Jan. 14--It's a work in progress.
That proved the dominant theme after Tuesday's 80-minute practice at the Advocate Center, from the Bulls' current defensive rut to the closing-game pairing of Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol to Derrick Rose's pick-and-roll defense to Noah's surgically repaired left knee.
Tom Thibodeau contrasted his fired-up, who's-in-who's-out-of-the-circle postgame session following Monday's defensive collapse to the Magic with calm, analytical and positive comments.
But from the sounds of multiple sneakers squeaking and Thibodeau's shouts of "quick feet!" emanating from the closed practice, that was the unmistakable sound of defensive drills at the start of the average-length session.
"Right now, for whatever reason, we're low energy," Thibodeau said. "The good thing about our team is they've been through a lot. So they came in, had a good approach, watched the film and had a very good practice. That's usually the start of getting it corrected."
Thibodeau pointed to precedence for correcting the defensive woes, citing how rebounding proved an early-season issue before the Bulls, well, rebounded.
The Magic's opponent-season-high 59.3 percent shooting dropped the Bulls to seventh in opponents' field-goal percentage. And they have been outscored -- some games, badly -- in points in the paint in six of seven games with one tie.
That included the Wizards, their opponent Wednesday night at the United Center, bulling their way to big games from big men Nene and Marcin Gortat in Friday's home victory.
Thibodeau, who has bemoaned team-imposed medical restrictions and the ensuing lack of cohesive practice time since training camp, insisted the corrections can be made with practice rather than personnel or pairing changes.
That means, for now, he plans to continue to close with Noah and Gasol.
"It's great size," Thibodeau said. "If you're looking at do they work well together, you also have to ask what's happening with the ball. It's not just them. Are we doing the proper things to direct and point the ball where it should go? Are the smalls coming at the bigs with speed? If we do go to help, are we getting the proper support behind the ball? There's a lot going into it."
Thibodeau has pointed to Noah crossmatching to guard power forwards last season with Carlos Boozer on a less-offensive-minded center. But Noah, en route to defensive player of the year honors, always closed games at center alongside the active and versatile Taj Gibson.
Gasol has proved adept at serving as a more stationary rim protector. But his mobility doesn't match that of Noah's or Gibson's. With teams routinely attacking Rose in pick-and-roll situations, the Bulls currently aren't driving the guards as wide on pick-and-rolls and are allowing more direct lines to the basket.
"That's where you get your team being tied together, and is the emphasis too much on covering the (3-point) line?" Thibodeau said. "If somebody is beat, are we hesitating to pull the trigger? And if we do pull the trigger, is that next guy helping the guy who went to help? Those are all things you want to look at. Often you might have four guys doing the right thing and if one guy is a step behind, now you pay the penalty for it."
The Bulls, a vastly improved offensive team, also added the offensive-minded Gasol, Aaron Brooks and Nikola Mirotic to the rotation.
And then, of course, there's the ongoing saga of Noah's knee. Noah admitted on the first day of training camp it would take season-long maintenance but reiterated Tuesday he has felt steady progress.
Nevertheless, Noah admitted in November the surgery turned into more than a scope. CSNChicago.com reported in May and a source subsequently confirmed that some cartilage was removed.
To his credit, Noah refuses to use the knee or adjustment to playing with Gasol as excuses.
"It's not about me," he said. "It's about this team and finding ways to win ballgames. We have to find ways to be more effective.
"I think (playing with Gasol) is still a work in progress. Pau's in a groove offensively. We just have to find ways defensively to make it work as well."
The Bulls, it should be noted, are 26-13 despite these recent bumps.
"When there's adversity, people show their true colors always," Noah said. "We're going through something right now and we have to stick together and make it work."
--Mike Dunleavy, out for six games, rode a stationary bicycle during practice. Thibodeau estimated Dunleavy is "four or five days" away from returning from his jammed right ankle.
kcjohnson@tribpub.com
Twitter @kcjhoop
