Bulls Struggle Early

Poor offense leads to a slow start to the new season

The Chicago Bulls Luol Deng loses control of ball while driving to the basket against the New York Knicks Tyson Chandler in the second quarter at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Thursday, October 31, 2013.

(Scott Strazzante/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

The Chicago Bulls’ Luol Deng loses control of ball while driving to the basket against the New York Knicks’ Tyson Chandler in the second quarter at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Thursday, October 31, 2013.

The Bulls entered the 2013-14 season with immense expectations. Many basketball analysts and fanatics believe that the Bulls are the top contenders to take the Miami Heat’s crown as NBA Champions. After a slow start to the season, people are beginning to question whether the Bulls can compete for a title or not. Their title hopes depend on their offensive productivity.

The most pressure to succeed lays on the shoulders of former NBA MVP Derrick Rose, who has just returned after missing the entire 2012-13 season because of a torn ACL. Without Derrick Rose last season, the Bulls only averaged 93.2 points-per-game, compared to 96.3 points-per-game in the 2011-12 season. The big question for this season is whether Derrick Rose can return to his MVP form or not. As of right now, Rose isn’t back to his old self., which is a big factor into the Bulls’ slow start. The Bulls are too reliant on Rose’s scoring, and he is simply not scoring enough. However, Rose is not the only one to blame for their tough stretch.

Prairie Ridge senior Angel Espinoza watches every single game and has observed problems with the Bulls offense. Espinoza explains “offensively, they can’t shoot consistently. Also, they are committing too many careless turnovers.” The Bulls are shooting a miserable 23% from the 3-point line, which is third-to-last in the NBA. In the turnover category, the Bulls average 18.7 turnovers-per-game. That statistic looms very large during close games. Another key component to winning close games is bench production.

Adam Poole is another die-hard Bulls fan and PR senior. He believes “[the Bulls] are struggling because they aren’t getting the bench production they need.” Over the past few years, the Bulls have had one of the best benches in the league. Unfortunately, money has been tight for the Bulls and they haven’t been able to sign key pieces for their bench. Over the offseason, the Bulls signed Mike Dunleavy to a two-year deal worth $6 million to help build bench depth. Dunleavy has struggled in his first three games with the Bulls, shooting a below-average 33% from the field.

Even though the Chicago Bulls have had a hard time early in the season, there is still plenty of time to turn their game around. If they can keep the number of turnovers down and get more bench production, they can win without Rose needing to score 25 points every night. The Bulls’ endurance is being tested. This is the time of the year where they need to send a message to the rest of the league.