On Jan. 20, 2003, Jalen Rose scored 37 points and Rick Brunson added 12 in the fourth quarter as the Bulls ended a 19-game road losing streak in Atlanta.
The victory ran the Bulls’ record to 15-26 at the season’s halfway mark.
One day shy of that one-year anniversary, the Bulls must win Monday in Washington to stay two games behind last season’s pace. A loss will make the Bulls 12-29.
Halfway marks are a symbolic time to take stock, and any look at the Bulls leaves more questions than answers. Forget debating the pros and cons of general manager John Paxson’s off-season signings of free agents Scottie Pippen and Kendall Gill.
Hold off on the kudos for drafting rookie point guard Kirk Hinrich.
Place on the back burner any analysis of the six-player trade with Toronto that shed Rose, Donyell Marshall and Lonny Baxter and netted Antonio Davis, Jerome Williams and seldom-used Chris Jefferies.
Right now, the franchise’s future still rests on Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler and Jamal Crawford.
At the halfway point last season, Curry was averaging 6.2 points and 3.2 rebounds before catching fire down the stretch in what new coach Scott Skiles has called “meaningless games.” Entering Monday’s game at Washington, Curry is averaging 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds and shooting a respectable 49.5 percent. Statistically, this suggests improvement.
But on the offensive end, Curry has had trouble adjusting to increased defensive attention and making proper post decisions. Defensively, he still appears lost at times and has battled fatigue.
“I don’t like losing being attached to my name,” Curry said after practice Sunday. “Ever since I’ve been here, we’ve lost. If my numbers improve, but it’s not helping the team, then I didn’t do my part.”
Crawford is another enigma.
Last season at the halfway mark, he was averaging 7.7 points and 3.2 assists. Those numbers have jumped to a team-high 16.8 points as well as 5.6 assists, but his shot selection, inconsistent defense and tendency to avoid contact fail to impress management.
“I’ve just got to keep working hard,” Crawford said. “I think I’ve improved, but it doesn’t mean much if we don’t win.”
Chandler’s season is the toughest to analyze because there hasn’t been much of one. A bad back has limited him to 10 games.
Before taking a seat, Chandler averaged 13 points and 10.3 rebounds, far better than his averages of 7.8 points and 5.4 rebounds at last season’s halfway point. Chandler also played with the passion and energy that defines the type of player Paxson and Skiles like.
Players still faintly talk of the playoffs, but their words ring hollow.
Skiles did his best to speak positively Sunday, but that, too, doesn’t change the fact that the Bulls are six games out of the final playoff spot and will be playing out the string in the second half.
“The record is the record; it’s undeniable,” Skiles said. “You can be discouraged that you didn’t win. Or you can be encouraged that you’re making progress. Even within myself, I have to juggle those feelings.”
