Another Game, Another Bad Second Half: Bulls Lose to Pistons

This is becoming a disturbing trend.  The Bulls have a fine first half, but implode in the second.  Such was the case last week against Denver, Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers and  in Monday's 109-95 loss to the Detroit Pistons during their final game at The Palace of Auburn Hills.  It tied the teams at 31-32, though they still hold onto the final two playoff spots in the East.

Even without Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo due to injuries, the Bulls initially appeared not to need them, outpacing Detroit on the break, 10-0, in the first quarter and leading by as much as 14 during that frame.  But the Pistons cut that lead to four by halftime and the contest was knotted after three quarters.  The final frame was all Detroit, which opened it with a 12-3 run and ultimately outscored the Bulls, 30-16.  That happens when your offense lasts longer and you take away easy chances on defense, though it helps when your opponent lets you score at will and can't respond.

Reggie Jackson was the Pistons' big player, scoring 24 of his 26 points in the second half and shooting a perfect 10 for 10 from the field during that time.  Jon Leuer scored 16 and 13 points apiece came from Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris.  Andre Drummond, whom the Bulls hacked for a bit in the third quarter (a strategy Will Perdue said changed the course of the game), had 12 points and eight rebounds.  Aron Baynes, whom Australian Olympic coach Luc Longley was in the building to check out, put on a decent showing of 12 and seven.

Jimmy Butler regrouped from his bad game against the Clippers to lead all scorers with 27 points and grab nine boards.  Robin Lopez was his usual reliable self in the pain, scoring 18.  Cameron Payne showed a glimpse of why Gar Forman acquired him, hitting a game-high four 3-pointers during a 14-point game.  Bobby Portis scored 10 and Jerian Grant dished a season-high eight assists.

It came down to who had more energy down the stretch and in this case, Detroit's 54-20 advantage on points in the paint over the final three quarters played a huge part.  Little resistance from the Bulls on one end and employing shooters who aren't consistent enough on the other can only mean disaster.  And too many turnovers, five of their 10 coming from Butler, gave Detroit more chances they were mostly happy to take advantage of.  Worst of all, they looked defeated in the face of adversity during the second half and you cannot do that in the NBA.

Every game is becoming more pivotal as the season approaches its final month.  The next one will be on the road Wednesday against the Orlando Magic.  The Bulls' win there on Jan. 24 was the last time I blogged right after a victory.  I'll be working this time however, so my next chance to feel good while writing after a game will have to wait a little longer, which just goes to show how elusive wins are becoming for a team that's still hovering around .500.

Year of Frustration Keeps Going for Bulls: Midseason Report

People have become fed up with the Bulls.  A season filled with turmoil, inconsistency and no willingness to change is causing fans to tune out.  A Crain's Chicago Business report says TV ratings for games on Comcast SportsNet are down 28 percent compared to the final season average and the team is on pace for its lowest average viewership on the network in nearly a decade.  But everything is fine in Jerry Reinsdorf's world as long as he has Gar Forman and John Paxson back next year, which he will, even when players are calling each other out.

What was hyped to be the season of the 3 Alphas has turned into what many feared would when Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade were signed as sidekicks to Jimmy Butler.  Mediocrity is the name of the game and in January, the younger players felt the wrath of Butler and Wade, who were bashed by Rondo on Instagram in return.  For the second straight season, Fred Hoiberg has a roster that simply isn't built for his system.  And with Sacramento trading DeMarcus Cousins right after Sunday's All-Star Game, the Bulls will likely have to settle for the Kings' second-round pick in the next draft instead of their first-rounder.

Despite so many things going wrong, the Bulls find themselves in the seventh playoff spot in the East at 28-29, one game behind Indiana and one ahead of Detroit.  Amazing is that the East's ninth-place team, Milwaukee, is a half-game better than Denver, the eighth seed in the West.  So unless the Bulls decide to trade Jimmy Butler before Thursday's trade deadline, it would take a monumental amount of losing for them to miss the playoffs.

That's not what many people want to hear.  They see this as a team with no direction stuck in basketball hell and the only option is to tear it down and start over.  If GarPax goes that route, it's hard to imagine they'll consider it until the end of the season at the earliest.  As long as the team is connected to Jahlil Okafor trade rumors, it's wise to assume they won't be burning anything to the ground soon.

That's good news if you want to keep watching Butler in Chicago.  Once again, he's improved from a year ago, posting career highs in almost every relevant category.  The new All-Star voting system allowed him to make his first start in three selections.  He's proven he belongs among the NBA's elite and he won't slow down until he's stretched his ceiling as high as it can go, which is scary for opponents since it appears the sky's the limit for him.

While his string of 12 consecutive All-Star selections ended this year, the 35-year-old Wade has shown he has plenty left to contribute.  When he's not sitting out games to conserve whatever gas is left in his tank, he's creating his own plays and acting clutch in situations where Butler is unavailable.  Fortunately, he's been out there enough to wow fans and create memories befitting of a future Hall of Famer near the end of the years in which he can make a real difference.  As long as the team doesn't have to go through him all the time, his value will be maximized and the Bulls will gain from that.

The same can't be said for Rondo, who hasn't started since my girlfriend and I saw him begin a 5 1/2-game benching on Dec. 30 in Indiana.  His scoring average is at its lowest since his rookie year and he's well on his way to a career-low field goal percentage.  Although he still gets his assists each game, that average hasn't been so low since his second season.  The one good thing he's done is give the bench a veteran presence it didn't have before, which is beneficial to any team.

For the first time in his career, Taj Gibson has started every game he's played, missing only two all year.  His scoring and free-throw percentage are up significantly from last year and he still plays with the same intensity he has since coming in the league.  Hard work and not a lot of flash won't get you the accolades of your more talented colleagues, but it gives you respect and admiration from everybody.  Gibson has earned all of it and with his contract about to expire, it's sad to know this player who embodies what a Chicago Bull is might soon be out the door.

Robin Lopez, who took over Joakim Noah's starting spot at center, is the only Bull to play and start every game this season.  While he's had a bit of a down year, it's been easier to take thanks to lower expectations in the paint without Noah or Pau Gasol.  He's another example of doing all the right things with the game he has and there isn't as much pressure on him to create.  He won't ever achieve the results of his twin brother Brook, but he's a respectable NBA player the Bulls were lucky to acquire as the centerpiece of their haul in the Derrick Rose trade.

Since Rondo's benching, starting point guard duties have been split between Michael Carter-Williams and Jerian Grant.  Carter-Williams might be productive enough to be considered a viable NBA player in the long run, though the Bulls are his third team in four seasons.  Plus, he's averaging just 2.7 assists a game this year, by far the fewest in his career.  A restricted free agent after the season, he could stand to improve if he wants his next paycheck to be a good one.

Grant, in his second NBA season, has shown flashes of a player belonging in the rotation, particularly by shooting 34.8 percent from 3-point range, but he isn't proving himself enough in other areas.  If he wants to stick around the league, he needs to create more plays for himself and others.  He has room to grow at 24 though, so look for more out of him.

If you wanna talk disappointments, look no further than Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic.  While McDermott has gotten more playing time, increased his scoring and is the best 3-point shooter on the team, he hasn't lived up to the expectations of the lottery pick the Bulls drafted two first-round picks to get.  He's not the go-to player they expected, but he has one year left on his contract to figure it out, which can't be said for Mirotic, who's becoming a restricted free agent after a season in which he's regressed across the board.  He should be fortunate to collect an NBA paycheck right now because at this rate, he's going to find trouble landing elsewhere next season.


As for the rest of the team, Cristiano Felicio does enough with his minutes that he can get it done on both ends during that allotted time.  Bobby Portis is still finding his footing, though slowly making strides.  Paul Zipser has improved his post play by doing the little things, allowing him to get more minutes than fellow rookie Denzel Valentine, who needs to prove his production matches his basketball smarts at the NBA level and not just with the Windy City Bulls.  Isaiah Canaan barely sees action these days, which should tell you all Hoiberg thinks about his potential to thrive here.

Hoiberg could thrive with a roster suited to his demands, but he hasn't gotten one yet.  If he did, we might be talking about a more successful Bulls.  He's not blameless however.  Though he deserves a longer leash than GarPax, nothing about these Bulls indicates he can get the most out of his players like Tom Thibodeau did.

There's talent on this roster, but it's not enough to be considered a consistent winner.  The question GarPax has to consider so close to the deadline and beyond is whether the core players can be built around without triggering a total teardown, which Reinsdorf undoubtedly wants to avoid completely.  The chairman is 80 and might not have be happy if he knows he must wait for another championship for too long.  Then again, he wants to do it his way with GarPax, so he needs to pick a lane and choose it for the greater good of the franchise.

The second half begins Friday with a home meeting against the Phoenix Suns.  After the Bulls laid an egg against them on the Disney on Ice trip, one would think the universe would balance itself out.  Then again, that's another young and athletic team, the type the Bulls said they would be, but didn't and have ironically struggled against.  Funny how saying one thing and doing another works against you.

Rajon Rondo Instagram Rant Points Blame at Wade, Butler

I gotta hand it to the Bulls.  When controversy comes their way, they don't shy away from it.  In fact, they seem to love adding one layer after another.  And as we found out Thursday, they can even cause a ruckus on social media.

In the immediate aftermath of Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade calling out their young teammates following Wednesday's blown game against Atlanta, the most vocal response came from Jerian Grant on Twitter.  But Rajon Rondo's grating Instagram post on Thursday made Grant's tweets look like high praise.  For those who can't be bothered to follow the link, Rondo posted a picture of himself with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett during his Boston days.  Here's the full message that accompanied it in all its glory:


My vets would never go to the media. They would come to the team. My vets didn't pick and choose when they wanted to bring it. They brought it every time they stepped in the gym whether it was practice or a game. They didn't take days off. My vets didn't care about their numbers. My vets played for the team. When we lost, they wouldn't blame us. They took responsibility and got in the gym. They showed the young guys what it meant to work. Even in Boston when we had the best record in the league, if we lost a game, you could hear a pin drop on the bus. They showed us the seriousness of the game. My vets didn't have an influence on the coaching staff. They couldn't change the plan because it didn't work for them. I played under one of the greatest coaches, and he held everyone accountable. It takes 1-15 to win. When you isolate everyone, you can't win consistently. I may be a lot of things, but I'm not a bad teammate. My goal is to pass what I learned along. The young guys work. They show up. They don't deserve blame. If anything is questionable, it's the leadership.

Well.  That sure resolved everything going on with this team.  In fact, Bulls management appreciated it so much, Rondo's contract might be bought out.  It's as if to say "We love how you spoke your mind, so why don't you do it someplace besides here?"

The scary thing about Rondo's post is he's not completely wrong.  Go back to any non-game story involving Wade or Butler this season and you'll find things that match what Rondo is saying.  So it's not a huge shock that he doesn't like how they've conducted themselves as team leaders or simply as players either.  Their postgame comments were clearly the last straw for him, but even with all that time between then and when he made the post, he still felt strongly enough that he had to tell the world what he perceived to be the wrong way to guide a team.

The biggest irony of this whole thing is that it was Rondo who coined the term "The Three Alphas" and in less than 24 hours, they all added fuel to the fire that is this dysfunctional season.  Worse yet, it's turned into two alphas against one and unsurprisingly, the player by himself has by far contributed the least this year.  What is anyone hoping to gain from all this?  Unless some magic potion that brings unity is somewhere in the locker room, it's hard to imagine much.

But perhaps some good will come of this.  Maybe this is what Gar Forman and John Paxson needed to finally stop turning the other cheek and do something about this mess they created.  Years from now, we might look back on these past couple days as the moment when the Bulls finally decided to get serious about building the franchise's next great era.  And to think, all it might have taken was an online rant from a player who many felt was a poor teammate and bad for Fred Hoiberg's system to begin with.

All we know for sure is we're all sick and tired of season after season turning into a soap opera for one reason or another.  Two years ago, it was GarPax against Tom Thibodeau.  Last year, Butler seized leadership from Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, much to the chagrin of the now-Knicks.  The latest one is Rondo vs. Butler and Wade vs. everybody.

Why do we as fans have to put up with this?  Even the Tim Floyd era didn't see so much drama for so long.  If Michael Reinsdorf doesn't realize now is the time to get his father Jerry to sign off on something new, this organization is a lost cause.  This all could have been avoided if they took the proper steps to assemble a winning, united basketball team, but here we are.

The longer the higher-ups remain silent about this, the more fans are going to tune out.  It's a shame to see the same franchise Michael Jordan became famous with reduced to something no one should want to be a part of.  A real culture change is needed.  No one should care about how it happens as long as there's a light at the end of this God-forsaken tunnel, which there currently is not.

Maybe Jerry will see how happy SoxFest attendees are this weekend to know his other team is finally taking proper steps to get back to winning.  If that's the epiphany he needs to realize Bulls fans would be just as happy to endure lean years for a better future, so be it.  Maybe it starts with dumping Rondo and admitting he never should have been signed to begin with.  Let's see somebody take to social media about that.

Postgame Comments From Wade, Butler Remove Any Doubt of Discord

If any people were still wondering about the unity of this year's Bulls, there's no longer any question regarding it  after Wednesday's late collapse against the Atlanta Hawks.  Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade, the only two players to make any meaningful contributions in the game, really let their teammates have it.  Wade, already in the spotlight this week for threatening to walk after this season, said he doesn't "know that they care enough."  I won't reprint the expletive Butler dropped, but his sentiment echoed Wade's, saying his teammates "just got to care if we win or lose."

The teammates in question surely took the comments in their own ways.  Jerian Grant had the most public reaction so far, sending out four tweets about it.  It's understandable because none of us like to be talked down to at our jobs.  Still, it's disheartening to see this young player, the latest in a revolving door of starting point guards at a time when the Bulls sometimes have no one on the court at that position, respond to the on-court leaders in this fashion.

For the second straight season, Fred Hoiberg has lost control of his locker room.  Not being able to get the best out of every player is one thing.  So is not knowing which player should be doing what in clutch situations.  It's quite another to see words flying to the point where your players aren't getting along.

Okay, Rajon Rondo brought his baggage with him as everyone expected, but at least when he's the story, it ultimately goes squarely back to him.  Now, you've got the best players on the team throwing the young players who are supposed to be developing under the bus.  That's multiple parties on both sides of the aisle involved.  How are we expected to believe this will all get resolved before the season ends?

We can't blame Hoiberg for this entire mess though.  What will really be intriguing is if we hear from Gar Forman or John Paxson, the architects of this dumpster fire, about these latest developments.  While we probably won't, it's hard not to want to be a fly on the wall during their private meetings.  Do they feel they need to take action or do they just not care?

I'm not holding my breath on whether GarPax has learned what could happen when you're indecisive on the direction of your franchise.  Collectively, they've made one poor decision after another without consequence.  Even when Forman says they're going to put together a younger and more athletic roster, he finds players to fill that description who aren't that good and also abandons that plan halfway through it.  And he's getting paid a lot of money for it all.

If there's any good to come out of this latest episode, maybe this will finally convince management to pick a lane and follow it through to the end.  As seemingly everyone but them suspected, you can't just sign high-profile players to put butts in seats.  Sure, the Bulls are still selling out games, but turnout has not been very good and tickets are being cheaply resold everywhere.  So much for taking the marketing route this year.

The best we can hope for now besides wins is Butler and Wade making sure there are no hard feelings and they just want everyone to play to the best of their abilities.  They might have to do it quickly though in case GarPax wants to sell at the trade deadline.  Even if the season that never was is officially lost, at least the interpersonal relationships can be healed, right?  Of course, that's not what season-ticket holders pay a lot of money to see, and we have to wonder how long they're willing to do that.

Bulls Largely Ineffective Against Thunder

Talk about a day in which Jimmy Butler experienced both the highs and lows of NBA life.  Monday started well for him when he was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for last week.  But it wasn't known until shortly before tipoff whether an illness would keep him out against the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Though he tried to play through his condition, he was unsuccessful, making just one free throw and none of his six field-goal attempts before leaving prior to the fourth quarter of a 109-94 loss.

With Butler's condition a prevailing storyline, more drama was added when Dwyane Wade ran into Nikola Mirotic and lay flat on the court, but he walked off on his own and returned to action shortly thereafter.  Though the Thunder led for most of the contest, the Bulls kept it competitive until midway through the third quarter.  That's when the bottom fell out and Fred Hoiberg eventually emptied his bench save for Rajon Rondo, who sat during his entire bobblehead night.  By the end, many Bulls fans had turned their attention to Derrick Rose's bizarre absence from Monday's New York Knicks game.

Russell Westbrook finished one rebound shy of his latest triple-double, though 21 points and 14 assists were just as impressive.  It's become standard to talk of Westbrook in that regard.  The story for the Thunder involved centers Steven Adams and Enes Kanter.  Both lay claim to the paint with many close layups and dunks, combining to score 42 points and shoot 20-of-25 from the field.

With Butler hampered, Wade took the bulk of the on-floor responsibilities and led the Bulls with 22 points.  Michael Carter-Williams scored 15 in the latest proof that his hustle and play earned him the job of starting point guard.  Cristiano Felicio has been an asset with his athleticism and Jerian Grant is developing nicely as a shooter.  Both used those qualities and more to score 11 apiece.

This game did more expose how bad it can get for the Bulls against quality teams, especially when they're not totally healthy.  After Butler and Wade, the drop in talent on this roster is steep.  So if anyone still wants Butler traded now, just know what you'd be watching more regularly without him.  And don't say it would be beneficial in the long run because rebuilding is not as simple as the Cubs have made it out to be, especially in the NBA.

The daunting task of playing the second of a back-to-back  on the road Tuesday against the Washington Wizards became more challenging after Monday's loss.  Butler will not travel with the team, at least not to our nation's capital.  Wade won't play either so he can rest.  As optimistic as I love to be as a Bulls fan, a victory in this game couldn't be called anything except a miracle.

R.J. Hunter Waived

I know, I've been away from here longer than I should be, but that happens when you start working one more day each week.  I've missed opportunities to recap games such as Wednesday's, which ended when Jimmy Butler beat the Brooklyn Nets at the buzzer.  But that's not why I'm here today.

The Bulls made a very minor move on Thursday, but one that reduced their roster size to 14.  They requested waivers on R.J. Hunter, who played in three games and collected one rebound over nine minutes during that span.  Not even time with the Windy City Bulls could improve his standing here.  Now, he finds himself looking for new work.

Hunter, as you may recall, was added to the team just before the season tipped off.  But the Georgia State product who caused his head coach and father Ron to fall off his chair during March Madness in 2015 never found his footing in Chicago.  Frankly, he probably didn't have much upside to begin with.  It remains to be seen where he lands next, but the D-League is probably his best bet.

Hunter is 23, so he's got plenty left in the tank.  But how high can his ceiling go?  If the Bulls, known to move the Jerian Grants and Paul Zipsers of the world back and forth between Chicago and Hoffman Estates, can't find much promise with him, perhaps he's not destined to last in the NBA.  But he has every right to show he belongs with the best and at his age, he'll have more chances to make it as a professional basketball player.

As for the Bulls, they already have enough trouble getting every young player into games each night.  With the roster being completely healthy for the first time since Halloween, it perhaps allowed the front office to reevaluate the situation and thus, determine that Hunter wasn't going to get enough chances here.  If they were really sold on him, they probably wouldn't have waited until after the preseason to give him a shot.  Whatever the case may be, it's the life of a professional basketball player, which is constantly prone to change.

I'll conclude this post by sharing a poster made especially for this blog.  When I find more time, probably after the holidays, I'll look for a way it can be displayed on the home page permanently.  My girlfriend Audrey gave it to me for Christmas and I'll actually be taking her to tomorrow's road game, her first Bulls game, against the Indiana Pacers.  My recap won't be up until late, but try to wait around for it before you go to bed, okay?