Bulls' problems may be a tough fix

The Chicago Bulls have played well at times this season and struggled at others.

They've beaten good teams and lost some close games, but during the last couple of weeks some chemistry issues have become very visible.

It started when first-year coach Fred Hoiberg found the right combination for the second unit. A lineup of Joakim Noah, Aaron Brooks, Kirk Hinrich, Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic really clicked.

Hoiberg talked about how he showed the team video of the second unit in action as an example of how everyone should play.

Then game after game, the starters kept up the same old bad habits. Hoiberg tells them to push the tempo and they jog it up the floor. He asks for side-to-side movement and doesn't get it.

This much seems clear: The Bulls have a talented "big three" with Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol. That was apparent when they scored a combined 107 points in the four-overtime loss to Detroit on Dec. 18.

But the chemistry isn't right between those three, and the reasons might be beyond the control of Hoiberg.

So where to begin?

Probably with Butler, who announced plans before the season to become a more vocal leader, then called out Hoiberg's coaching style after a loss in New York last Saturday.

Here's a theory: Butler is a hungry player. He has worked unbelievably hard to become an all-star and has shown no signs of slowing down this season.

Rose and Gasol aren't in the same place. Maybe Rose will come around as he gets in better shape and continues to recover from the broken orbital bone suffered on the first day of training camp. But for now he's passive and inconsistent.

Gasol does what he does. He's an effective scorer and rebounder living the ultimate man-of-the-world lifestyle. But he refuses to step out on pick-and-rolls, which often puts the Bulls' defense in a bind. He seems to have guarantees of starting and finishing each game.

Hoiberg has done the same thing as former coach Tom Thibodeau - no matter how well the Bulls are playing in the fourth quarter, Gasol always checks in with two or three minutes left in close games.

So there's a perception Gasol gets special treatment, which might be understandable under the circumstances, but it's tough to tell how it plays on the minds of his teammates.

Butler's comments in New York weren't about Hoiberg as much as unnamed teammates. Butler has a clear case of "why aren't my teammates working as hard as me," and it's probably justified.

Another problem is the culture that has developed in the Bulls organization. For the past five years, the players have watched Gar Forman and John Paxson battle for power with Thibodeau, as well as former assistant Ron Adams.

People are looking out for themselves rather than pulling together for the common goal of winning championships.

So when Butler speaks out and says he's going to be a more vocal leader, maybe he's following the example. He's going to make it his team, because that's how things work with the Bulls.

This goes deeper than Thibodeau. When the coaching staff changed, Butler lost mentor and father figure Adrian Griffin, who joined Scott Skiles in Orlando.

When the Bulls fired Adams after the 2012-13 season, Rose's camp tried to hire Adams to be Derrick's personal trainer. Rose and Noah asked the Bulls to reconsider and bring Adams back.

Think about this: During Adams' first year with the Bulls under Thibodeau, Rose won MVP. In Adams' first year in Golden State, Steph Curry won MVP. Adams also spent two years in Oklahoma City with Russell Westbrook.

Jerry Krause and Phil Jackson clashed constantly during the championship era, but their emphasis still was on winning. The current players are getting a variety of mixed messages, whether it's internal power struggles or the organization's focus on turning a nice profit.

One other item of note: These past few weeks have spoken volumes about the character and value of Noah.

His role has been severely reduced in a contract year (he's a free agent next summer), but he still has found a way to turn up his game and turn the second unit into an example of how the Bulls should play.

However this season plays out, trading Noah or losing him next summer would be a mistake.

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