Bulls: Chalk Up Another Loss to Del Negro's Offensively Inept Lineup

In the midst of what looked like another spirited fourth quarter comeback by the Chicago Bulls, Drew Gooden threw up an air ball that caused Vinny Del Negro to throw his fist in disbelief and rage.  Behind the gutsy play and hot shooting of Ben Gordon the Bulls had trimmed what was a 17-point lead down to seven.  They had the ball and the momentum.

For some unknown reason Drew Gooden took it upon himself to be the go-to player on this crucial play.  The ball didn’t end up in the hands of rookie sensation Derrick Rose, whose 20 points and 7 assists should serve notice to the league.  It wasn’t the red hot Ben Gordon, who ended up scoring 30 points in under 20 minutes who took the shot on this very important possession.

Instead Drew Gooden, with plenty of time on the shot clock took a contested fade away 19-footer on the baseline.  The ugly shot only was part of Gooden’s 4-13 shooting performance but it was particularly frustrating considering the magnitude of the play.  For a big man to shoot that badly is almost unbelievable.

Maybe I am exaggerating the importance of this play but it is emblematic of the problems the Bulls are having, specifically on the offensive side of the ball.  Very few of the Bulls seem to have any clue just what they are supposed to be doing on offense.                        

Even when Rose and Gordon were putting up points tonight they were in one on one situations.  Del Negro’s squad doesn’t even attempt to form offensive flow or rhythm.  Even out of timeouts they consistently put together horrendous half court offensive possessions. 

Bulls fans can only be patient for so long.  With a roster full of talent it is unacceptable for Del Negro to continue to run this offense.  Actually I think it’s a stretch to say Del Negro’s team runs any type of offense whatsoever.

As for a change in the starting lineup, there was none.  Three of Del Negro’s starters, Sefalosha, Thomas, and Gooden combined to score 12 points on 4/18 shooting.  That is simply not the type of output that will lead to a victory against an above average NBA team.  It is time for something to change and change quickly.  Vinny Del Negro looks like a guy who has never coached before at any level.  Oh yeah, I forgot, he hasn’t