(All stats and records through Jan. 15; for report cards for all 30 teams click here.)
Offense: 103.9, 20th Overall
Defense: 104.7, 10th Overall
W-L | Pct. | GB:
21-21 | .500 | 9.0
Conf.: 15-13
Div.: 5-6
Home: 13-8
Road: 8-13
FRONTCOURT: B
Chicago’s most steady players work here. Jimmy Butler is putting together his third All-Star season. Robin Lopez has been an upgrade from the man for whom he was traded, Joakim Noah. And Taj Gibson remains an underrated vet.
BACKCOURT: C
Dwyane Wade looks good in a Bulls uniform and, while limited to spurts and in back-to-back games, still brings professionalism and timely scoring. Rajon Rondo, however, has been a lightning rod for discord, both his and the coaches’ doing.
DEFENSE: C-
Chicago’s defensive field-goal percentage (.458) is in the bottom third of the league and the team’s veteran backcourt doesn’t generate many turnovers. Most of the Bulls’ status as the NBA’s best rebounders comes on offense (No. 1 in second-chance points), while they’re average on the defensive end.
BENCH: D
The biggest letdown so far. Doug McDermott has missed time with concussions and been inconsistent, Nikola Mirotic has been even worse and bigger impact was expected from guards Jerian Grant and Denzel Valentine. Backup big Cristiano Felicio has pleasantly overachieved, eclipsing Bobby Portis.
COACHING: C
Fred Hoiberg has been hearing rumblings of dissatisfaction, at least from the fan base and national media, for a calendar year. He appeared to meet that head-on by benching Rondo, but the team’s subs didn’t play well enough to maintain that. It remains an open question whether Hoiberg can command enough respect from NBA vets to win.
OVERALL GRADE: C-
After their surprising 8-4 start, the Bulls went 12-17 to reach the midpoint of their schedule. Their method of coping with the league’s worst 3-point shooting has been to get into the lane for close 2-pointers or trips to the foul line. But it’s a labor-intensive way to play in the NBA of 2017. The Rondo controversy was a needless distraction on top of a dubious acquisition. And even with Hoiberg and Wade carefully monitoring his work load, the veteran guard seems overdue for a breakdown during which winning would become arduous. Smelling like a sub-.500 finish, shy of the playoffs.
Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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