Bulls' Season On The Brink
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jan 27, 2009 6:20PM
With the Bulls off on their second extended road trip of the season -- this time exiled by Disney on Ice -- their season is on the brink. At seven games below .500 and sporting a 5-17 road record, the team that's already outside looking in with regards to the playoffs might just be positioned for another high lottery pick come June.
Sunday's OT loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves opened the seven-game road trip with a disappointing loss. Ahead most of the game, the Bulls allowed the Wolves to tie up the game in regulation before blowing it in the extra period. This seems to be a recurring theme with these Bulls of late. In fact, three of the five losses during their current skid looked like victories with just minutes to go.
Rookie coach Vinny del Negro still seems to be enjoying the ride... but are we enjoying it? No, not really. His young team has not developed the defensive tenacity we saw under Scott Skiles, they turn the ball over too much, and we haven't seen much consistency of play from anyone. Players like Luol Deng and Ben Gordon seem to be regressing while Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas have not matured as they've gained more experience in the league. Sure, there have been some injuries along the way but we still expected more from this squad.
Vinny has hinted at changing up his line-up. As if that's likely to make any difference. Haven't we already seen just about every possible combination in the starting lineup already?
With the team's return to the UC on the heels of an eleven game losing streak not out of the realm of possibilities, does Vinny have anything to worry about? When the Bulls return to Chicago, will he even be with them? While it's not even a year into his first go 'round as a coach (of any kind, at any level) we wouldn't mind seeing GM John Paxson pull the plug on this experiment. We questioned the hiring at the time, and del Negro's done nothing to pursuade us otherwise. A coaching change may be the only way to shake up this team.
It's sure not likely to happen via a roster shake-up. The trade deadline (Feb. 19) is fast approaching, and while there have been talks of a deal that'll ship Larry Hughes elsewhere that's little more than moving an overpaid, disgruntled player who isn't even del Negro's rotation anymore. So don't expect much help in return for his services. A change at the top is the only move that'll have any chance of salvaging a disappointing season. Pax admitted there are issues... does he have the guts to do what's necessary? Hell, he's already got Del Harris on the bench...
M. Spencer Green, AP