Feb. 28--The Bulls dropped to 30-28 with their home loss to the Trail Blazers. Here are three observations.
The margin of error is very small
This is what happens when four of your top six rotation players are out. You need to play a near perfect game.
The Bulls did plenty right against Portland. They posted a season-high 33 assists. Pau Gasol posted his first triple double as a Bull with a career-high 14 assists.
But unlike in the recent three-game win streak when the Bulls shot 50 percent or better in each game, the Bulls missed plenty of good looks and shot 41.5 percent. They also failed to get stops at critical times late.
"You can't really dwell on it or be frustrated and think about it every day," Gasol said of the injuries. "We wish certain guys would be back and we wish that things were a little different. But they're not. So you just go out there and do your best, play together, play within the game, help each other out, play harder than your opponent. That's how you give yourself a chance regardless of the level of talent in this league. And then hopefully we'll get some guys back. Guys that are important to our team that would help us quite a bit."
The ball movement remains strong
Posting 33 assists on 39 field goals is rare. That's four times in five games the Bulls have made quick decisions with the ball, gotten good reversal and looked sharp offensively. They didn't make shots as frequently as during their three-game win streak. But aspects of Fred Hoiberg's offensive vision were apparent once again.
Will they remain if and when Derrick Rose and, more pointedly, Jimmy Butler return? That's the big question.
Doug McDermott looks like a different player
That's five straight double-figured scoring games for the first time in the second-year forward's career. And beyond his 3-point shooting, McDermott is displaying the varied scoring ability that propelled him to NCAA Player of the Year honors his senior year at Creighton.
McDermott has been in perpetual motion off the ball of late, indicative of his confidence level. He is still attacked relentlessly defensively and will have to improve at that end to be a total impact player. But offensively, he is showing signs of why the Bulls made him a lottery pick.
