NBA stats reveal Bulls struggling in all categories
Taj Gibson was understandably upset after the Bulls were barely competitive in Monday's 108-91 loss at Charlotte.
After the game, he talked about how the identity of the team has changed over the last few years.
“It's a great group of guys,” Gibson told reporters in the locker room. “Guys come and do the work. It's just a different group from what we had in the past. We had straight defensive guys, hungry dogs. Now we have guys coming in, offensive-minded, shoot the 3. We used to be scrappy. Now we're trying to mold these guys into getting scrappy.”
Gibson is probably longing for the “Bench Mob” days from 2010-12, when he, Ronnie Brewer, Kyle Korver, Omer Asik and C.J. Watson gave the Chicago Bulls perhaps the best depth in the NBA.
The Bulls expected the current team to have multiple contributors and there was talk early in the NBA season about coach Fred Hoiberg having to make difficult rotation decisions. But injuries to Joakim Noah, Mike Dunleavy, Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic knocked out much of that depth, then young players such as Tony Snell, Doug McDermott and Mirotic haven't performed as well as expected. On the plus side, rookie Bobby Portis has given the Bulls some decent contributions.
Monday's loss, however, featured many examples of the team not doing the little things it needs to be successful defensively — players not hustling back in transition, Portis or McDermott being in the wrong spot to provide good help defense.
During an early time out, Pau Gasol was spotted lecturing Portis on the bench about a missed assignment. Other Bulls players also get frustrated with Gasol's struggles in pick-and-roll defense.
“What was our identity?” Gibson said in Sam Smith report at bulls.com. “Our identity was defense. Then we went offense. But we have a whole different group of guys from previous years; previous years we had defensive guys, dawgin'. Now we have a bunch of young guys, offensive mentality. Now we're just trying to figure out a new system. The defense is there with the veterans, but we have to hold each other accountable, including myself. We have to do better.”
Gibson has a point, but realistically the Bulls have been awful in nearly every category, offense and defense. There's a specific date when things turned sour, Jan. 9. The Bulls had won six in a row and were 10 games above .500 before losing in Atlanta that day. Since then, they've gone 5-12.
The Bulls will see the Hawks Wednesday at the United Center for the final game before the all-star break. The Bulls could use the upcoming week off to get healthy, but Hoiberg wants to build some positive momentum first.
The Bulls are hoping Derrick Rose will be ready to play after sitting out Monday with general soreness. Butler is not expected back for 3-4 weeks, while Mirotic also figures to be out a couple more weeks.
“It's not all-star break yet,” Hoiberg said after the loss in Charlotte. “We've got a big one on Wednesday.”
Looking at the Bulls' numbers since Jan. 9, they rank 23rd in points allowed, 26th in field-goal percentage, 25th in assists per game, and 28th in true shooting percentage, which factors in 3-pointers and free throws.
They are 24th in offensive rating and 21st in defensive rating. That's the number of points scored and allowed per 100 possessions.
Defense was a big problem when the Bulls fell behind the Hornets 38-20 in the first quarter. But the defense was better the rest of the game.
Fourth-quarter performance was a bigger problem during the ice show road trip. The Bulls blew late leads against Utah, Denver and Minnesota, and had a complete meltdown against the L.A. Clippers.
The Bulls (27-24) have fallen to seventh place in the East, but they're also just 3 games out of third place. So with the long road trip over, it's possible the Bulls could finish strong once they get Butler and Mirotic back, and get Mike Dunleavy acclimated to playing again.
Right now, though, the answer to what's wrong with the Bulls is everything.
Get the latest Bulls news via Twitter @McGrawDHBulls.
Bulls scouting report
Chicago Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks at the United Center, 7 p.m. Wednesday
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: ESPN 1000-AM
Outlook: The Bulls' extended slump began with a 120-105 loss in Atlanta on Jan. 9 as C Al Horford scored 33 points. The Hawks (30-24) also haven't been playing well lately, going 4-7 in their last 11 games. PF Paul Millsap is the top scorer at 17.8 ppg, followed by Horford at 15.2 and PG Jeff Teague at 15.1. SG Kyle Korver is shooting 38.4 percent from 3-point range, his lowest number in eight years. This is the last game before the weeklong NBA all-star break.
Next: Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on Feb. 18, 7 p.m.
— Mike McGraw
NBA All-Star Weekend
Here is the NBA events schedule for Friday through Sunday at Air Canada Centre in Toronto:
<b>Friday:</b>• Hall of Fame announcement, 12:30 p.m., NBA TV
• Celebrity Game, 6 p.m., ESPN
• Rising Stars, 8 p.m., TNT
<b>Saturday:</b>• D-League All-Star Game, 1 p.m. NBA TV
• All-Star Saturday Night, featuring the Skills Challenge, Three-Point and Slam Dunk contests, 7 p.m., TNT
<b>Sunday:</b>• All-Star Game, 7:30 p.m. TNT