This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Take a quick peek at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. You'll see a few of the usual suspects, the teams that were thought to be contenders before the NBA season started: The Cleveland Cavaliers. The Atlanta Hawks. The Toronto Raptors. The Miami Heat.
Pop quiz. Who's missing?
If you guessed the Chicago Bulls, a gold star for you.
Yes, the Bulls are absent at the top of the Eastern Conference. Heading into Christmas, a full quarter of the season come and gone, the Bulls were 16-11 and in seventh place in the East.
On Friday, before a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, they were owners of a three-game losing streak, and have been subject to infighting as star guard Jimmy Butler publicly criticized coach Fred Hoiberg.
So, what's wrong with these Bulls?
After all, the front office fired Tom Thibodeau over the summer and shoved much of the blame for the organization's failure in his direction. The Bulls front office threw their former head coach under the bus, hit the brakes, threw it into reverse and went back over him.
With Hoiberg lured from Iowa State, the Bulls were supposed to be a much better, more efficient offensive team. Well, they haven't been. Instead, they are 20th in points scored, mediocre in most offensive categories and — even worse — nowhere near same juggernaut defensively they had been under Thibodeau.
Let's not make Thibodeau out to be a saint. He was a good basketball coach, but he had his failings. He played Butler and Derrick Rose and most of his rotation players far too many minutes, which his bosses had a valid complaint about. It's a primary reason Joakim Noah, who not long ago was one of the top three centers in the NBA, is breaking down like an old Ford truck at just 30 years old.
But under Thibs, this Bulls team had an identity, some sense of direction that's currently lacking. We could always count on those Bulls teams to flounder in the second round of the playoffs once they faced any team — Miami or Cleveland — that had LeBron James. But those teams also annually won 50-55 games — and were a great foil for LeBron.
The current Bulls are just bland. Even worse, they are doing things the wrong way. Like, why is Rose still getting the ball in final possessions when Butler is clearly the better player? Why can't rookie Bobby Portis find playing time in Hoiberg's rotation?
The Bulls have some roster issues around Butler. Rose is clearly not the same player; injuries have robbed him of what could have been a Hall of Fame career. Butler doesn't have any defensive help on the wing, which means he has to lift the heaviest of loads on both ends of the floor. Pau Gasol still puts up nice offensive numbers, but his defense isn't nearly what it was. Nikola Mirotic can shoot the ball, but he can't guard the chair I'm sitting in.
So what the Bulls have is a nice roster without having a championship roster. They have very little salary cap flexibility because Rose is on the books for $41 million over this and next year. Chicago's best hope is to find a taker for Rose next season, when his contract turns from an albatross to a valuable expiring deal. But even finding someone to rent him for a season will take some creative measures.
Right now, the Bulls are a bad mix, and they aren't all that happy with each other. Of course, that could change if they get on a run over the next few months. But is this team really a threat to win a title? Or even the East?
No.
Twitter: @tjonessltrib Turn for the worse
Things have gotten ugly in Phoenix, where Jeff Hornacek and Markieff Morris are waging war with each other. Morris was suspended for two games because he threw a towel in Hornacek's face, after being pulled in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Denver Nuggets. Morris has wanted out of Phoenix since the summer when the organization traded his brother Marcus to the Detroit Pistons. The Suns didn't relent to that trade demand, and the dysfunction is a direct result.
An upgrade to competence?
The 76ers on Thursday traded for point guard Ish Smith, handing the New Orleans Pelicans a pair of second-rounders to bring back a floor leader. It's a good move. It's great for TJ McConnell that he's in the NBA and playing well, but you can't have him playing major rotation minutes, not if you want to win consistently. Smith has experienced a resurgence in New Orleans, and his ability to get into the lane, as well as his passing, should work well with Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor.
Climbing the ladder
Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki keeps cementing his place in the annals of NBA history. He passed Shaquille O'Neal on Wednesday against the Brooklyn Nets for sixth place on the all-time scoring list. As a big shooting forward, Nowitzki has changed the game, and he's incredibly still playing at an All-Star level — even at age 37. He's averaging over 17 points per game this season, is shooting 48 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range.
Player of the week
Not much more can be said about Kawhi Leonard's defense. The Spurs forward is simply the best defender in the league, by a wide margin. This past week he's locked down Paul George and Andrew Wiggins, two of the best small forwards in the NBA, and before that it was Jazz forward Gordon Hayward. And now he's doing it offensively, averaging 21 points and seven rebounds per game. Simply put, Leonard has been sensational.
Game of the week
The Golden State Warriors are at the Houston Rockets on Thursday in a matchup between Stephen Curry and James Harden. That should absolutely be worthy of a bowl of popcorn.