What Is Going On With the Chicago Bulls??

So when the Bulls started off the season 5-0 and then after they have that insane 24-point comeback against the Sixers where they held the Sixers scoreless for the final six minutes of that game or whatever it was and they improved to six and one, we all thought, “All right, this is it. This team has turned a corner. What we saw at the end of the season last year where they went 15 and five in the final 20 games of the season was real. This team is real. They are on the up and up.” And you know what? It’s even better that they now control all their first round picks and have a ton of expiring contracts to give them ample cap flexibility going into free agency in 2026. But since that 6-1 run, the Bulls have gone 3 and seven since then. And while some of those losses right after going 6-1 I still deemed to be good losses where they fought hard against the Spurs and just couldn’t stop Wanyama in the final minutes. They had that close loss against the Cavs in Cleveland. Another game they had the lead going into the fourth quarter and just could not close it out at the very end. But then something happened after these solid performances. Something fell off with this team. A sudden drop in their identity, their defensive effort, their grit, their resiliency. And we saw it really start to take shape in that game against the Pistons where the Pistons practically had their entire starting lineup out due to injury and were playing two-way guys versus the Bulls. And the Bulls got outworked by inferior talent, manhandled on the boards, tricking them every which way they could and getting to the basket. That was an embarrassing loss for the Bulls. Did not take their competition seriously. And like we have seen so many times over the years play down to their competition. They played some of their best games, best games we’ve seen in years against some of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. But then when it came time to win a game, they were supposed to win, they could not do it. They came out flat and they were trying to dig themselves out of a hole from that point forward. And since that game, that game against the Pistons, it’s been nothing but the same for this Bulls team. Outside of, you know, the game in Denver, of course, because the Bulls played a good team and won a game that no one expected them to win on the second night of a backto-back. But outside of that game, the Bulls have consistently underperformed and played down to their competition, needing miracles to escape games against the Blazers and Wizards, losing to the Jazz and Pelicans, two teams that are near the bottom of the Western Conference. The Pelicans are actually at the bottom of the Western Conference. And for Bulls fans, it’s really hard to figure out what is going on, why the sudden shift, the sudden contrast in play from that first week or so of the season to what we see now. And while I still try to wrap my head around it and understand what’s going on, I do think that it can be summed up in a few terms that I’ll share here. So, what’s going on everyone? You’re listening to Bull Central here. Hope you’re all doing well. Now, the biggest thing aside from, of course, the Bulls just not playing with the same level of energy and intensity we saw to start the season and why they seemingly played down their competition, which I’ll get into. But the biggest thing that has jumped out to us over the past few games is the Bulls inability to crash the board. Specifically, giving up way too many offensive rebounds and second chance points to their opponent. The Bulls on the season are 27th in the league in giving up offensive rebounds to their opponent. And over the past two weeks, they’re dead last in that number, and it’s not even close when it comes to the team that’s second to last. Over the past 10 games, they’ve given up more second chance opportunities than any other team. and the second most second chance points scored against them. And because of that, this of course has led to their opposing teams getting far more shots than they do in a given game. On the season, teams are getting up five more shots and six possessions more per 100 possessions than the Bulls are. Over the past 10 games, that number has gone up, allowing nine more shots to their opponent. Of course, this past game against the Pelicans did not help with that average considering they got up 22 more shots than the Bulls did, but nine more shots than the Bulls over the past 10 games is staggering. Now, obviously, over the course of more games, this will level out a bit. But even still, on this season, over 17 games played, the Bulls are consistently getting up fewer shots than the team that they’re playing. And even though they’ve been more efficient shooting wise than their opponent, it hasn’t really mattered because, as I’ve said so many times, it’s hard to win basketball games when you consistently lose the possession battle on most nights. The Bulls had 20 threes in the game against the Pelicans and shot 40% from three in that game, but it didn’t matter. The Pelicans controlled that entire matchup and led for most of the game. And so for the Bulls, it’s paramount right now that they focus not so much on their offense, even though I would argue that still needs to improve as well as that’s fallen off a bit since the start of the season. But they have to focus, execute, and lock in defensively. They have to ensure they’re the ones getting more possessions in a game, they’re the ones getting up more shots, they’re the ones getting the offensive rebounds, and not the other team, and that they’re the ones forcing turnovers instead of the other way around. The Bulls as of right now are second to last in the league in forcing turnovers and they’re dead last in opponents turnover percentage. The Bulls turn the ball over a fair amount themselves and they compound that given the fact that they are not able to force enough turnovers on the other end. And so the best way for the Bulls to get more possessions, get more shot attempts and hopefully smart shots. They’re not just generating more shots for the sake of taking bad shots. But the way they do that is forcing turnovers, anticipating passes, anticipating switches, and for the love of God, boxing out, box your man out, and get the rebound. Be more physical. There is no excuse for giving up 20 offensive rebounds or 30 offensive rebounds like they did in the game against the Blazers, which enabled them to come back in that game after the Bulls led by as many as 21 and had to win it at the buzzer. Now the other piece going back to the identity and energy factor. The Bulls need to do some soulsearching to really get back on the straight path for this season. They need to understand that this is a long season that there going to be ups and downs and it’s a matter of finding a way through and overcoming those big lows like rock bottom lows. How do you overcome that as a collective unit? How do they search within themselves and say we’re not going to keep doing this anymore. We’re not going to keep playing down to our competition. we’re going to come out hungry, locked in, and ready to go from the jump, no matter the game, no matter the circumstance. Because the biggest thing that’s disappointed me as a fan is seeing the energy and intensity completely evaporate from this team. Like you guys know, I’ve talked about for years now on the channel, the thing I care about most more than anything is seeing the players on my team actually give a damn when they’re out there on the court and give it 100% for the whole 48 minutes, playing like it’s their last game every single night. I know sometimes that can be a bit too much to ask for, but you’re getting paid millions of dollars to do this job. Take it seriously and play hard for the fans. That shouldn’t be that big of an ask. And that’s what I loved from what I saw from this team in the early going of the season. They hustled. They played hard. The energy was there. The excitement was there. Guys were in sync. Nothing phased them. They just kept hooping. I was eating that up. Like even in some of the losses, I didn’t care because they were giving it their all. That’s not the case anymore. I can live with losses as long as you’re giving maximum effort. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know what happened. If it’s something in the locker room that somehow deflated these guys where they’re feeling defeated, I don’t know, but Billy Donovan better figure it out. Too many times people are coming to his defense because he’s this Hall of Fame coach. Like, man, we need an explanation for why throughout your tenure, through multiple different roster iterations, your guys have consistently played down to their competition and lost a lot of games they should have won. Why aren’t you getting your guys ready and motivated to go against these teams? What’s the game plan? What’s the strategy when the guys come out flat to ensure they fix what’s going on going forward? Because it’s unacceptable to me that we’ve seen this now 5 years running. So anyway, long story short, Bulls need to figure this out. They’ve got some easy games coming up against the Hornets, the Pacers twice. No more excuses. Execute and win these games. Anyway, let me know what you guys thought. Let me know in the comments. As always, be sure to subscribe and I will see you in the next

Discussing why the Bulls have been underperforming over their last 10 games and what needs to change.

NBA Channel: https://youtube.com/channel/UCikoP0pxZTRqNp9XgMJlIqQ

Sign up for Underdog Fantasy with Promo Code [Bulls Central] to get a Special Pick in the lobby AND up to $250 in Bonus Cash on your first deposit: https://play.underdogfantasy.com/p-bu…

Discord: https://discord.gg/NCnTQFZkkj
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bulls.central.official/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BullsCentralYT

#ChicagoBulls #BullsNation #nikolavucevic #joshgiddey #isaacokoro #matasbuzelis #cobywhite #nikolavucevic #PatrickWilliams #AyoDosunmu #BullsNews #NBANews #NBARumors #BullsUpdates #BullsRumors #NBAFreeAgency #BullsTrades #NBATrades #NBATradeRumors

36 comments

  1. The main thing is that we are not tanking, we knew that this team was awful and we wouldn't get anything, unless we tank and if we don't, we will be stuck in purgatory and we will only be wasting our time!

  4. Based on your analysis the only variable that stands out to me is bad coaching when rotations change due to injuries. Also, we need rim protection big time. We can score, the problem is the defense. These players can learn to defend if properly coached!

  5. I didn't buy into it at all šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚ this is a lottery team that got off to a LUCKY start…. there's no hope for this organization until Reinsdorf sells his ownership stake

  6. You called it.. the lose ball issue has been an issue for YEARS! It but soon people will see that it wasn't a Zach Lavine problem it was a coaching problem the whole time especially his lineups he's puts out there every year. We've already given up three games of 150 points and I'm afraid that's not the last we'll see that. Get a new coach and you'll see instant chances.

  7. Of course Paint Defense and Rebounding is an issue for the Bulls right now. When the players they signed/re-signed or traded for this offseason were all under 6ā€™5ā€ what would you expect!?!
    Yuki Karamara (already waived)
    Tre Jones
    Isaac Okoro
    Not much rebounding paint defense help in those additions.
    And Iā€™m not counting Noa Essengue because heā€™s not given any floor time, nor do I believe he will contribute much anywayā€¦now nor in the future. In fact, when we look back on this draft pick and the players that were passed on to get Essengue, itā€™s gonna feel much like the 2020 selection.

  8. As a fan I'll continue to show my support and go to the UC for a few games a season for the atmosphere, some merch, and some tenders with fries, but I will NOT subscribe to cable TV and subject myself to this BS on a semi daily basis šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļøšŸš®

  10. I feel like Billy Donovan has all the hallmarks of a flash in the pan coach. On a normal team heā€™d have one, maybe two seasons overachieving, but then the league figures him out and heā€™s let go after 3-4 seasons. Except since this is the Bulls, mild overachievement leads to infinite job security so heā€™s still here.

  13. How much of this do you think has to do with Tre taking a back seat to Coby? I feel like Tre's style of play and leadership was setting the culture/identity in a really positive way, but now he's been demoted.

  17. I wouldnā€™t totally blame coaching but they donā€™t draft guys who are hustling or have defensive IQ. Huerter, Ayo, and Okoro are the guys that hustle the most. Pwill, Terry, Smith, and Giddey try and make some plays. Nobody else doesnā€™t try at all

  18. Stop saying bulls are playing down to the level of competition. The bulls are not playing down they are on the same level of those teams . Itā€™s us who delusionally keep saying we are better , we definitely are not

  20. The team started the season with a spark and I still believe they are a .500+ team. However the problem is still Billy. He just got resigned. Don't expect this team to be great until Billy is gone and that probably won't happen until AK is gone.

  22. I completely agree with what you said about that these guys need to play like they care. I only see one guy that seems to really want to win and thatā€™s Ayo. Outside of that what Iā€™ve been continually saying is that this team lacks two critical pieces of championship contenders; they need a superstar, they would be a complete team with a number one guy that commands respect in the locker room, and they need an enforcer, a guy that gives them some semblance of grit and determination.

  26. A lot of players out with injuries or just coming back from injury. Pretty much every player has been out games and we are in the first part of the season. Also, 5 games in 7 nights always takes a toll. Hopefully this 3 day break with practice will get them back on track.

  27. I think the issue is clearly defense but i think it goes deeper than that. My analysis is #1 this is not a championship team. We all knew that, but the way they started the year it looked like a championship team because thats how they were playing. However, championship teams arent championship teams because of good month stretchs, they play that way all year. Which obviously the Bulls are not used to/incable of doing. So the ups and downs should be expected. #2 Health is important, there is 0 point in bragging about having a deep team or a bench mob when multiple players are always out or unavailable. That takes depth away which forces lineup changes which may not suit the teams best interest. Everyone needs to be healthy to be at our best and put our best lineup (starter and bench) forward. #3 Schedule. This one may sound like an excuse to some but to me its worth noting. Chicago somehow has the 2nd hardest schedule in the NBA this year. You can look this up. I truly believe the NBA doesnt want us to be great at this pointšŸ¤£šŸ˜© #4 coaching, i put this as #4 because i feel like its everyones scapegoat answer but i do think theres some legitimacy to it. It not just Billy, the whole staff i believe needs an upgrade i would prefer a coaching staff geared toward speed and execution. Similar to Duncan parker and ginobli spurs. Ball movement, simple IQ basketball, strict defensive schemes. You cant follow directions, you dont play. Simple. Harsh but no BS tolerating coaching. No matter the contract or player. That energy will force every player to give their all, or lose their spot if they are a detriment to the team. #5 Roster, we havent reached the deadline yet so who knows who will stay or go but even if the Bulls make no changes, this offseason could bring some changes. Hopefully in more size and rim protection but i believe this roster isnt "complete" yet. The building blocks are there (giddey, white, matas, with Ayo being the main man off the bench) but upgrades/moves could be made everywhere else. Personally i like a 2 big lineup especially with Smith at the 4 because he can spread the floor. So either Vuc or Collins at the 5 with Smith would be nice in my opinion. Sorry for the long comment but i want to go to school to get into this field so im just practicing expressing my opinions and analysis hopefully i dont sound dumb lol but i believe i could run this team better

  28. What has there record been in the last 3-4 years against lesser teams? Don't know if records being kept. Seems like they are only winning 60% of those games. If so that is why they are under .500 and are a play in team. I never said they would finish in the top 6 because of this. This type of play shows in the post season because if there is no identity established how are you going to win. That has been the problem. Will it change remains to be seen……

  29. I am now absolutely without a doubt convinced with AKME being in charge and Billy Donovan being the head coach for who know's how long that until these 3 headed bone heads are gone from the Bulls This team won't really improve that much. I mean it's pretty obvious they don't know how to create a consistent winning team that can get very far

  32. -There's tape available, teams have adjusted
    -underwhelming production from Pwill/Okoro
    -Unsettled and unbalanced lineups. Coby is in and out. Not a fan of the Ayo, Giddey, Coby (when available) starting lineup. That's asking to get beat on the boards
    -In a related point Rebounding in general has been poor, Okoro/Matas/Pwill all play big mins and don't average 15 reb p/g combined between the 3 of the them
    -Josh has been in general good, but needs to get his TO's under control. Nearly 4 TO's p/g is not good
    – Bench production has come back down to Earth

  35. They think theyre a playoff team when they've always been a play-in team and Matas is getting the PWill developmental plan in Donovans offense.

    "HEY GO STAND IN THE CORNER AND DO NOTHING"

    Matas is the only player with plus or superatar upside he should be putting up 20 shots a night and Giddey needs to be the train conductor. Everyone else is a trade chip or a role player ans should learn their role

Leave a Reply