No one likes a tease.
The Bulls keep dangling nuggets of excellence to fans, but just as someone is about to be hooked, the team literally and figuratively drops the ball.
Some examples: It’s Tyson Chandler with a high-flying jam and Chandler fumbling away the ball. It’s Ben Gordon releasing a floater that seemingly drifts in slow motion through the hoop and Gordon making a costly sloppy pass.
Twenty-four games in, it appears the Bulls (12-12) will be average this season, if not exasperatingly inconsistent, and will be in the hunt for a playoff berth.
Two years ago, when the Bulls were a laughingstock, that would have been welcome news. But after last season’s recovery from a 2-13 start, which blossomed into 47 victories and a trip to the playoffs, the Bulls left fans wanting more.
Mediocrity isn’t good enough anymore–for fans and players alike.
“We don’t want to be a mediocre team,” guard Chris Duhon said. “We don’t want to be a team that’s great one night and terrible the [next]. We have to do whatever it takes for us to be a consistent team.”
After losing Tuesday night to Charlotte at home, the Bulls will try to regroup against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday at the United Center in a nationally televised game on TNT.
“We were definitely embarrassed,” Duhon said of the loss to the Bobcats that dropped the Bulls to 5-6 at home.
Luol Deng, the Bulls’ leading scorer at 14.5 points per game, is expected to return after missing Tuesday’s game with a bruised right knee. He will be vital as the Bulls attempt to contain James.
“We’ve been a little bit soft on him in the past, kind of back on our heels,” guard Kirk Hinrich said. “He thrives in that type of situation.”
Too bad the Bulls don’t have anyone with a fraction of James’ consistency. Duhon has been the most reliable lately, a credit to his dedication in the off-season. But it’s not a good sign when a second-round draft pick carries a team.
Then again, as Bulls coach Scott Skiles said, Duhon is as experienced as any Bull in the starting lineup, a point that can be used to illustrate how young and vulnerable the Bulls are on offense.
“We have guys who, for their age, are playing very well in the NBA,” Skiles said. “They’re going to get better. At the same time, you want to win. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Perhaps the most disappointing part is the team’s up-and-down defensive intensity. At halftime Tuesday, Skiles said fans yelled, “play some defense” at the team.
“We’re supposed to be a defensive team, yet our technique is not good enough that we can sustain it game after game,” he said. “We’ll probably be inconsistent until we get to that point.”
It’s unrealistic to believe the Bulls will put together a magical run as they did last season, nor will they need one if they can capitalize on playing at home and transfer the emotion of their spirited practices to games.
With the parity that exists outside of the league’s upper echelon, Skiles believes the Bulls have a legitimate shot to be above average.
“If you remove four or five of the best teams in the league, whoever plays harder wins the game,” Skiles said. “That’s what it boils down to. A lot of teams are struggling to put together a consistent effort. Knowing that, if that’s all you have to do to try to win games, we’d like to get to that point.”
Layups
Malik Allen did not practice because of flu symptoms. Eddie Basden missed practice because of a right knee injury suffered Tuesday night.
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mxgarcia@tribune.com
