Feb. 11--The Bulls dropped to 27-25 following their Wednesday home loss to the Hawks. Here are three observations as they enter the All-Star break.
Joakim Noah is missed
The Bulls have allowed seven straight opponents to score 100 or more points. They've been outrebounded in six of seven. Bobby Portis projects to be a decent NBA player, but he's a rookie. And he's no Noah.
The emotional leader's absence isn't the sole reason for the Bulls' struggles in two departments in which he excels. But this stretch should remind all of Noah's importance, even though many wrote him off after last season's physical struggles.
Flat performances before the injuries removed the benefit of the doubt
The Bulls have lost 13 of 18 and the poor performances now surely are exacerbated by the spate of injuries to critical rotation players. But the inconsistencies that showed all season before the injuries have provided little confidence that the Bulls can right the ship even if they get everyone back but Noah.
Even players acknowledged this.
"When we had the full roster, we were losing games we should have won and were giving up wins at home against teams that come in under .500. Those were the things I was more perplexed about," Pau Gasol said. "We didn't take advantage of those opportunities and now you go through tough times with key injuries to players and younger players have to step up and do their job and they still have to figure things out, how to be effective and helpful. So it's a harder position now. We can't rely on talent to win games. You rely on hard work, grind, dedication, sacrifice."
The Bulls showed little competitiveness or teamwork in the second half
Players have talked about recent blown late leads becoming mental and affecting the team's ability to play through adversity. That certainly seemed to be the case after the Hawks dropped 38 points, an opponent-season-high for a third quarter, after halftime.
The fourth quarter featured the Bulls making one pass and just jacking up shots. This is reflective of the larger issues facing the team, a lack of trust and ability to play for each other consistently.
"That group out there the last 10, 15 minutes, it didn't even seem like basketball," Doug McDermott said. "I was a part of that, so I take responsibility."
Everyone needs to during this break. The Bulls have 30 games left starting next Thursday in Cleveland. A playoff berth is legitimately in jeopardy.
