Oct 20, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) drives between Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
Sloppy offensive plays leading to slow starts.
Some of this can be contributed to lack of court time to develop chemistry. I think it has a lot to do with the lack of creative offensive schemes. Either way this is a major issue that will frustrate Chicago Bulls fans for quite a while. It didn’t take long for Tom Thibodeau to start complaining.
Check out what he had to say according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune:
"“The teams that are special make that commitment in training camp and maintain it throughout the course of the season. You’re building habits throughout the year. And you’re preparing to play your best at the end. You have to put the work in each day. There are no shortcuts. I’ve been around a long time. I know (shortcuts won’t) work. I’ve tried to make that clear.”"
Granted Tom Thibodeau will always complain about something, but the preseason games versus Denver and Atlanta proved his point emphatically. The Chicago Bulls probably would have been run out of the gym in both games had it not been for Jimmy Butler going insane bringing the Bulls back.
The Bulls also can’t fall into the trap of relying too much on Derrick Rose. In the Cleveland game, the offense was a Derrick Rose show. When he sat down, the offense became a nightmare in the United Center.
The Bulls have to get into the sets much quicker and know what shots to take. Some players, namely Nikola Mirotic are known to pass up open shots at times. If this happens, the Bulls are fighting the shot clock and that can’t happen with this bunch.