After starting 0-9 in the 2004-2005 season, the Chicago Bulls mysteriously found ways to win and went on a tear to finish third in the Eastern Conference.
This year, that same team is finding every way possible to lose.
When Luol Deng made an ill-advised pass in the closing seconds of overtime on Monday night against the Utah Jazz, the Bulls sank to 20-27 on the season, matching a season low. The Bulls seemingly had the game in hand as Deng pulled down a rebound on Matt Harpring's shot, but instead of holding onto the ball, Deng fired an outlet pass that was tipped by Andrei Kirilenko. The ball found its way into the hands of Mehmet Okur who buried the Bulls, 109-107, with a long three.
Such is life for the streaky Bulls, who have lost four in a row, giving them their fourth losing streak of three games or more on the season. After losing the first four games of their road trip, the Bulls stare down the remaining three road games with their chance at the playoffs slipping away.
It has been an unexpected turnaround for a Bulls team that shocked the NBA. Last year, coach Scott Skiles pulled the Bulls out of their five-year coma, preaching a brand of basketball that emphasized hustle and defense. Last year, the Bulls held opponents to the lowest field goal percentage in the league and the seventh-fewest points.
This year, that tough defense is nowhere to be found, as the team ranks in the bottom half of the league in points allowed, giving up over 97 per game. During the four-game losing streak, the Bulls have surrendered over 106 points per game.
It's been hard to pinpoint the source of the Bulls' woes. One seemingly obvious candidate is the offseason trade of Eddy Curry to the New York Knicks. The NBA's insurance provider declined coverage of Curry after his heart condition sidelined him last year, and General Manager John Paxson shipped the center off to New York, along with Antonio Davis, for a package that included Tim Thomas, Michael Sweetney and a first round pick.
Last season, Curry was the Bulls' go-to-guy in the paint. While Sweetney filled in nicely early in the season, his poor conditioning and slow feet on defense landed him in Skiles' doghouse. Some feel that the loss of Curry has prevented the Bulls from competing.
While this may be true to a degree, it does not fully explain the Bulls' woes. While Curry was a big scorer for Chicago, he was at best mediocre on defense and under the boards, and the Bulls have, in fact, improved their scoring without him.
Perhaps a bigger factor in the Bulls' struggles has been the regression of Tyson Chandler. With Curry out of town, the Bulls rewarded Chandler with a huge offseason contract and expected him to dominate the middle on the defensive end.
Chandler was a big flop early in the season, contributing nothing on offense and very little rebounding. Plagued by a mysterious chronic fatigue syndrome, Chandler missed 15 games. Chandler's absence left the Bulls with Sweetney and Othella Harrington, two undersized big men short on defense.
The lack of a big man also forced the Bulls to shift to the perimeter offensively. Often, they relied on the outside shooting of Chris Duhon, Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon to keep them in games. At times that has worked, as it did on Dec. 17 when the Bulls hit 14 of 17 threes to score 118 points and sink the Boston Celtics.
The guns have not always been firing, however, and the Bulls' outside game has at times failed to overcome their lack of an inside game and inability to get to the free throw line. Part of their failure has been due to the early-season struggles of last year's Sixth Man of the Year, Ben Gordon.
Lately, however, Gordon and Chandler have emerged from their struggles. Gordon has scored 39 and 35 points in his last two games and Chandler has led the Bulls in rebounding the last eight games, including his 20-rebound performance on Jan. 27.
Chicago is one of the streakiest teams in the league (the current four-game losing streak came on the heels of four consecutive wins), and how the Bulls will fare in the remainder of the season is anyone's guess.
If the Bulls fail to make the playoffs this year, they could still be in great shape for next year. As part of the Eddy Curry deal, the Bulls could get the Knicks' top pick, provided the San Antonio Spurs sends their pick to the Knicks, which will happen if San Antonio's pick is in the 11-30 range.
John Paxson could use that pick, the Bulls' first-rounder and the boatload of money he has saved up for free agents to add the post presence the Bulls need to make the playoffs.
