Bulls booed off their home floor in loss to Magic |
CHICAGO - I don't know what is more concerning at this point that the Chicago Bulls (26-31) are struggling to win games against teams they should beat, or the way this team is losing as of late. Not only did the Bulls not do anything at the trade deadline, but they are the only team in the NBA that has yet to make a move this season. That has put pressure on Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley to do something, and so far, they have let the fan base down.
There are reports that the Bulls are showing interest in Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley, but neither of them solves the biggest need on this team, SHOOTING. The bottom line is this. The Bulls have a very talented roster, but they are going nowhere fast without consistent shooting. Against an ever-improving Orlando Magic (24-34) team, shooting was an issue again as the Bulls started the game 0-11 from deep and went 3-21 overall. That is just 14.3% which proved to be the biggest difference in another ugly 100-91 loss. Going back to their game previous game, the Bulls are just 8-43 in their last two games from distance, as a lack of three-point shooting has hurt this team. Throw in the Zach Lavine and Billy Donovan relationship, and Chicago must answer the difficult question as to whether or not they tank the rest of the way. When the Bulls signed LaVine to the Super-Max contract last summer, the goal was to keep him in Chicago long-term and let him be the leader of this squad. Not only has that backfired, but Lavine is not a leader, and his relationship with Donovan is at the point where it can't be fixed. Sure, he will still produce as he led Chicago with 26 points, but he is starting to become a liability and has checked out. The problem is the Bulls need him more than ever, as Demar DeRozan has been dealing with an injury the last few weeks, and it appears he will be missing some time. With 19 points midway through the fourth quarter, DeRozan took it upon himself to remove himself from the game due to lingering pain. He will undergo further testing on Tuesday, which is not what this team needs. Hopefully, it is nothing serious, but if he misses time, the Bulls will be in even more trouble than they are right now. Nikola Vucevic will have to step up, which he has on several occasions this season. However, this was not one of those nights, as he finished with 13 points, but did extend his double-double streak with 13 rebounds. Chicago also needs Patrick Williams, Ayo Dosunmu, and Alex Caruso to step up their games if they want to make the postseason. Not only was Caruso hurt on Monday, but Williams and Dosunmu combined for eight points which isn't going to get it done. Coby White tried to pick up the slack off the bench with 12, but the Bulls lackluster effort prevented them from winning in front of the home crowd, and the crowd let them know how they truly felt. Despite all the negatives in this one, it was nice to see Dalen Terry on the court, and he showed what he can do. Not only did he have four points, but his effort and energy helped bring the Bulls back to the point where they were in striking distance. Chicago needs more performances like that, and it may fall at the feet of Terry to get it done. While the Bulls may be struggling to do anything right now, the Magic are quietly creeping up toward the play-in line and becoming a team that no one will want to play. Having a star rookie in Paolo Banchero certainly helps, as he led Orland with 22 points in the win. Banchero has been the best rookie this season, but he is far from alone in terms of the rebuilding process for Orlando. Not only is former No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz starting to elevate his game as he finished with 18 points, but the Magic also have a budding star in Franz Wagner, who continues to impress. After showing tons of promise as a rookie, Wagner continues to get better and added 18 points in the win. You also had former Chicago Bulls C Wendell Carter Jr continue to haunt his old team as he added 15 points and seven rebounds to give the Magic the balanced scoring they needed to win this game.
Windy City outlasts Grand Rapids
While the wins may not be there for the Windy City Bulls (8-10), they are at least fun to watch as they play with more heart than their parent team is playing with. Facing off against the Grand Rapids Gold (5-14) for game one of a back-to-back double dip, the Bulls managed to outlast the Gold, picking up the 115-112 OT win.
Per usual, it was the Carlik Jones show for Windy City as his fantastic season continues. Jones was on a mission, leading all scorers with 36 points and dropping eight assists in the win. Giving Jones an incredible inside-out combo was Marko Simonovic, who is starting to come into his own. After struggling with consistency in the first half of the year, Simonovic is beginning to look like an excellent player, as his 27 points and nine rebounds were crucial to Windy City.
At some point, Karnisovas needs to get the big man up here to see what he has, as the G-League is no match for him right now. While those two were the big scoring threats for Windy City, three more players added double-figure outputs, including Malcolm Hill (14) and Henry Drell (13) in the starting lineup. The Gold were led by Grant Golden and his 30-point 15 rebound effort in the loss.
