What We've Learned From the Chicago Bulls' "Circus Trip"

And so we have come to the conclusion of yet another Chicago Bulls patented "November Circus Road Trip," an event that has done more to continually reaffirm for the Bulls and their fans that they are no longer a preeminent franchise in the NBA.

Since 1998, when the curtains fell on one of the greatest teams in NBA history, ushering in a decade of futility leading to inconsistent uncertainty, the Bulls have gone 6-52 on the annual trip. 

And while this year got off to a similar start with the Bulls losing big against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trailblazers, the Bulls made some improvements to finish the trip with a modestly impressive 3-4.

So as they prepare to play five of their next eight at home, against lackluster teams, it is an appropriate time to assess what we have learned from the road trip, and what the Bulls can take with them through a somewhat easier schedule in December.

1. Derrick Rose! Derrick Rose! Derrick Rose!

This kid is so good. He has an intelligence on the court, and a patience with the ball that is not displayed by very many 19-year-olds, particularly those who are selected No. 1 in the draft. (Joakim Noah, take notes.) Rose's unselfish play gets his teammates involved, moves the ball around and creates opportunities, making the team more cohesive. (Ben Gordon, take notes.)

He is so smooth when turning on the guns for a drive through the lane, schooling guys five-feet off the dribble. Opposing players just stop and just watch him go by, realizing there is nothing they can do once he sees his line.

There is such an excitement with watching this kid evolved in front out our eyes from game to game. Yours truly finds himself calling out numerous times per game, saying, "I can't believe we have this kid!!!"

Beyond his obvious skills and sensibility, Rose's stats provide a clear indication to the Bulls highs and lows of the season. In the Bulls' eight victories this year, Rose is averaging 23 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds in 38 mpg. Conversely, in their nine losses, Rose's numbers are way down, averaging 15 pts, five assists and four rebounds. 

Vinny Del Negro, the miss-matched "coach" of the Bulls needs to take Rose's importance to the teams' success into more serious account and drill it into his team, most particularly his hot-head, no pass, quick-shot guards - Ben Gordon and Larry Hughes - that it is Rose's offense to run, not theirs. 

 

2. Trade Ben Gordon!

With Rose quickly assuming the role as the general and go-to-guy for the Bulls, there is no reason we need to continue to employ a ball-hogging, miss-firing guard who seems to care more about building up his own stats, then helping the team win. Now I used to be a Gordon lover. In his first couple seasons with the Bulls, he brought us a youthful spark and clutch shooting that we had not seen since the Jordan years. He was a cornerstone to what appeared to be a new, younger and quicker Bull's team. A team that could rise through the "trenches" of the East and reclaim Chicago's status and aura in the Basketball world. 

Yet Gordon has proved time and again since the Bulls loss to the Detroit Pistons in the 2006 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, that he is only concerned with himself and with his stats. After refusing a lucrative $50 million dollar contract offered by the Bulls in the summer of 2007, his performance dropped off substantially from his career highs in '06-07. He was forced, by the fact that that was the best offer he was going to get, to accept a one-year deal from the Bulls, in hopes that he can cash in this summer through free agency.

This year, Gordon seems to be getting in the way of what Rose is trying to accomplish. When Rose leads the Bulls up the court he is calling out plays and seeking out the open man to get the ball moving. On the contrary, Gordon goes for the quick shot, usually in traffic from behind the arc, and more often than not, clanks it off the rim for a turnover. Gordon's miss-fires don't just affect his stats, they kill drives, lose momentum and keep the opponent in the game.

With Rose leading the team, the Bulls need to take advantage of what talent Ben Gordon has and trade him for an established big man to create a balance on offense and feed off of Rose. In each of the games the Bulls have lost this year, they have repeatedly struggled with their size in the paint. Teams like the Lakers with Andrew Bynum, the Blazers with Greg Oden, and the Celtics with Kevin Garnett, move with a speed down the court that we can keep up with, but have an athletic rock in the paint to dominate and score easy buckets. The Bulls need to make this a priority for this season to begin a quest back towards greatness.

 

3. The Bulls Can Compete...They Just Can't Beat The Great Teams

The Bulls have been in basically every game they have played this season, with the exception of the dismantling Portland did to them. Yet they are 2-9 against teams with winning records. The frustrating thing is that in each of these games the Bulls either hung with their opponent or had the lead for some time, and yet in each instance, they faded away and lost the game. 

Take their loss to San Antonio on 26 November. The Bulls had a nine-point lead with under seven minutes left in the 3rd Quarter. A victory against the Spurs, in San Antonio would have put them at 3-3 for the road trip with an opportunity to finish above .500 for the first time since 1998. Further, it would have been a victory, against San Antonio in San Antonio! The Bulls, however, systematically shut down for the remainder of the quarter and let the Spurs fight their way back into the game, take a double-digit lead and cruise to a moral-boosting victory. 

The important thing, this early in the season, is that the Bulls are beating teams they should beat, and competing with the great ones. In the next three weeks the Bulls face six teams with losing records. Their first game against a dominant opponent is when they travel to Boston on the 19th of December. Following that game, they have a tough stretch of games, Utah, @Detroit, @Miami, @Atlanta, @New Jersey, Orlando, and @Cleveland. The Bulls need to use the next three weeks to dominate, humiliate and demoralize these weaker teams that they should beat in order to position themselves with a winning record and confidence to win. There is no reason, that if the Bulls play smart basketball, that they cannot win their next seven games in preparation for their big test at the end of December.

 

The Bulls are off to a pretty good start in '08-09, Derrick Rose is showing regular signs of greatness, the Bulls are playing well with each opponent and the childish fights that tore the team apart last year have seemed to fade away. That being said, the Bulls can definitely be better and should take the steps to address their issues and continue to emphasize their strengths. As this season unfolds, there should be no reason for the Bulls not to be in the hunt for the playoffs.