I felt one thing and one thing only during last night’s game: Acceptance.
I wasn’t sad, enraged, or even something that lands in between. My brain simply refused to waste any more emotional energy on this crappy team, which led me to acceptance.
The Chicago Bulls aren’t good. In fact, the Chicago Bulls are pretty darn awful. They are 11-18, in the thick of another four-game losing streak, and just allowed a team that was absent two of their All-Stars to score a franchise-record 150 points. Good teams don’t allow those things to happen. And, more importantly, a roster that has any semblance of a short-term bright future doesn’t allow those things to happen.
The fact of the matter is that something needs to change, and until that happens we can’t expect anything more than what we’ve seen the past few games. In other words, this version of the Bulls is cooked. The notion that they can turn things around while clutching onto “continuity” is practically unfathomable. And I’m going to move forward under the assumption that this is a failed season until something more is done.
Seriously, playoff-caliber teams don’t suffer historic losses. The Bulls hadn’t allowed their opponent to score 150 points in regulation since November of 1982. And, according to K.C. Johnson, it’s the 4th-most points the franchise has ever given up before OT.
Whether it be a loss to the Spurs, Magic, or even Knicks, excuses could be made on the Bulls’ behalf. There was still at least some reason to believe that the team was suffering from some bad juju and that they could right the ship in the coming days. Last night’s loss, however, was indefensible in every single way. The Bulls would’ve gotten more stops on defense if they sat in a circle and played Duck, Duck, Goose. There was zero effort and zero care on that side of the ball. And while they did manage to score 126 points on 52.5 shooting, those points proved to be as hollow as could be.
Bingo, Cody.
Do I think this team lacks leadership? Absolutely. Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic are all rather quiet fellows who seemingly try to lead by example. But sometimes that isn’t enough. The best players are supposed to speak up and call out their teammates. The longer they don’t truly confront each other on their ghastly play, the longer it will go on.
I do think they’re capable of raising their voice in the locker room. However, I also fear that they see just how broken this roster is. Perhaps even they understand that the rotation’s complete lack of shooting and playmaking is a death sentence. Now, should they still try to figure it out? Of course! But it’s hard to do that in earnest when you know the foundation of the ship has an unpluggable hole in it.
Meanwhile, in New York …
One of the few fun moments of the night …
Two things can be true: (1) The front office failed to add the right pieces this offseason, and (2) Goran Dragic was an underrated signing. The veteran point guard has performed extremely well over the course of this season, and I was 100 percent wrong about how much good basketball he has left in the tank. Having said that, he might quickly become a valuable trade piece for this team. Both he and Drummond might be the kind of inexpensive vets that a contending team covets.
Excuse me?
If you’re interested in a bad team with an actual bright future …
Honestly, their future might also be brighter at this point!
NEWSLETTER
