Bulls Game No. 46: Five takeaways from Sunday's loss to the Heat

110. Final. 84. 24. 96

After Friday’s victory on the road against the Dallas Mavericks, things seemed to be looking up for the Chicago Bulls. But on Sunday, against an old rival, an old friend and a relative unknown, the Bulls’ progress towards the right path was once again delayed.

Just when you think the Chicago Bulls have started to turn the tide and shoot towards the top of the Eastern Conference, a Sunday afternoon against an old rival can quickly change things.

1. The Chicago offense was … er, bad

How “bad” was the Bulls offense on Sunday?

Here’s a quick look at the numbers:

31-for-87 from the field (35.6%)
7-for-24 from three-point land (29.2%)
The starters – Rose, Butler, Snell, Gasol and Noah: 1-for-13 from long range

To quote Jim Ross, the great long-time commentator for World Wrestling Entertainment, the Bulls offensively on Sunday were “bowling shoe-ugly”.

2. Hassan Whiteside showed America that the hype is real

14 points, 13 rebounds and 12 blocks.

TWELVE BLOCKS.

Hassan Whiteside was awesome the moment he stepped onto the floor on Sunday. In just 24 minutes of action, Whiteside recorded his first career triple-double in just his 18th career NBA game.

The energy and dominant rim protection that Whiteside brought off the bench was too much for the Bulls to overcome.

How did the 2010 second-round pick feel after having his best game ever on a national stage?

Fantastic answer.

3. Playing Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol together isn’t working

If you scroll back up to see the offensive numbers for the Bulls on Sunday, one thing can be credited to the offensive struggles: spacing. When Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol are on the floor together — and Mike Dunleavy being sidelined — there’s not a ton of space for the Bulls to operate offensively.

Although Gasol picked up his league-leading 27th double-double with a 13-point, 17-rebound performance on Sunday, his defense was poor all day long.

Noah, playing in his second game since returning from an ankle injury, played just 22 minutes, missed four of his five shot attempts and continued to show no lift in his legs.

4. Kirk Hinrich’s minutes should be reduced

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If the Bulls want Tony Snell to develop into another Jimmy Butler-type of player and Nikola Mirotic to become a valuable weapon off the bench, then they need to be on the floor more.

Kirk Hinrich played over 24 minutes on Sunday, shot 1-of-6 — including two straight air balls in the second quarter — and struggled once again on both ends of the floor.

It’s understandable for head coach Tom Thibodeau to play a veteran over two young developing players, but when those players can offer your team more, why not give them more minutes?

5. Dwyane Wade took Jimmy Butler to school on a Sunday

Player A: 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, three rebounds, three assists and +/- of +5.

Player B: Season-low five points on 2-of-8 shooting, five rebounds, two assists and a +/- of -4.

Nope, Dwyane Wade isn’t done yet.

Wade was fantastic on both ends against his hometown Bulls on Sunday. Not only did he score 12 of his 26 in the final quarter, he put the defensive clamps on Jimmy Butler all day long.

Thank you, Luol

The Bulls organization and fans did a wonderful job welcoming Luol Deng back to Chicago for the first time in an opposing uniform. Deng played 637 games as a Bull over the span of 9+ seasons and was traded as the fourth-leading scorer in Bulls history.

Deng scored 15 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out four assists for Miami on Sunday afternoon.

Next: Bulls Game No. 45: Bulls conclude odd week with win in Dallas

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Bulls Game No. 46: Five takeaways from Sunday’s loss to the Heat

By Michael Whitlow | Jan 25, 2015