Head Coach Tom Thibodeau Claims Chicago Bulls "Let Go of the Rope"

Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau always seems to have an entertaining tidbit for the media to prey upon. This time, however, he's taken it to another level.

According to a post-game interview with the Chicago Tribune, the defensive guru believes his team "let go of the rope." In other words, Thibodeau feels the Bulls quit.

The quote came after the Bulls dropped their second game in a row and third in five games. The loss came at home against the Houston Rockets, a game in which the Bulls led by 11 points at the half. According to Rockets" target="_self" href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/ct-spt-0403-bulls-rockets-chicago--20120403,0,5181586.story">K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, Coach Thibodeau was none too happy with his team's performance.

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"We're a team that has shown great fight all year, great resolve," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "The last two games, I felt we let go of the rope. We have to get that edge back. Right now, we're not playing well. We have to work our way out of it."

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It's not hard to see why Thibodeau is being so hard on his team. The Bulls' recent string of losses include double-digit defeats to the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder. As for their defeat last night, many believe the Rockets to be more pretender than contender.

At the heart of these losses has been an uncharacteristic amount of turnovers.

Against the Nuggets, the Bulls turned the ball over 15 times to Denver's nine. Last night against the Rockets, Chicago coughed the ball up 19 times to Houston's eight. Strangely, the turnovers were not a problem against Oklahoma City.

The Bulls turned it over 12 times, but forced 13 out of OKC. The issue, however, was that the Bulls shot just 33 percent from the field. Not what you'd expect from the team who ranks ninth in field-goal percentage and fourth in three-point percentage.

While many issues can be pointed out, the constant in each loss has been solid play from opposing point guards. Denver's Ty Lawson posted a season-high 27 points, and reserve Andre Miller had 12 points and 10 assists. The Thunder's Russell Westbrook led all scorers with 27 of his own.

Last night, Houston's Goran Dragic scored 21 points, dished out five assists and came up with five steals. As admirably as C.J. Watson and John Lucas have played, the Bulls just haven't done enough at the point to win games.

Fortunately for Chicago, reigning MVP and starting point guard Derrick Rose is poised to return within the next few games. With that being known, it's hard to imagine those performances being duplicated.

The true issue isn't whether Rose can raise the quality of play, though; it's whether or not he can raise the level of effort. After all, how can a team win when their players quit?

Right Chris Bosh?