I’m one of the annoying people who prefers this time of year to the warmer months. And I will not apologize.
Not only do I look better in a cable-knit sweater, but I can down a good hot beverage. Who also doesn’t love eating massive meals, looking at all the festive lights, and having a reasonable excuse to stay inside to watch basketball all day? It’s too cold to do anything, sorry!
With that being the case, it should come as absolutely no surprise that I was delighted to look out my window and see the first real snowfall of the year this morning. Our recently-rescued dog, on the other hand? Not so much.
Winnie comes from that big old warm state of Texas. She only arrived in the midwest about three months ago, so the next couple of months will be a massive wake-up call. Regardless, I’m determined to make her love it as much as I do, so extra treats and snuggles are on the horizon!!
Can more wins also be on the horizon for the Chicago Bulls? All things considered, this group could have started the year a lot worse than 6-8. They faced one of the most grueling schedules to start the year, and things should (fortunately) start to lighten up over the next several weeks. Having said that, I’d be lying if I expressed zero concern about this slow start carrying long-term effects. The Bulls looked the most dejected and disjointed we’ve seen them in Sunday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets. They truly played like a team that doesn’t fully believe in their ability to consistently hang with the NBA’s top squads, which is a scary issue to have this early in the season.
Not to mention, they have a long way to go when it comes to playing a more efficient brand of basketball. A look at the famous “Four Factors” has the Bulls ranking bottom-10 in three of the four categories, which includes sitting 21st in EFG%, 22nd in TOV%, and 20th in OREB%. The only department where the Bulls rank above average is in FTA Rate.
With Zach LaVine finally finding his rhythm and averaging 24.7 points over the past three games, I do think we could start to see this team improve in a number of ways. But it very much will be up to LaVine to hold this team to a higher standard. As great as DeMar DeRozan is, LaVine was paid the big bucks to be the Bulls’ guiding light. He said all the right things after this previous disappointing loss, but it’s now time for him to set the tone on the court every night.
Where the Bulls want to see LaVine begin to make his greatest impact is in clutch situations. The Bulls have been able to keep things close in most games this year, but they are a disgusting 0-6 in clutch performances with a league-worst net rating. We can’t take this team very seriously until that changes.
Billy Donovan knows what needs to be done:
“We didn’t play to our standard. And it’s not acceptable. And I think the players need to understand that. And I’m throwing myself in; I’m not putting it all on the players.”
Listen to what Steve Kerr has to say about former No. 2-overall pick James Wiseman:
Steve Kerr said James Wiseman will go to the G-League tomorrow and stay down there for an extended time. Warriors want to get him reps. Said it could be 10 consecutive days or longer. pic.twitter.com/zIMOKAK8J6— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 15, 2022
Now, to be clear, Wiseman has played *really* poorly to start the year. But I still think his emphasis on the value of extra practice and playing time is important. With that being the case, I wouldn’t at all hate to see Dalen Terry continue to clock heavy minutes in the G-League. He appeared in two games this past weekend and played some really well-rounded basketball. If the plan isn’t to get him into the rotation just yet, then I’d love for him to build his confidence and keep his legs fresh with the Windy City Bulls. Why not, right?
Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.
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