Chicago Bulls veteran: 'Right now a lot of teams smell blood'
Entering the season the Chicago Bulls, at least internally, were billed as a championship-caliber roster. But more than halfway through the year, the team’s aspirations under first-year coach Fred Hoiberg are quickly unraveling.
Their latest loss – a dispiriting 108-91 effort to the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night – was their third loss in a row and their 12th in 17 games. Once viewed as the second-best team in the conference after the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Bulls are now No. 7 in the East at 27-24. Their maddening inconsistency is one reason why they’re far closer to mediocrity than anything resembling a contender.
Another reason, as Bulls veteran Taj Gibson put it, is that they’ve lost their spirit.
“We had straight defensive guys, hungry dogs. Now we have guys coming in, offensive-minded, shoot the 3. … We used to be scrappy,” Gibson said per CSNChicago. “Now we’re trying to mold these guys into getting scrappy. … Right now a lot of teams smell blood; you just got to figure out a way to get over it. In this league, nobody’s going to feel sorry for you. That’s the thing.”
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Gibson was a pillar of the Bulls’ defensive identity of years past and can speak to their effort levels. After years of ranking in the top-10 in defense under Tom Thibodeau, there’s been anything but consistency this season. They’ve allowed an average of 105.5 points over the last 17 games, which included perplexing losses to the Bucks, Nuggets and Timberwolves.
In their defense, Monday’s defeat came at the end of a seven-game road trip and saw numerous players out with injury. Two-time All-Star Jimmy Butler was out with a knee strain, second-year forward Nikola Mirotic missed the game recovering from an appendectomy and Derrick Rose sat due to “general soreness.” Hoiberg emphasized that Rose’s DNP was a collaborative decision and not his alone, but regardless, he still missed a chance to contribute with his team struggling. The season-ending shoulder injury to Joakim Noah has also left a massive void for a team searching for a locker room voice.
Instead the team is left with Gibson and consummate pro Pau Gasol to address the growing disharmony. Gasol, who finished three assists shy of a triple-double in the latest loss, offered his state of the Bulls before the game.
“I’ve said it when we talked about the lack of consistency with this team. ‘What’s going on? What’s wrong?’ At some point you say, well, this is who we are,” Gasol said via ESPN. “I think it takes a tremendous amount of pride at this point.”
And given that the Bulls don't have many tradeable assets with the deadline looming, it's on them to remedy the situation.
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