Bulls Running in Wrong Direction
Before the last six weeks, the Bulls were the clear favorite to win the East. Rose was getting healthier with every game, Jimmy Butler was entering into league MVP discussions (albeit at the periphery), and a renewed Pau Gasol looked like the final piece Bulls fans had hoped Carlos Boozer would fill years ago. In the time since, the Bulls have taken significant strides to disenchant even the most fervent followers. They’ve suffered losing streaks, dropped in the standings, lost both heartbreakers and blowouts to teams good and bad, and grumbles about a coach/player rift have surfaced. The latter would be the most troubling, as Thibs control over the roster has always been seen as unshakable.
While the management relationship with Thibs has always been an area of media interest, this new “development” has been played over and over by local media and sports talk radio as the driving force behind the Bulls' woes. But there are more obvious causes.
For one, the Bulls are simply not the defensive powerhouse they once were. Through most of the first half, this was not cause for concern. The offense was kicking in high gear (more on this in a moment). But something was clearly wrong, and it should have been a red flag. Jimmy Butler recently came out and took the blame for the lack of defense (seriously, what’s not to like about this guy?). But the numbers say he’s just as elite at that end as ever. So what’s the real cause?
The signing of Pau Gasol meant Taj Gibson would see less playing time. While Gasol’s size makes him ideal for dealing with interior players, he’s simply not the all-around defender Taj is. Or was, rather. Both Gibson and Joakim Noah are clearly no longer elite level defenders. Perhaps part of that is the injuries both have sustained this year. And both are still good defenders. But they’re not making up for the largest cause. And that’s 30 minutes of Derrick Rose trying to defend the point. Rose has never been a good defender. At one time, he worked his way to being adequate. At the same time, he played with what was essentially a defensive powerhouse (Luol’s defense at the 3 through most of Rose’s tenure should not be understated). It worked, so no one questioned it. But now, without the same kind of team, and with Rose playing the worst defense of his career (the next pick and roll he defends properly will be his first), the defense is simply not a good one.
How was this working in the first half? Well, for one, the defense is getting worse. That is probably due to key injuries. Most teams go through injuries, and I do believe the Bulls defense will get better. But the driving force for the Bulls in the first half was offense. And the Bulls offense is no longer as efficient. Once again, the blame for this is mostly on the shoulders of Derrick Rose.
ESPN’s Scott Van Pelton wrote a piece on Rose at the early part of the Bulls recent slump. He compared the offensive numbers of Rose to the other point guards in the league. At the time, Rose’s numbers compared most with the now injured sixth man Tony Wroten. Yes, that Tony Wroten. The Tony Wroten who was not good enough to start for the worst team in the league. Since that time, Rose has increased his usage rates on offense and seen his shooting percentage drop precipitately. As of this writing, Rose was shooting .466 on shots inside the arc and a woeful .298 outside of it. His true shooting percentage (which takes foul opportunities into consideration) is .499. For those that don’t know, that’s incredibly low for a player whose usage rate hovers around a third of the teams’ possessions. In fact, its thirty points lower than Carmelo Anthony, who is the current NBA’s poster child for a ball hog. If that’s not enough to convince you, also note that Rose’s assist totals are down to 4.8/game. In his prime, he managed nearly 8 assists per game. With a better offensive set around him, why isn’t Rose looking to pass?
Perhaps the talk of in house fighting may come true. Because it appears the key to a Bulls resurgence is Tom Thibodeau prying the ball out of Derrick Rose’s hands.
