The Chicago Bulls Are One Piece Away From A Championship

By Court Zierk @courtzierk on January 22, 2015

On Monday, the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers faced off against each other for the second time this season, and for the second time, the Bulls came up short. This was a matchup between what many considered to be the two clear-cut preseason Eastern Conference contenders, and yet nearly halfway through the season, it felt more like a matchup between two teams trying desperately to simply find their identities.

The Bulls have, at times, looked like the best team in the East, winning 15 of 17 games played during one stretch in December and early January. But they have also looked pedestrian recently, losing six of eight, and now have people like me questioning how good they really are.

To be fair, there are good reasons for their sudden decline. First, and most importantly, the Bulls have been plagued by several injuries to some of their most critical players. Most notably, Joakim Noah has been hobbled for most of the season with an ankle injury, and has looked like a shell of the player that won the Defensive Player of the Year award one short season ago.

Mike Dunleavy and Doug McDermott have also missed significant time due to their own injury situations, and of course, Derrick Rose’s playing time has been restricted all season as he slowly integrates back into the rigors of the nightly grind of the NBA.

But this alone doesn’t explain their struggles. After all, every NBA team experiences and is forced to deal with major injuries to key players. The Toronto Raptors were without the services of their leading scorer, DeMar DeRozan, for 22 games, and managed to remain competitive. The Golden State Warriors have been dealing with Andrew Bogut’s injury situation for most of the season, and while he is arguably their second most important player, they have accumulated much of their league-leading winning percentage in his absence.

The point being that good teams figure out how to withstand injuries, and especially with the depth the Bulls possess, there is really no excuse for how poorly they have played over the past few weeks.

I think a key factor that is contributing to their recent play is being overlooked, and that is that they are simply one piece away from being a truly great team. That isn’t to say that they aren’t talented. I wouldn’t argue the fact that they may actually be the most talented team in the Eastern Conference, but I think something is still not right with their team construct.

With a clearly less talented roster, and lacking much of the depth they now possess, this team managed to win 48 games a season ago. Much of this was due squarely to the otherworldly play of Noah, who was a defensive menace, and ran roughshod over every opponent he faced with his unrivaled energy and intensity. He was definitely a primary factor in them finishing second overall in defensive rating. What they lacked in anything resembling offensive competence (28th in offensive rating), they made up for with suffocating defense.

This season, they have found plenty that works for them on the offensive end. Adding Pau Gasol, the emergence of Jimmy Butler, and drafting Nikola Mirotic have all played key roles in them elevating themselves into being ranked ninth overall in offensive efficiency. But, they have clearly lost something on the defensive side of the ball, and they have slipped all the way to the middle of the pack, ranked 14th in defensive efficiency, as a result.

How Can This Be Explained?

At least partially, it can be directly correlated to Noah’s injury, and the fact that he looks like a ghost of his former self out there. They might be wise to consider shutting him down for a while to ensure his health for a playoff run. I think Butler has taken a step down from his elite defender status, partly because he is playing an ungodly amount of minutes, and also because he is being asked to take on a much larger role offensively. To give you an idea of how far he has fallen off, his defensive box plus\minus at the end of last season was 2.4. Right now, it’s at 0.3.

The Bulls have also drastically increased their pace of play from a season ago. In 2013-2014, they ranked 27th in PACE with 99.7 possessions used per game. This season, they have jumped all the way to eighth overall, with 105.7 possessions used. The faster play has certainly improved their offensive output, but the increase in energy exerted probably has a negative effect on their defensive intensity. Anyone who has ever played any basketball before understands that defense is 90% desire, and this desire can be hard to summon when you are bending over, pulling at your shorts.

How Can It Be Fixed?

If there is a desire to maintain the increased emphasis on the offensive side of the ball, which appears to be the case, the Bulls are not equipped with the personnel needed to make this successful.

It’s no secret that the Bulls have one of the deepest and most talented frontcourts in the league, with four legitimate, starting-caliber bigs at their disposal. But, what they don’t have is great depth on the wings. Beyond Butler and Dunleavy, the Bulls don’t have much in the way of proven NBA players.

Tony Snell has shown flashes of promise, but he isn’t someone that can be depended on. McDermott could be a solution, but he was inconsistent at best when healthy, and his injury only sets back his progress.

I think what the Bulls need to do is explore moving some of their depth in their frontcourt in exchange for some help on the wings prior to the trade deadline, and there are plenty of options that could be available to them.

Sending Mirotic to the Denver Nuggets, for instance, in exchange for either Wilson Chandler or Arron Afflalo, would give them some critically important depth, and offensive punch to take some of the pressure off of Butler and Rose. The Nuggets would get a young player to add to their rebuilding process so it makes sense for them as well.

Moving Mirotic to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has a similar effect, and could also make sense for both teams. The Hornets could certainly benefit from the increase in shooting efficiency, and the Hornets get a player with a defensive mindset who can also put the ball in the hoop when needed.

There are definitely options out there for the Bulls to explore, and while it may seem drastic to make any moves based on a few bad weeks, I think it actually goes deeper than many believe it to be. There is a fundamental flaw in the makeup of this team that needs to be addressed, and there is plenty of opportunities out there in the trade market for the Bulls to truly solidify their status as a contender, and also to reinvigorate and reinstill their defensive mindset.

Court Zierk is a Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @CourtZierk, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on Google.