On many a night this season, the Chicago Bulls have looked like Jimmy Butler, and “a bunch of guys.” Pau Gasol will replace him in the NBA All-Star game, as he’s had a very solid season. Gasol is doing what he’s normally done throughout the course of his career. Derrick Rose has shown flashes of being the player he once was on a few occasions this season, but it’s clear that he’ll never be a MVP level again.
Defensively, D. Rose is as bad or worse this year as he’s ever been.
(Side note: here’s an advance preview of the new Jimmy Butler Mountain Dew ad that will debut at the NBA All-Star game)
It’s been Jimmy Butler’s team for awhile now, and with Chicago missing their alpha dog for 3-4 weeks, just how bad could things become?
The statement on Jimmy Butler sent out by the Bulls yesterday read as follows:
Butler is expected to miss the next three to four weeks with a strained left knee. Butler has begun rehabbing his injury and he will be allowed to engage in all activities as tolerated with the primary goal of maintaining his conditioning over the ensuing weeks.
Last night’s blowout at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks dropped them to 27-25, 7th seed in the Eastern Conference, just a half game ahead of the Charlotte Hornets for the final playoff spot. The arch-rival Detroit Pistons are right behind the Hornets, just a game and a half behind the Bulls.
Hard to believe the Bulls were the #2 seed in the East not all that long ago (around Christmas time).
Now they’re in danger of falling out of the playoffs, as they enter a prolonged stretch without their alpha dog. The injuries and the issues are really starting to pile up now.
The Chicago Bulls have dropped 13 of their last 18 in a season that has seen a disastrous transition from Tom Thibodeau to Fred Hoiberg, Jimmy Butler publicly call out Hoiberg, Pau Gasol pretty much call out the entire team and more defense related blunders than Donald Rumsfeld.
The Bulls had an identity with Thibs- play rock solid defense all the time, and provide/manufacture adequate offense whenever possible. That proved to be more often than not as the Bulls were among the top three teams in the conference consistently for the past 4-5 years.
Under Hoiberg, defense is just a rumor and his supposed offensive wizardry has yet to take hold. The drop-off has been considerable.
“It’s really hard to come into a situation where the identity is forged,” said TNT Analyst Chris Webber.
“When you’re coming into a veteran roster, where the guys have been brain-washed, in a positive way, to believe that what’s been successful for them is defense, you’re going to have guys buy in, you’re going to have to monitor personalities such as Jimmy Butler who said ‘coach harder.'”
Of course, when Hoiberg did coach harder, Butler himself didn’t really buy in. Everything has been questioned with this team- discipline, effort, basic ability/motivation/competency to play man-to-man defense. These were never issues under Thibodeau.
Getting rid of Thibs has taught Gar Forman, be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.
Here are the upcoming games Butler will almost certainly miss- at Cleveland February 18th, hosting Toronto the next night on ’90s night at the United Center, the L.A. Lakers on the 21st, the Wizards on the 24, at Atlanta on the 26th, hosting Portland on the 27th, at Miami on the 1st, at Orlando on the 2nd.
Maybe Jimmy Buckets will be back for March 5th versus Houston or March 7th versus Milwaukee.
Given that they haven’t won a home game since January 7th, I would expect to go finish far below .500 in that sans Butler stretch. It looks highly likely that the Bulls will be significantly under .500 by the time Butler returns and probably around 9th-10th place.
You haven’t heard Chicago Bulls and Draft lottery in a very long time. There is some cause for hope though.
“At the end of the day the Bulls have what so many teams wish they had,” said TNT Analyst Reggie Miller.
“They’ve got a solid big man down low in Pau who can pass, shoot and handle basketball. You’ve got one of the best two way players, behind Kawhi Leonard in Jimmy Butler and during the last 3 weeks to a month Derrick Rose has given you glimpses.”
“So he (Hoiberg) has a veteran ballclub that he can trust upon and they have to put their trust him as well.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram