Bulls Game No. 49: Five takeaways from another loss on the West Coast
93. 24. 99. 66. Final
There probably isn’t a team that needs the upcoming All-Star break more in the NBA than the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls lost their second consecutive game on Friday, their ninth loss in the last 14 games.
Friday night symbolized quite a bit for the Bulls in their loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Not only did the Bulls lose in back-to-back nights, their glaring issues continue to creep towards a bigger spotlight.
More from Chicago Bulls
- Chicago Bulls’ winning ways proves Billy Donovan’s system works
- Chicago Bulls News: Coby White is that dude
- Chicago Bulls’ recent success means big trades make sense
- The Chicago Bulls seem to have a major Zach LaVine problem.
- No Zach, no DeMar, no problem? Chicago Bulls stun the Bucks in OT
The defense was lackluster again, especially the transition defense, which was torched all night long by the youthful bunch from Phoenix. Not only did the Bulls shoot just 41.4 percent from the field, they missed 14 of their 18 three-point attempts.
Oh, and to make matters worse: Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol all played 36+ minutes a night after a double-overtime game in Los Angeles.
(Butler played 49(!) minutes on Thursday and 42 minutes on Friday.)
Here’s five takeaways from Friday’s loss to the Suns:
1. Joakim Noah is starting to look like Joakim Noah
How good has Joakim Noah been this week?
- Tuesday vs. Golden State – 18 points, 15 rebounds and six assists.
- Thursday vs. Los Angeles – Nine points, 17 rebounds and nine assists.
- Friday vs. Phoenix – Nine points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
Noah has really shown a good burst in his step this week and that’s the biggest positive for the Bulls moving forward. This team’s title hopes could end up riding on Noah’s health in the spring months.
Not only has he found the energy to boost the Bulls on the glass on both ends, he’s starting to contribute extremely well offensively.
(Don’t believe me? Ask Miles Plumlee.)
2. Aggressive D-Rose > Perimeter-oriented D-Rose
Even with another poor shooting night, Derrick Rose seems to pick up his aggressiveness on Friday night.
Rose shot just 8-for-23 from the floor on Friday night, but the burst and quickness were there. Of course, there is the fact that he also shot 0-for-6 from long range.
In Rose’s defense, a pair of those three-point attempts came in the first couple minutes of the game and he did look to attack the rim much more as the game went on.
Even with Rose attacking more on Friday, one can’t help but be concerned about this recent stretch:
D-Rose is 5/31 from 3 over his last 4 games. That's almost 8 3's a game. Irresponsible, bad decision making.
— Jason Patt (@Bulls_Jay) January 31, 2015
Not good.
3. Aaron Brooks played Kirk Hinrich minutes … and that’s a good thing
One of the hottest topics in the world of Bulls fans is the enigma that is Kirk Hinrich.
Even with hitting a go-ahead three-pointer on Tuesday night late, Hinrich has struggled throughout the entire year and has had a ton of Bulls fans pulling their hair out.
How frustrating has it been for some to watch Hinrich play large minute amounts while shooting just 37 percent from the floor?
Tonight is the first time a healthy Kirk Hinrich played under 17 minutes since rejoining the Bulls.
— Trenton Jocz (@TrentonJocz) January 31, 2015
(Hinrich rejoined the Bulls during the summer of 2012 after two seasons in Washington and Atlanta.)
But, there’s no need to fear … because Aaron Brooks is here.
Brooks is another version of Nate Robinson for the Bulls: A small point guard with a quick trigger that can get out of control with the ball, but can heat up in a hurry.
On Friday, Brooks played 32 minutes. Kirk Hinrich only played 11 minutes.
Why is that such a good thing? Hinrich’s plus-minus in 11 minutes: -21.
Play Brooks more, Thibodeau.
4. Since when do the Bulls miss 10 free throws?
The Bulls are fourth in the NBA in free throw shooting percentage at 78.2 percent.
More from Da Windy City
- Juan Soto appears headed to the Yankees which is not a big blow Chicago Cubs offseason
- 3 takeaways from Chicago Blackhawks shootout loss to Nashville
- Chicago Cubs in the middle of chaos that is Shohei Ohtani’s free agency
- The Chicago Cubs are on a roller coaster of emotions chasing Shohei Ohtani
- Chicago Bears quietly compiling list of head coaching candidates
So, how did they start Friday’s game 0-for-7 from the charity stripe on Friday?
Pau Gasol got the shooting debacle off to a stellar start by missing five free throw attempts in the first 10 minutes of the game for the Bulls.
What’s odd about that: Gasol’s a 80.3 percent shooter from the free throw line. The Bulls would go on to finish the night at 17-for-27 from the line for the game.
They lost by six.
Always practice your free throws, folks.
5. Why aren’t the rookies playing more?
Outside of a 10-second run for Doug McDermott against the Lakers on Thursday and 20 combined minutes for Nikola Mirotic between the back-to-back losses, the Bulls rookies have hardly moved from the bench lately.
McDermott has been ready to go off his November knee surgery for over a week and Mirotic gives the Bulls a viable option to stretch the floor with his shooting.
So why isn’t Tom Thibodeau playing his young guns more?
If you want your core guys — Rose, Butler, Noah and Gasol — healthy and ready for the postseason, then give your rookies a shot to ease some of the load of their backs during the season. Give them a chance to experience the game on the floor and just have them observe the game from the bench for 60+ games.
(Side note: This was nice to see.)
Next up for the Bulls (30-19): At Houston, 7:00 PM CT, ESPN doubleheader
Next: Bulls Game No. 48: The good, bad and ugly from a Bulls loss in double OT to the Lakers