Derrick Rose is still hurting.
We know this, but if the Bulls want to show some semblance
of a winning team they’ll need to knock down open jumpers as they fell to the
Miami Heat 95-87 Sunday.
Kirk Hinrich, John Salmons and Luol Deng all had chances to
close the lead with wide-open jump shots but couldn’t connect on what looks
like a potential problem for this team moving forward.
(What’s with playing in
While many in the
media have been writing headlines about using this game as a recruiting trip to
get Dwyane Wade, it seems the Bulls will have to do more than simply be average
on offense and defense than luring one of the top free agents in 2010.
They’ll get better faster when Rose is healthy. For now, it
appears that the team is going to have to fight for points and hit open shot,
including three-pointers. They’ve only sank seven of 43 attempts out of the
three games this year.
It also doesn’t help that the Bulls continually get one of
the most difficult schedules to open the league nearly every year. (OK, that’s
an excuse).
Nevertheless, Rose hasn’t looked himself so far, trying to
layup instead of flushing the ball and opting to take jumpers when he was known
to attack. It seems that he is a bit sloppy and his jumper hasn’t looked smooth
from the release. It’s more mechanical and careful.
- On the brighter side, we see that Luol Deng is playing much
better than last year and he is a better rebounder than he tends to get credit
for. We can see that an off season of working with Rose has helped him, as he
tends to be in the right place more often than not and is confident in his
jumper once again, instead of trying to create off the dribble.
The Bulls do, on the surface, appear to be more committed to
the defensive game, closing out on three-point shooters, clogging the lane
(something that couldn’t be found in the Celtics’ series last season) and are
fighting through screens instead of switching whenever someone is caught out of
position.
- This was one of the most maddening elements to Vinny
DelNegro’s game: He thought he was coaching the Golden State Warriors where
nearly everyone is the same height and can benefit from keeping their space on
the court.
This year I see Joakim Noah fronting the post more, not
deferring post position. It’s a healthy sight to see, particularly from last
season at this very time when Noah couldn’t find his way into the starting
lineup because he was not in shape.
What a difference a year makes. Noah is looking more and
more like an NBA player, keeping plays alive and is becoming confident around
the rim when finishing. I’m still not sure if he’s a good defender at this
point of his career because he lacks the strength or leaping ability to be a
dominant shot-blocker and appears to still be learning the nuances of the game.
But the good news is, he’s maturing and he’s definitely
helping the Bulls—something I never thought I’d write.
My favorite play of the game: Dwyane Wade splitting two
defenders with an around-the-back, jab step toward the middle then squirt
outside to make a strong left-handed layup. I tend to compare Rose to Wade more
than Chris Paul or Deron Williams despite playing different positions.
Somehow Wade continually gets overlooked when people
mentioned the best players in the league (he’s the Drew Brees of the NBA)
possibly because Kobe Bryant is the best at his position, but he’s definitely a
top 5 player in the league regardless of position.
The best-why-did-he-do-that-moment: Vinny DelNegro opting to
bench Tyrus Thomas for the fourth quarter. I don’t get it, he’s played well in
both games prior and the Bulls could have used some help on the defensive
boards as Noah toiled with an undersized lineup. I don’t understand what
Del-Nonsense’s philosophy because it seems to change constantly.
The big-head-scratcher: Why does the NBA schedule games this
early in the season on a Sunday—particularly when they’re already competing
with the NFL and the World Series?
If I want to watch crappy Chicago football and the most
inept offensive line in football defer to the vaunted Cleveland Browns’ defense
while subjecting the only-reason-to-be-optimistic variable (that’s Jay Cutler,
by the way) to potential concussions and broken hands, then the last thing I
want to do is see the Bulls defer to Michael Beasley’s Heat.
Sunday’s 5 p.m. start was unusual to say the least, and
considering Brett Favre was in
Bay
my Sunday (pun!).
The great thing about the NBA is that the games are
scheduled around football and we don’t have to wait a week for the match up.
It’s a great way to distract Chicagoans from what appears to go on each
Sunday—we reserve that day for holy devotion and bad blocking.
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mmitchell
I'm a journalist who has previously worked for the Sun-Times News Group in the Chicago area, covering features, entertainment, city government, police and crime, and--yes--sports. However, my primary qualification for Bulls analysis: I'm a cynic and a humorist.
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