The Bulls haven't been as good as their record suggests

[whitesoxjr27]

On the surface, the transition from Tom Thibodeau to Fred Hoiberg has been seamless for the Chicago Bulls. They are 7-3 after a thrilling win over the Pacers, putting them in second place in the East and fourth in the entire NBA.

 

Peel back the layers, and the road is bumpier. The fact that the Bulls are 7-3 with a new coach and without glue guy Mike Dunleavy is undoubtedly a positive, but the overall picture shows a mediocre team with a lot of problems to sort through. While the Bulls are second in the East and fourth in the NBA, their net rating places them seventh in the East and 13th in the entire league, per NBA.com.

 

Squeaking by a short-handed Pacers squad without George Hill, Rodney Stuckey and Myles Turner illustrates the Bulls' fragility. They've enjoyed a favorable early-season schedule that's featured six of 10 games at home and two road games against the lowly Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. Chicago deserves credit for actually winning these games, but the schedule has enabled them to rack up an impressive record despite some noticeable problems.

 

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/11/17/974...ecord-breakdown

Edited November 17, 2015 by whitesoxjr27

[southsider2k5]

Right now they are a team without an identity. They are still figuring out the system, and who is going to play where and when. There have been some positives and negatives, but we are still early on the learning curve

[Chisoxfn]

They are leading the league in opposing field goal percentage, which is an excellent sign and something we would have hoped would happen sooner then the offensive progression (since we were already a well coached defensive team...albeit we have a new tactician in Boylan). Offensively, we have seen signs of a really smooth offense while seeing major stagnation issues that would be expected from a new offensive system (plus an area where we historically were pretty limited in terms of overall offensive scheme and fluidity).

 

Oh and I think a lot of these rankings are driven by +/- which is a s***ty stat when you had one particular game where we were obliterated. I think if you adjust for that Charlotte game (and you probably should, given the sample size) and you come to a different equation. Bottom line, we are seeing our defensive mentality still their (which was a major plus from Thibbs...now how long that intensity lasts who knows, Boyland has a strong track-record but he's not Thibbs) and offensively we've seen signs (including Rose minimizing turnovers and improving his assist numbers..especially in recent games). And while Rose has struggled with his shot, he has been so much more aggressive then any stretch last season (another plus). This is all while Snell / Niko have played like dumpster fires by (although Dougie has responded positively). Gasol is also starting to look more comfortable (as they are getting him more involved in the flow of the offense) and Jo is looking a heck of a lot more active (although still missing too many easy offensive looks).

[Chisoxfn]

I should point out, while the article is written to try and have an agenda that doesn't take into account the sample size, etc, their are some meaningful stats in their (for example Rose's shot chart breakdown) and I think really a lot of hidden positives for why, a it is too early to come to any conclusion, but B, why the glass is kind of half full (vs. half empty).

[Chisoxfn]

The road trip will be interesting. Good time for the players to bond (I know not a lot of new faces, but still, an early road trip can be good, especially with the new coaching staff). It also provides a major early test. Either way, I've enjoyed the early part of this season and had fun watching the games, which after the past few years of watching White Sox baseball and last year's Bear season, is really something I have come to appreciate.

 

I was busy screaming at the TV last night and fired up when Buckets had that last second block and that is more enthusiasm than I've had about a Sox game in 3 years (which just shows you the current state of the franchise given how we've been irrelevant by the end of April pretty much every year the past 3 years..which is sad and hard to freaking do).

[shipps]

The road trip will be interesting. Good time for the players to bond (I know not a lot of new faces, but still, an early road trip can be good, especially with the new coaching staff). It also provides a major early test. Either way, I've enjoyed the early part of this season and had fun watching the games, which after the past few years of watching White Sox baseball and last year's Bear season, is really something I have come to appreciate.

 

I was busy screaming at the TV last night and fired up when Buckets had that last second block and that is more enthusiasm than I've had about a Sox game in 3 years (which just shows you the current state of the franchise given how we've been irrelevant by the end of April pretty much every year the past 3 years..which is sad and hard to freaking do).

 

I am with you. We have really had to endure some terrible teams across the board so I am willing to take what I can get.

 

Do I like all the guys on this Bulls team? Hellllllllllll no.....but they are still my team and I want them to win badly. They have a fighting chance against the East until proven otherwise and I have enjoyed watching them feel their way through this transition period to Fredbergs system.

[Chisoxfn]

I do think Niko is going to continue to suck if he keeps shooting 3's the way he is. His fundamentals going into the shot right now are horrific. Derrick Rose horrific. Not sure what is going on but too much movement and just poor body control on his 3's (even when they are wide open). I know he worked a lot on this in the off-season and you can see he has the potential to be a lights-out shooter from long distance (and he is in practice) but part of that is translating the smoothness of your form in practice to the game and in game situations he seems to rush or think he needs to do more and loses body control and thus makes long shots much harder then they are.

 

That said, its his 2nd year and its early in the season and part of the goal of this year is to be at our strongest by the end of the season, so getting development in during the year (while also making it through the year relatively healthy and in a position to be "fresh" for the post-season is as good as it gets). Now players will have to cooperate and given less minutes has no guarantee on health but I'd hope it should allow for fresher players and more guys getting minutes and true developmental opportunities.

 

Niko needs to learn from Doug who is night and day as a shooter this year vs. last year. His shot right now is freaking effortless from downtown (albeit last night he had some brutal shots). Heck in the late 3rd / most of the 4th, we had more ugly shot than I had seen in a long time. Just brutal on what were relatively open shots. Everyone was missing.

[Chisoxfn]

I am with you. We have really had to endure some terrible teams across the board so I am willing to take what I can get.

 

Do I like all the guys on this Bulls team? Hellllllllllll no.....but they are still my team and I want them to win badly. They have a fighting chance against the East until proven otherwise and I have enjoyed watching them feel their way through this transition period to Fredbergs system.

It is something people forget. Sports are entertainment. The White Sox don't entertain me and thus I turn my eyes away more then ever before (I can't stand to watch bad baseball with a horribly constructed roster...the recent Sox have been one of the least watchable baseball teams that I've ever seen. So little to get excited for on an everyday basis).