The Bulls started the season on a Western road trip by winning a close one in LA. They finished the trip 3-1. They Bulls continued the good play at home, beating Memphis 104-64. Over the next stretch of games the Bulls showed their defensive prowess as they led the League in opponents scoring (I want to say it was around 84 ppg. at this point) With the exception of bad losses at Atlanta and Memphis, the Bulls seemed to be cruising through January until a big loss against Indiana at home and losses on the road at Miami and Philadelphia. These all happened during the same week. Since then, the Bulls have been feasting on the leagues bottom dwellers and became the first team in NBA history to defeat 4 teams by 20 or more points in consecutive road games. Also, its worth noting that during this stretch, I read the Bulls trailed for only 23 seconds. After a close Boston loss and a good Boston win, the Bulls finished out this last week with a loss at home against the Nets. I didn't see the game, but I don't know if I would have wanted to.
Injuries So far the Bulls, like most other teams around the league, have suffered through missing key players. Here's a recap: Rose (back, turf toe), Watson (dislocated elbow), Hamilton (groin, lower leg), Deng (torn wrist ligament), Gibson (ankle), Noah (ankle). It seems the Bulls most healthy starter, oddly enough, has been Carlos Boozer who has been traditionally known as injury-prone. The injuries to Rose and Deng are the most concerning. With Rose, we'll just have to hope that this isn't a recurring injury once he gets back. For Deng, we hope he can continue to play on a high level with the torn ligament. He's looked fine so far.
Shooting Guards (Hamilton, Brewer, Korver) It's really hard to tell what the Bulls have at the SG position. Hamilton is the most obvious reason why. Sometimes its hard to remember that he's still on the team. He should be back after the All-Star break but sometimes the Bulls have looked really smooth with him on the court. Brewer came into the season, well, like a bull charging. His defense was strong, he was knocking down his shot, and was taking the ball to the hoop. While his defense still seems solid, he seems to have lost his shooting touch recently. Korver has had trouble consistently hitting his shot throughout this season. It seems like he'll be able to find the range for long stretches and then disappear for a few games, but that's probably the life of a shooter. He's defense has seemed much improved.
Small Forwards (Deng, Butler) Luol been solid all season filling in wherever needed. His defense is no exception. There's really not too much else to say about him except he deserved his All-Star nod. Butler has looked like a rookie out there. While I was hoping he would get more time during blowouts, Thibs may have been proven right when at times Butler looks a little lost on the offense end. Defensively, he has looked solid especially when he was playing against Carmelo and Stoudemire in a New York, pre-Linsanity.
Power Forwards (Boozer, Gibson) Both have had up and down seasons. I felt Gibson outplayed Carlos in the beginning of the season, but Boozer has since shown his offensive skills shooting the ball and on the post. Boozer's defense and his inability to finish with the ball can still be maddening, but he's shown that he's the better offensive option. The reason it makes sense to sometimes finish games with Gibson is defense. Gibson is a better defender and near the end of games its often about getting stops. Gibson was playing well on both sides of the ball early on, but recently it seems as if he's trying to press things on the offense side. His shot isn't falling as consistently has it had been and it seems like he always called with a traveling/offensive foul each game.
Centers (Noah, Asik) I feel the centers have had up and down seasons as well. Noah started out playing poorly, but has since played with more energy and seems to always be in the thick of the action under the hoop. Asik started out playing well, and even started to look to make some more offense moves. Recently, it seems like his defense is still there, but he's struggled to convert put back attempts and dunk attempts in traffic.
Chances I don't think anyone doubts the Bulls will be able to make the playoffs, in fact for most of the season, ESPN's Hollinger Rankings have put their playoff percentage at 100%. The question is what they will do there. To me, its hard to tell. The starting line up has only been together for about 5 games. Until they play together more, it will be hard to get a read on this team. The 2012 Bulls have shown they can beat the teams they should beat, but have struggled against the better teams, Heat, Sixers, Hawks, Celtics, Pacers, and Grizzlies. Right now, it seems that this team might be a better regular season team than playoff team, but anything can happen in the playoffs and the Bulls are still somewhat unknown at full strength.
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