Bulls need to get defensive or they'll never win on road
While the Bulls have had little problem outscoring teams at home this season, it's become painfully obvious they won't win on the road until they figure out how to play some defense.
So here are some suggestions for how to end the team's seven-game road losing streak. The Bulls have another chance to change their luck tonight at New Jersey.
Listen to the employees: After surrendering 129 points to Atlanta on Saturday, Andres Nocioni said his teammates need to take defense as a personal challenge. Derrick Rose wanted better communication on the court. Ben Gordon felt the problem can only be solved with greater defensive emphasis in practice.
I'd say they're all right.
Teaching defense in practice isn't easy during the season, because of limited gym time. Defensive principles should be hammered home during training camp and perfected during the season.
First-year coach Vinny Del Negro has said since the day he was hired that defense would be the No. 1 emphasis. The Bulls' coaches have obviously done plenty of work on defense, but for some reason it's not hitting home.
Any halfway decent team should be able to turn up the defense when needed. For proof, look at Milwaukee, which was one of the worst defensive teams last year and now ranks 11th in defensive field-goal percentage.
Cut down on silly mistakes: This is where Rose's call for better communication comes into play. If the Bulls could simply cut down their assignment errors, they might have beaten Atlanta.
Keep in mind, the Hawks are 13-2 at home this season. That wasn't a bad effort by the Bulls overall, especially playing the second of back-to-back games while Atlanta had been off for four days.
But here are a few bad examples: One time none of the Bulls bothered to pick up Joe Johnson as he crossed midcourt. He calmly drained an open 3-pointer on his way to a 41-point night.
When the Bulls tried to double-team Johnson, they left someone wide open under the basket a few times. If the Bulls choose to sag off Josh Smith because he's not as good an outside shooter and he happens to drain a 3, you can live with that. But not a wide-open layup.
During Atlanta's 21-2 second-quarter run, the 6-foot-7 Johnson backed Rose all the way into the paint and tossed in an easy turnaround while no Bulls even attempted to help. These things shouldn't be hard to correct.
Stick with Tyrus: Forward Tyrus Thomas seems to be in the midst of a breakthrough. He's averaged 15.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks during his last five games (minus a short stint against the Clippers before leaving with concussion symptoms).
Thomas is one Bulls player who could be an outstanding defender. He's got the speed to stay with people and makes shooters very nervous.
It takes plenty of effort to succeed as an undersized big man, and Thomas probably isn't ready to excel just yet. The No. 1 lesson is to always protect the basket and the Bulls might lead the league in giving up driving layins. Steady playing time should help Thomas' learning curve.
Try a Gray offense: Defense isn't the only issue on the road. The Bulls also tend to crumble offensively down the stretch. They shot 33 percent in the fourth quarter against Atlanta (compared to 62 percent during the first three quarters) and missed 11 of their final 12 shots at Miami a day earlier.
Since center Aaron Gray has been playing well, why not toss him the ball in the post once in a while at an important point in the game instead of waiting for one of the guards to fight through traffic and force up a shot?
Teams know Gray can score on the blocks, so they often send double-teams, and Gray knows how to pass out of a crowd. Anything to get the defense scrambling should help the Bulls' cause.
<p class="factboxheadblack">Tonight's tipoff</p> <p class="News">Bulls vs. New Jersey Nets at the Izod Center, 6:30 p.m.</p> <p class="News"><b>TV:</b> Comcast SportsNet</p> <p class="News"><b>Radio:</b> WMVP 1000-AM</p> <p class="News"><b>Update:</b> The Nets (15-15) have a better overall record than the Bulls, but are just 5-11 at home this season. In fact, New Jersey has lost seven of its last nine home games, to opponents such as Charlotte, New York and Washington. The Bulls beat the Nets 113-104 at the United Center on Dec. 13, despite 39 points from Vince Carter. The Bulls have lost 13 straight at New Jersey, dating back to April 2001.</p> <p class="News"><b>Next:</b> Orlando Magic at the United Center on Wednesday, 1 p.m.</p>