The Chicago Bulls are going through a slump right now. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games, and have dropped their last two. After a blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, is there cause for concern in Chicago?
The four wins for the Bulls in this 10 game slump have not been impressive. Two of the wins came against the Celtics, who will be in the draft lottery this season. Two of the six losses have been against the Jazz and Magic. No disrespect to those teams, but there is no way a team with this talent should be losing to the Jazz by 20 and giving up 121 points against the Magic.
A big problem for the Bulls throughout the season has been their defense. The Chicago Bulls struggling on defense? Aren’t they only supposed to have struggles on offense? It has been the complete opposite this season. Since 2010, the Bulls have been a top 10 team in defense each season, and are usually a top five team. This season, they rank 16th in defense, giving up a little less than 100 points per game. In previous years the Bulls have limited teams to just 88 points per game, and given that there has to be concern on the defensive end. They have made great strides on the offensive side, but they have not been able to get stops on defense. In the NBA, it is defense that wins championships.
It is obvious that Tom Thibodeau is not happy with the way his team has been playing. Thibodeau is known for his tough defensive teams, and the Bulls aren’t showing that right now. While there have been reports that the players aren’t paying as much attention to Thibodeau as in previous years, those seem very hard to believe. These players love their coach, and will eventually get it together with him.
It was really important that Derrick Rose finally broke out of silence and gave his say on how he felt. After the loss to the Cavaliers, Rose came out and said “this team is not the same page.” When the leader of the team comes out and shows frustration, the rest of the team really needs to take that seriously. He said all the right things, and needs to bring all the players together and fix the problem.
No matter what, the Bulls are still a contender in the Eastern Conference. Joakim Noah has been out with an ankle injury, and he will do whatever it takes to fix the issues once he returns to action. Don’t worry, Bulls fans. Everything is going to be alright.
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