NEWSLETTER
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
This clichรฉ Albert Einstein quote has been spewed by executives across the land, but I suppose Arturas Karnisovas has never sat in on a corporate meeting. Instead, all that hangs around the Chicago Bulls’ conference rooms are “Hang in There” posters with Benny the Bull grasping onto an antenna of the John Hancock building.
- As I wrote in last night’s EBS, while we may only be three games into the season, we’re in Year 3 of this core. Critical evaluation is more than warranted. The truth of the matter is that – even with attempted tweaks to the offensive scheme – this team shouldn’t start the year shooting 40.2 percent from the field. The truth of the matter is that they shouldn’t lose two of their first three games by 16+ points. The truth of the matter is that they shouldn’t have held a players-only meeting by now. The truth of the matter is that … well … they just aren’t a good basketball team.
- The players can’t even ignore this fact. After last night’s game, both Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan spoke about the challenges of fitting this trio together under the confines of the new offense:
“We each have, obviously, been the main option of a team before and then a main scoring option on this team. It’s something new that we have to figure out,” LaVine told the Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe. How to go about it … I mean, it’s tough. When you’re trying to figure something out that isn’t working. But we have to stick with it.”
- Here’s what DeMar DeRozan had to say …
โI think weโre going to get it,โ DeMar DeRozan told Bulls dot com. โItโs frustrating because so much time went by that you think it should be second nature. But itโs one of those things you try to compensate for one another because we want it to click so bad; itโs just us trying to have one anotherโs back as much as we can and I think we overthink it at times. We show it for quarters, we show it for spurts. Once we get it rolling and translate to another game and another game, thatโs when the rhythm will come into play. Weโve just got to stay with it.โ
- K.C. Johnson also compiled a lot of these postgame quotes in one of his latest pieces at NBC Sports Chicago, which I encourage you to read here. No matter what they say, however, the mere fact they are speaking about “fit” three years into this thing speaks for itself. While I’ve held out some hope for this group to show gradual improvement offensively, there is a reason that my ceiling for this team sat right around .500. We’ve had a large enough sample size now to know that this trio isn’t built for the long haul. Do I think they’re trying to make it work? Sure. I also think they very much like each other off the court. But there is a reason some people date and some people just stay friends. The Bulls have shown they just aren’t meant to be.
- I mean, when we really think about it, this Bulls team should probably be 0-3 right now. I don’t want to take anything away from DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, but the Toronto Raptors handed that game over just as much as the Bulls stole it. Not to mention, the NBA’s L2M report ended up saying the refs missed two calls against Chicago down the stretch. DeMar DeRozan apparently traveled before drawing the foul on Chris Boucher with 6.3 seconds left, while Pascal Siakam shouldn’t have been called for an offensive foul on Alex Caruso on the inbound with 3.4 seconds left. You can read the league’s explanations here.
- To be clear, I don’t feel bad for Toronto at all. The Bulls were on the wrong end of some crucial missed calls last season, so I’ll take whatever they get this season. But it’s still a reminder that they were only seconds away from starting their first week winless. Things only get harder from here, too. Next week they will see Tyrese Haliburton, Luka Doncic, Mikal Bridges, and Nikola Jokic. Good luck!
- Zach LaVine scoring his career-high in a game where he had zero help and lost by 16 makes too much sense. Still, not just anyone can drop 50+ on 59.4 percent shooting. This is why I can’t fully sell my LaVine stock. He is an incredibly gifted scorer who seemingly never receives the help he deserves. Is it a problem that he finished with 0 assists? It’s not great, that’s for sure. There were also a few shots he forced at the end. But I can’t sit here and say he is the reason Chicago lost last night. If anything, he was the ONLY reason they were in the game for as long as they were, and somebody else has to step up and figure out how to lend a helping hand.
- The offense is horrendous. Chicago currently ranks dead-last in field goal percentage with just a 39.5 percent clip to begin the year, per NBA Stats. The new offense is supposed to revolve around quick passing and constant player movement. Instead, we continue to see players stand around looking a mix of confused and unmotivated. This is why it’s such a change in tune when Caruso and Craig enter the game. Those are the only two players constantly moving off the ball and hunting cutting lanes.
- Speaking of Craig, it will be a mistake if he isn’t starting on Monday night. Patrick Williams finished his third game of the season with a goose egg in 21 minutes. He now has just 11 points and 9 rebounds total this season as a member of the starting lineup. Not only could Craig’s rebounding and physicality provide a much-needed spark to the first unit, but Williams will then have ZERO excuses not to play with a more aggressive mindset. Make the change, Billy.
- Tonight will be … interesting.
- I’m listening …
