng finally had a good game Wednesday, matching the season-high he set on Oct. 28 with 21 points. Power forward Drew Gooden is suddenly slumping, going 1-for-16 from the field the last two games.
The Bulls' big men couldn't control Bucks backup center Dan Gadzuric, who finished with 11 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. Both teams ended up with 12 offensive rebounds, but Milwaukee led in second-chance points 18-6.