Duos Do It

Before Monday's game with the San Antonio Spurs, the Bulls learned Mike Dunleavy suffered a setback while rehabbing his injured back and will have to stay off the court for two weeks.  It almost seemed like a bad omen.  When they couldn't score from the field for the entire last half of the fourth quarter, nightmares were on the brink of reality.  Fortunately, the Spurs couldn't score when it mattered either and the Bulls won 92-89.

The Bulls scored just 17 first-quarter points before bouncing back to take a one-point lead at halftime.  They were about to pull away in the third, but Kawhi Leonard poured in six of his game-high 25 points consecutively to give the Spurs the lead.  From there, the teams traded decent-sized leads before it came down to the final possession.  Neither club had been getting much of anything offensively down the stretch and the Spurs, who had the ball last, proved it by missing a pair of tough shots from beyond the arc in an vain effort to tie the game.

Notice the headline mentions duos.  It's because without them, we'd be talking about a different result.  25 points came from the conventional and tempo-dictating duo of Jimmy Butler (14) and Derrick Rose (11).  A more unconventional one came thanks to 23 points by starter Tony Snell (11) and reserve Doug McDermott (12).

Pau Gasol led the Bulls with 18 points and 13 rebounds apiece.  While he continues to get eaten alive and pass on opportunities he should take, he turned into the player we know and love late, dominating around the rim.  Joakim Noah looked like the player of old with an unusual, yet effective line:  eight points, 11 rebounds and a team-high seven assists.  If he's still uncomfortable with his knee, it would be nice to see him deal with it like this nightly.

There's no question the Spurs move more smoothly and don't need as much effort as the Bulls to score.  Even with the usual suspects getting older, players like Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge have slowly made the team theirs so that group will continue to be a perennial contender when the Big 3 move on.  It's all part of the magic that is Gregg Popovich's system.

But with all that considered, the Bulls had some productive pairs in this game that would do them a great service going forward.  Rose and Butler need to continue building off each other so that they can hold their rightful place as the one consistent duo.  Others should form on a night-to-night basis to keep their strategy unpredictable.  That might be tough to pull off if you don't know who's going to do well together at tipoff, but it's sure nice to think about.

Check off another quality opponent the Bulls were able to defeat at home.  As we know however, they tend to have letdown games immediately after these types of victories.  Hopefully, that won't be the case Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets.  Just once, it'd be nice to see them break such a pattern and show themselves to be the consistent winners they're built to be.

Eking It Out

Heading into Tuesday, the Bulls hadn't defeated the Portland Trail Blazers on the road since 2007, longer than any current player's tenure with the team (no, I'm not counting Kirk Hinrich's two-year sabbatical).  Though they led wire-to-wire, it was never really a runaway.  In fact, the Trail Blazers tied it twice in the final quarter.  Fortunately, they could never make that one basket needed to go in front and the Bulls won 93-88.

The defense had a few questionable possessions, particularly one where Mason Plumlee went wire-to-wire for a dunk off a rebound.  And at times, the offense looked like it had trouble countering with the Trail Blazers' quick tempo.  But it culminated positively when Joakim Noah blocked C.J. McCollum's potential game-tying three in the final seconds.  Further evidence that what you do doesn't matter as much as when you do it.

Jimmy Butler made most of his eight free throws in the fourth quarter and led all scorers with 22 points.  While Butler was the main man the Bulls needed on offense, Derrick Rose, back after missing two games, complimented his backcourt mate by scoring 17 to go with a team-high six assists.  Nikola Mirotic's shooting improved with a 4-for-8 night from the field, resulting in 13 points.  Pau Gasol made some keys as part of a double-double (12 points, 14 rebounds) and the final two points of Taj Gibson's 10 iced the game with 1.8 seconds left.

The Bulls wrap up the Western portion of their circus trip with a 2-1 record.  Nobody's beating Golden State right now, but taking care of Portland and Phoenix let the rest of the East know they still have a chance to make some noise.  Okay, you really can't judge a team with a new strategy much less than a month in.  Still, with virtually the same roster from a year ago, the talent is also unchanged and that's reflected their 9-4 record, tied with Miami for the second best record in the conference.

The circus trip continues Friday against the Indiana Pacers.  There's a team that's gotten off to a nice start many people didn't see coming.  Some might consider this a trap game, but the Bulls have played well together with this roster longer than the Pacers.  A sure-to-be split crowd in Indianapolis should help them out too, though it's still up to them to take care of business.

Aussie Needs Assistance

I admit to being surprised Cameron Bairstow is still on the Bulls' roster.  With a new coach, new system and new way of distributing minutes, you'd think that would have given him more minutes, especially in lopsided games.  Instead, Bairstow has been assigned to the D-League's Austin Spurs as allowed by the Flexible Assignment Rule, which allows NBA teams without affiliates to select where to go.  Had this story taken place next year, he would have unquestionably been sent to the new Hoffman Estates-based affiliate.


Almost a month into the season, Bairstow has appeared in just two games and scored just two points.  This comes a year after scoring 10 points in 18 games.  Granted, he was on the short end of Tom Thibodeau's tendency to sit rookies, but you'd think things would have improved with Fred Hoiberg.  Apparently, not the case.

It should speak volumes that Doug McDermott has been able to get off the bench and earn significant minutes under Hoiberg, but Bairstow is no better off from a year ago.  True, you can't always expect big things from a recent second-round pick, but you would have thought some improvement would be in order.  Guess the law of averages doesn't always apply.

At least now, he'll be able to truly see if he's cut out to be an NBA player.  I'm not expecting him to dominate against lesser competition, but if he can't stand out to some degree, he probably won't be a Bull for much longer.  He's lasted longer than Erik Murphy did, so he's had a bigger leash.  Take that as a sign of encouragement.

The Bulls will get by without him for now and play the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday.  They'll be a little thinner down low, but does it really matter if he wasn't seeing the floor anyway?  Derrick Rose's return will give them a little more depth at the point.  Still, you have to wonder how better the Bulls would be (not that they aren't good already) if Bairstow was already a solid contributor off the bench.

Too Sunny for Suns

Aaron Brooks looks good in the above photo, but with 12 points against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, he reaggravated a left hamstring injury he suffered earlier in the game and had to leave.  At that point, there were doubts the Bulls could finish what they had started after blowing a 17-point lead.  Luckily, the Suns held the lead for all of 57 seconds and no later than with 4:35 left in the fourth quarter.  Though a frustrating contest, the Bulls won 103-97.

With Derrick Rose resting his sprained ankle, Jimmy Butler had to carry the Bulls on his own.  He scored 14 of the Bulls' 31 fourth-quarter points and finished with a game-high 32 points, the eighth 30-point outing of his career and first this season.  Phoenix had several second chances when they made the game close, but their inability to finish meant Butler made it hurt more than any other Bull.  Already, there's legitimate speculation he's reaching an even higher level of greatness.

Pau Gasol scored eight first-quarter points and ended with 17, rediscovering his game at the right time.  Kirk Hinrich, starting for Rose, shot 6-of-7 from the field to score 14, giving us the first of what will hopefully be a handful of decent outings from him this year.  Nikola Mirotic continued to struggle with his shooting (4-of-12 from the field), but still scored 10.  Although Joakim Noah didn't score off the bench, he had a game-high 11 rebounds.

As much as anyone would like to say this game was easy, it wasn't.  Maybe the Bulls survived playing at the Suns' pace, but 19 careless turnovers and 23 fast break points given up show how sloppy they were.  There were moments when they were caught daydreaming and the Suns pounced on those opportunities like a lion catching its prey.  Without Butler's hot play late and the Suns missing on additional chances to make the Bulls pay, we'd be talking about a different result.

Amazingly, for as lackadaisical as the Bulls have looked during this first month, their only regulation loss thus far was that blowout at Charlotte.  With this win, they moved to 8-3 and a tie with Cleveland for first in the East.  Many are likely waiting for them to drop off so either the Cavaliers or Atlanta can claim their rightful place there.  This month hasn't always been pretty and the injuries are starting to pile up at point guard, but you can't argue with the early results of a team still adjusting to Hoiball.

A tall order awaits Friday as the Bulls continue their circus trip against the defending champion Golden State Warriors.  The Bulls were one of only two teams to top Curry's crew at Oracle Arena during the regular season last year.  But the Warriors are 12-0 and could be 13-0 after Thursday's meeting with the Clippers.  That back-to-back might be the only thing working in the Bulls' favor, so they might have a chance if they exploit fatigue and jet lag, though Los Angeles and Oakland aren't that far apart.

Rosey Pace - Until the Ankle Roll

Derrick Rose just can't avoid the injury bug or people's observations about his diminished skills that go with it.  On Sunday, Fred Hoiberg talked about Rose's persistent double vision, remarking that it could last for three months.  Rose, who has admitted to trouble seeing the basket, responded by saying such a notion was news to him.  Ironically, it came out the same day of a Rick Telander column lamenting how he's no longer the player he was.

Rose led the Bulls with 23 points and six assists in Monday's 96-95 win over the Indiana Pacers, which ended with a game-saving block by Jimmy Butler.  But Rose wasn't on the court for the last half of the fourth quarter after spraining his left ankle.  He walked back to the locker room under his own power and said in a postgame interview he won't need a walking boot.  Still, the limp was noticeable and the same old questions about his health resurfaced.

What are we watching here?  The season might be just 10 games old, but averages of 13.6 points and three rebounds would be career lows if the schedule wrapped up today.  37.7 percent shooting from the field would be his second lowest for a season.  He did manage to make both 3-point attempts against the Pacers, but those still can't mask (no pun intended) a 3-for-20 performance from long range for the year.

I hate the thought of conceding my sentiment that someday, Rose will become that great player we know and love once again.  We might have to face reality though.  While he's capable of games like the one we just saw up until his untimely exit, he doesn't do it consistently enough to be listed among the top point guards, let alone players, in the game anymore.  Stephen Curry, John Wall, Ricky Rubio and Jeff Teague make up just the tip of the iceberg of players at that position who have jumped far ahead of him.

Here's how bad it's gotten.  Last night, I asked my co-worker in jest what would happen if Rose went one-on-one with Kobe Bryant.  He laughed very hard, saying he was pretty sure they'd blow out their knees or something to that effect.  I tried desperately not to laugh with him, but slowly realized there's a high likelihood of that scenario playing out.

Are we doomed to watch a player who can't show anything but occasional flashes of one MVP season?  The Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill comparisons are getting harder to avoid.  Is the main difference between him and those players that he happened to be rewarded for being the league's top player one year?  That would mean he's on track to become what I've feared for awhile now:  the only NBA MVP who doesn't make it to the Hall of Fame.

Rose may only be 27, but his body's been through more than most players who have lengthy basketball careers.  Sports can be cruel and no one knows that better than him.  We're left to wonder where he and the Bulls would be right now if that first ACL tear hadn't occurred.  Maybe they wouldn't have defeated a West team in the NBA Finals, but they would have had so many more legitimate chances to get that far.

The Bulls start their circus trip Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns.  Whether Rose can get height there like he did against Goran Dragic back in 2010, or even be healthy enough to play, remains to be seen.  And while we're at it, we have to wonder if he'll be able to see well enough to score at least 20, assuming he goes. 

Frustrating games and frustrating seasons are adding up to a frustrating career.  We're mad just watching this unfold.  And the worst part is none of this can be blamed on Rose.  Throw a fit at the fates for making everyone suffer through what should have been a better career to this point.

Baby Bulls to Play in Suburbs

For the 2016-17 season, the Bulls will have their first full-time Development League affiliate.  That will bring the number of D-League teams to 22 and the number of NBA teams who fully own and operate one of those teams to 13.  The new team will play at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.

The main advantage to having an affiliate within driving distance of the United Center is getting every player within the organization to buy into its philosophy, even if they're not on the pro roster.  The Bulls will get to hire their own staff and control every other aspect of the new team.  It will particularly be beneficial to rookies and other young players who don't see enough action playing on the main roster.  As Gar Forman put it, Bobby Portis and Cameron Bairstow could theoretically practice with the Bulls during the day and get D-League action in at night.

The Bulls previously had a part-time affiliation with the Iowa Energy alongside the Phoenix Suns.  The problem there was they had no control of the Energy and there was no guarantee their players would see the floor or adhere to a similar style.  A more secondary reason was the injuries of recent years, making them unable to leave any holes on the pro roster.  Naturally, the Bulls were typically hesitant to send anyone there, which is why D-League posts on this blog have been few.

All of that changes next year.  With the Bulls watching every move and bringing a staff to carry out their vision, the whole organization will be healthy for many years to come.  Leading the NBA in players they drafted (10) is impressive on its own.  Soon, they will have a chance to maintain or contend for that distinction year in and year out, at least as long as they continue to draft smart.

Bulls fans in Illinois can submit possible names for the the new team between now and Nov. 25.  The name will end in "Bulls," so I submitted "Baby Bulls" in the middle of writing this post.  Whether you agree with that name or not is up to you, but I'd like that term to mean something a little better than the dark early 2000s for this franchise.  If you have a better name suggestion, let me know.

Beating a Bad Team

The Bulls blew a 15-point lead against the Philadelphia 76ers in Monday's second quarter and that familiar feeling came back.  This alleged conference contender was going to drop yet another game against a bottom feeder.  Luckily, the Bulls came to their senses and realized the should actually play up to their potential.  They turned a potential nail-biter into a 111-88 laugher.

Don't be fooled though.  Many times, the Bulls looked just as bad as the 76ers, simply making fewer mistakes.  In the third quarter, they finally found the right wind and steamrolled through their hapless opponents.  Knocking down shots, getting rebounds and collecting turnovers (at least one from every 76er except Isaiah Canaan), they made the talent gap apparent and kept Philadelphia winless for the season.

Nikola Mirotic, coming off a struggling string of games, came back to hit a trio of 3-pointers and earn a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds.  Pau Gasol was steady throughout on both sides with 16 points, nine rebounds and six blocks.  Doug McDermott scored nine of his 18 points from beyond the arc and tied the team record set by Kirk Hinrich in 2004-05 with his 19th trey through the season's first eight games.

Derrick Rose totaled 12 points and a team-high seven assists, though he did miss another three long balls.  Tony Snell and Aaron Brooks scored 10 apiece.  When this team figures out how to score and divide that scoring, the depth can be lethal, especially against lesser teams like Philadelphia.  Even E'Twaun Moore got in on the action by pouring in nine.

Joakim Noah (knee) and Nerlens Noel (wrist) were both held out, robbing us of a fierce defensive battle.  It would have been nice to see two centers who were once among the best at their positions in college fight for rebounds.  And if Noel really is Noah 2.0, we should have more head-to-head ammo to go on.

The Bulls need to use this game as an example of how they should play lottery-bound teams.  Maybe it took them awhile to really get going, but when they did, the 76ers could only keep up in vain.  The talent is there, but we don't always get to see it.  That's why it's so frustrating to watch this team at times when it really shouldn't be.

The defense needs to keep up those 48 minutes of intensity Norm Van Lier loved to talk about.  The 76ers probably helped in this game because they're so bad, so they shouldn't read so much into it as far as overall ability.  And if it wasn't such an integral part of Hoiball, I'd suggest cracking down on the 3-pointers.  But that's the system and the personnel that can shoot should, unless those shots aren't falling, in which case those who can penetrate are the ones to turn to.

The Bulls have three days off, returning to action Friday against the Charlotte Hornets.  When these teams met in Carolina last week, the Bulls were badly blown out.  Now, the venue switches to the United Center.  Time to find out if lessons were learned.

Oh-vertime

As a general rule, I don't blog after non-playoff games I worked during unless a major event occurs.  It's a little difficult to actually tell what happened when I can't watch most of it.  So I was going to ignore Saturday's 102-93 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in which the Bulls failed to score in overtime for the first time ever.  But in this case, the following text message from my cousin Michael in St. Paul prompted me otherwise:

[Andrew] Wiggins and [Karl-Anthony] Towns looked good.  Big win for those young kids.  I look forward to reading your blog post on this one.

With my hand forced, I really couldn't avoid the reality of the situation.  Wiggins (31 points) outplayed both Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler (11 points each, 7-of-28 from the field combined) and Towns (17 points, 13 rebounds) proved a formidable for Pau Gasol (21 and 14).  Ricky Rubio keeps improving and if you ask me, the Timberwolves should ditch the nostalgia goggles and have rookie Nemanja Bjelica start for Kevin Garnett.  "Those young kids" are going to make some real noise in the NBA before long.

But "before long" is not yet here and there's the recurring problem for the Bulls.  They hang tough to beat Cleveland and Oklahoma City, but forget who they're playing with Detroit, Charlotte and Minnesota.  This happened a lot last year with, surprise surprise, virtually the same personnel.  You know, the group that had very little turnover during the season?

And I get that the long ball is an integral part of Hoiball, but you can't have the whole team transform into last year's version of Rose.  Butler and Nikola Mirotic shot a collective 0-for-12 from 3-point land and seven of the Bulls' nine shots in overtime came from there.  Maybe this is part of the adjustment period, but man, is it frustrating to watch.  Even second chances on those possessions are going to waste because they either try the long ball again or miss easy putbacks.

Blame Rose for not showing up like his old self.  Look at every big for letting every Timberwolf who penetrated create to the tune of 50 points in the paint.  Heck, throw the bigs not named Gasol (Mirotic, Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol) to the sharks for only getting 10 points.  Individuals or subgroups are easy to signal out, but the whole team stunk against another team that shouldn't have gained confidence from them.

Although Fred Hoiberg was understandably upset afterward, it's his responsibility to get the Bulls to kick old habits and take each opponent as seriously as the last.  And he needs to patch up that defense.  Even under Tom Thibodeau's defensive mindset last year, when there was more offense than usual, that very trademark uncharacteristically disappeared at crucial moments.  At least it's early enough in the year for Hoiberg to correct this imbalance, which is overdue with this roster.

The eighth game of the season is Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers.  While the Timberwolves have an upside for the future, there's not much going on in the City of Brotherly Love.  Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams are exciting to watch, but little support around them means the Bulls should have an easy time.  Then again, if the defense and intensity lacks yet again, we'll be looking at more rants from the media and fans over wasted opportunities with all this talent around.

Stung Badly

Amazing how a game like Tuesday's against the Charlotte Hornets can change a team's narrative so quickly.  This past weekend, we heard how Derrick Rose should make better decisions at the end of close games than just dribbling it out before launching a 20-footer.  Now, we have to wonder when he'll score in double figures again after failing to do so in three straight.  But that was just one problem we saw on display in a 130-105 defeat.

The Hornets, in search of their first win, got off to a fast start and never let up.  They took advantage of a Bulls defense that just never took away open lanes or open shots.  Offensively, the Bulls drove in a vain attempt to best Charlotte's bigs and attempted many difficult shots.  By the time it was over, the Hornets had scored at least 30 in ever quarter and the Bulls were stranded far out in the dust.

Four Hornets starters and three bench players scored in double figures.  Leading the bunch was reserve guard Jeremy Lamb, fresh off signing a three-year extension, with 20 points on 90 percent shooting.  Nicolas Batum, a free agent at season's end, was just behind with 18.  Even if he only scored four points as a starter, Marvin Williams made up for with a game-high 10 rebounds.

Jimmy Butler led all scorers with 26 points, including four 3-pointers, but his stellar play was mostly white noise by the second half.  Doug McDermott (career-high 17 points) and Aaron Brooks (14) epitomized Hoiball by combining for nine treys off the bench.  Pau Gasol's 13 were offset by horrible defense, although every Bulls big had trouble with that.  The biggest Bulls impression was left by Bobby Portis, who made his NBA debut with 10 points in the fourth quarter.

Rose's four points were somewhat made up for by a team-high five assists, but he was also part of a group of ineffective veterans.  Joakim Noah's five rebounds were the lone bright spot in a line mostly made up of zeros.  Although Taj Gibson made all three field-goal attempts, he never gelled with anybody down low.  Whether that's an indictment on the bigs' age, Fred Hoiberg's strategy, or their struggling to adapt to that, at least there's 77 games left to correct that.

Even going back to last season, defensive issues on a team with improved offense has been a recurring theme.  Now, it's gotten to where a team who may or may not make the playoffs is cutting through the Bulls like Swiss cheese.  We probably won't see this regularly, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating to watch.  And trouble with the Pistons, plus nearly blowing one against the Magic will only balloon these problems until the next easy victory, though that just might be putting a bandage over a wound for a bit.

It doesn't get any easier Thursday with a nationally-televised game with the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Anything like the outing we just saw and the results will be exactly the same, if not worse.  Kevin Durant is back with a vengeance and Russell Westbrook will only make life easier for him.  At least the Bulls usually bring their A game against the best teams, so maybe, this won't be as bad as some of us are making it out to be.