Chicago Bulls’ fans: Are you ready for a wild ending to the season? PART III
Heading into the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on the night of April 11, the Chicago Bulls looked poised to come away with an easy win. Playing against the worst team in the NBA doesn’t guarantee victory for the new-look Bulls team. Another late-game collapse and a three-game winning streak end, followed by losing two must-win games in a row.
Very poor play, and an all-around terrible display from a team that carries two All-Stars on the roster. Way too many miscues from start to finish, what could go wrong went wrong. The Bulls lost another close one by the score of 121-117. This team should be completely embarrassed after the loss.
Lack of urgency has become a staple for the Bulls. Not seeing mismatches, poor decision-making, and flat-out terrible defense were what contributed to the loss. There were some positives in the game, but the negatives out way any good the Bulls have accomplished so far this season.
The good in the loss for the Chicago Bulls
We can start with the good. All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine had another solid game. His shooting kept the Bulls in the matchup throughout. He ended with 30 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. What you expect from your superstar.
LaVine had a huge dunk, rarely, we get to witness that kind of leaping ability, his athleticism is off the charts, wasted efforts have plagued the superstar. He looked defeated and frustrated after the game, expectations were much higher going into the second half of the condensed schedule.
Center Daniel Theis played great basketball and knows his strength and weaknesses. Theis puts his body in plays, never backs down, he will become more valuable with more minutes. Shooting guard/small forward Troy Brown Jr. went 5-of-5 shooting from the field, scoring 15 points, and added seven rebounds, his point of attack defense should give him more extended minutes.
Brown is a huge piece for the Bulls moving forward. He was an undervalued asset sitting on the Washington Wizards bench.
The Bulls also saw five players scoring in double digits. It’s hard to find anything positive in the worst loss of the season at the worst possible time.
The bad in the loss for the Chicago Bulls
Okay, you ready for this? There were many mistakes made tonight, the lack of urgency is not there on this team. Too many bad possessions, guys standing around watching. The point of attack defense puts center Nikola Vucevic in bad positions, resulting in foul trouble.
Forward Patrick Williams had a forgettable game. He was a none factor. A concern going forward for the rookie is the amount of traveling violations and out-of-bounds turnovers, being out of position in key stretches’. I expect this from the rookie, but the veterans made plenty of mistakes, only adding to the disfunction. Bad habits are hard to overcome this far into the season.
The main concern moving forward, how the Bulls can figure out how to get All-Star veteran Vucevic more involved in the offense. Finding a way to utilize him more efficiently in the pick and roll is key. Avoiding bad sequences on offense is a step in the right direction. He is a capable scorer with tremendous post-up ability.
The ugly in the loss for the Chicago Bulls
The most frustrating inadequacy on this current roster is the lack of recognition, not seeing the mismatches. Dishing out 30 assists on 47 made field should be enough to win, but 19 fouls mask the ball movement. Minnesota took full advantage of the foul trouble, going 25-of-25 from the free-throw line.
I never thought in a million years that I would write this. First-year head coach Billy Donovan may be the worst at in-game adjustments in the entire league. Yes, I understand it is a learning curve, with no practice time. But his poor decision-making persists, common sense has to be utilized.
Playing with these lineups in crucial moments has to end. I understand, only to a certain extent. You have to play to win, putting your team in the best position to be the best version of themselves has to be established throughout 48 minutes.
Yes, Coby White had a decent game. Playing him extended minutes in the fourth quarter was another bad decision. Teams know he is not a true point guard, they make Coby become a decision-maker late in games, often causing him to make a bad decision or take a contested shot.
Point guard Tomas Satoransky is a much better decision-maker, giving the Bulls a better chance in a close-out situation. Or playing your All-star duo the entire fourth quarter may be the secret to success.
Clearly, starters need to be on the floor to finish out a close game, not being able to find that balance has made it virtually impossible to establish any suitable solutions.
LaVine and Vucevic sat on the bench in the fourth quarter way too long in back-to-back losses. The Bulls are not the type of team that can overcome adversity. Allowing the game to slip away is not a winning philosophy.
The biggest weakness is crunch time closeouts. Why create a situation in which the team has shown time again they can’t achieve. Try to not only come from behind but forced to defend, avoiding self-inflicted adversity is something the coach doesn’t practice, only is preached.
The wild ride is on full display. Up next is the Memphis Grizzlies on April 12. Another back-to-back with a losing streak in the making. If this kind of basketball continues, Bulls fans might have to admit that this season was just a trial period, the future is exactly that, in the future.
The Bulls will get better, maybe, two to three years away still. Unless a huge change in play and overall basketball IQ happens, this is who the Bulls are. A team rebuilding, nothing more, nothing less.
Next. Necessary Bulls rotation adjustments. dark
These meltdowns are frustrating, and a play-in-tournament is becoming an impossibility due to it. Be prepared for the wildest ending, 20 games left with the Toronto Raptors getting better, the Bulls playoff hopes at stake. I will continue my series for the last 20 games, STAY TUNED!