Wins haven’t come very often at 1901 W. Madison the past few seasons.
Winning months? Good luck tracking those down.
It might be easier to find home cheering sections in support of Bulls general manager Gar Forman and the job he’s been doing lately.
There was almost last February, when the Bulls actually went 5-5. And now there’s this December, where the Bulls are currently 7-6 with one game left on Monday against Milwaukee.
That’s it.
That’s as good as it’s been for the slumping franchise since Jim Boylen took over as head coach last Dec. 3.
What those two months have in common is when Lauri Markkanen is playing his best basketball, the Bulls are playing their best basketball.
No pressure, Lauri.
“Obviously we have stuff that we can improve, but it does feel good to close a couple of games out, actually get the win,’’ Markkanen said of the recent play of his team this past month. “We’re not satisfied. I think we were supposed to [beat Atlanta on Saturday], and we did a good job. Now, try and get one on Monday.’’
Not an easy one to get against the powerhouse Bucks, but the fact that Markkanen has finally shown up this season at least gives them a shot. A long one, but a shot.
When the Bulls showed some life last February, it involved 10 games from Markkanen in which the 7-footer averaged 26 points, 12.2 rebounds and shot 48.6 percent from the field.
Unicorn-type numbers.
While this past month hasn’t been that, it’s been much better than the frequent no-shows Markkanen was displaying in the first 20 games of the season, in which he averaged 13.3 points per game on a dismal 35 percent shooting from the field and 28 percent from three-point range.
Something finally clicked.
“Just playing the same guys in the system, and obviously we work on it every day, so it has to become comfortable at some point,’’ Markkanen, who has been battling the flu this weekend, said of that change.
The numbers show just how comfortable he’s become in the new-look offense, as he’s averaged 17.6 points per game in his last 13 contests, shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from three.
The rebound numbers are still fairly stale compared to last season, but there’s enough self-awareness to Markkanen in his third season to know it has to get better.
“Obviously I can do a better rebounding and pushing the ball, but yeah, I’m more comfortable,’’ Markkanen said. “ I kind of know where I’m going to get my touches and shots.
“I think everybody is figuring out their role and doing a good job of it. Knowing when to attack, and in our system knowing where the open guy is going to be. That obviously helps when you play the same guys.’’
Boylen settling on a consistent starting five and rotation of course helps, but Markkanen has to take a share of the blame.
This Bulls rebuild rests on the foundation pieces of Zach LaVine and Markkanen. LaVine has shown up this season. Markkanen let the moment shrink him.
He was settling for too many three-pointers early on, forgetting everything that made him successful. Lately, however, it’s attacking the rim first, relying on the three-ball second.
“I like the cuts to the basket he gets, I like when he runs ahead of the ball in transition,’’ Boylen said. “The threes are great, but I like those plays, the effort, energy plays that help us win.
“He’s starting to learn how we play, where he can get his shots, get his spots … He was very frustrated early and he stayed with it. It’s coming around.’’
