The Chicago Bulls were a trendy preseason pick to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals in June. But after winning their last two games, the team's first winning streak of the season, the Bulls still sit second to last in the Eastern Conference and last in the Central Division at 4-10.
Even though Chicago may seem to be turning a corner, it cannot be satisfied with its play thus far. The Bulls' win Saturday over the Charlotte Bobcats marked only the second time their sputtering offense was able to break the century mark. Chicago is last in the league in scoring, averaging just 88.5 points per game, and has been dreadful on the road.
Before the back-to-back home wins, the Bulls went 1-5 on a long road trip, with the only victory coming over the 6-9 Los Angeles Clippers. In fact, Chicago is only 1-7 on the road this season, and with the sixth-easiest schedule in the league according to ESPN, all of these stats look even worse in context.
The root of the Bulls' problems can be tied not to the present, but to their decision-making woes two years ago. Chicago signed center Ben Wallace, thought to be the premiere free agent of the offseason, away from the Detroit Pistons for four years and $60 million to anchor its front line.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, though, Wallace has regressed measurably in his time in Chicago, as his defensive prowess has not been enough to make up for his offensive deficiencies on a team without a low-post presence. To make matters worse, the Bulls traded Tyson Chandler to the New Orleans Hornets, where he has developed into an All-Star-caliber center.
Chicago has tried to fix its frontcourt problems through the draft, but GM John Paxson has made some questionable decisions. Two years ago, the Bulls traded the rights to LaMarcus Aldridge, who is now leading the Portland Trailblazers with 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds a game, for Tyrus Thomas. And this year, Chicago took forward Joakim Noah, a strong defender and hustler who has marginal offensive skills. The duo of Thomas and Noah has done little to offset the Bulls' offensive problems, as they have combined for a pitiful 9.8 points a game.
Unfortunately, Chicago's problems in the post have led to an increased reliance on finding scoring from their swing positions. The Bulls do boast some strong scorers in shooting guard Ben Gordon and small forward Luol Deng, who have averaged 19.2 and 17.2 points per game respectively. Deng missed three games due to injury and Gordon has had to adjust to a starting role, but they have played up to expectations.
Though Deng and Gordon are clearly the team's best players, the Bulls' offense the last few years has been engineered by point guard Kirk Hinrich. The former Kansas Jayhawks star has seen his stats drop in every category so far this season after having a breakout campaign last year. With Hinrich's struggles, the Bulls have been unable to find consistency on offense, although they have stayed strong on the defensive end of the floor.
With their poor play to start this season, many have speculated that the team has quit on coach Scott Skiles, who has a reputation for being hard on his players. There have been rumors that some of the members of the Bulls have had rifts with Skiles, who is in his fifth season as head coach and has been a key part of rebuilding the team into a contender.
If Bulls fans are disappointed in their team's play, they might not be too happy about the future. The Bulls have been stockpiling assets for years, but they've failed to land a superstar player to establish legitimate title aspirations.
Chicago was thought to be the preferred destination both for Kevin Garnett, who was instead traded to the Boston Celtics, and for Kobe Bryant. The Bulls could not work out a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers at the beginning of the year, and it has been a distraction for the young team early on this season. To add to the issues, Deng and Gordon will be restricted free agents this offseason after they failed to sign contract extensions before the season.
The Bulls might need to dramatically shake things up if they can't turn things around soon. With several big names likely to be on the market at the trade deadline in February, this could finally be the time for Paxson to make a move for a superstar.
Regardless of what happens, Chicago can expect big changes in the future for its Bulls, who will be one of the biggest stories of the season whether they can climb back into the playoff race or not.
