Scene from the Bulls’ locker room:
Luol Deng extending his hand: “Hello, my name is Luol. And you are?”
Ben Gordon offering his hand: “Ben, Ben Gordon. I play for the Bulls.”
Deng: “Did you just get here?”
Gordon: “No, I’ve been your teammate now for almost four years. Here, Luol, say hello to Larry Hughes.”
Hughes: “Hello. Have I seen you before?”
Drew Gooden: “Excuse me, isn’t LeBron around here somewhere?”
Perhaps that’s not exactly the way it goes around the Bulls these days, but the players sure act as if they’re strangers.
With 14 games left in the season, the 27-41 Bulls face the Pacers on Saturday in what could be the last pivotal week of a chance to save the season and make the playoffs. What has been of most concern lately is selfish play, which hit a high (low?) in Thursday’s gruesome 102-80 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Playing without starting point guard Kirk Hinrich (sprained ankle), the Bulls had a season-low nine assists, one more than the worst total in franchise history.
“We watched some tape [Friday] and talked about the formula we have to play with to be successful,” coach Jim Boylan said. “A high number of assists and a low defensive shooting percentage. We need to come out and play with intensity. When we do not share the ball, we have not been very good.”
The game brought boos from the home fans, and small wonder — sellout crowd after sellout crowd has watched the Bulls compile a 16-17 home record. It was an embarrassment for a team that had success in recent seasons because players were unselfish, willing to sacrifice and committed to a unified effort.
The Bulls made you smile watching them play. Now you wince.
Players look one another off and take quick shots without passing.
You can almost see them thinking, “He’s going to jack one up, so why should I bother to move?”
Players retrieve missed shots and put the ball right back up without kicking it out and starting the offense. They seem to fear that if they give the ball up they won’t get it back.
It becomes the insidious disease that slowly kills a healthy team.
There are all sorts of subtle signs. Players might not go to the defensive boards because they want to leak out to get an easy basket. Maybe a player takes a few extra dribbles instead of passing and moving because someone else just took two shots. Then everyone else stops because they figure the ball is being shot elsewhere. Do players then start to root against a teammate getting hot because that means fewer possessions and potential shots for them?
We’ve seen good basketball here the last few years, and it was a pleasure: player and ball movement, relentless defense, never giving up. Quick drive-and-kick movements. Lots of pop, as the coaches like to say.
The Bulls have played some of those games recently — 30 assists in a win over the Nets, nine players with assists before the inexplicable collapse against the 76ers, which featured some late, lamentable one-on-one play.
“We’ve got to play together on the offensive end and the defensive end,” Gordon acknowledged. “I think where we’ve been lacking the most is really working together.”
It certainly has been difficult with all that has gone on this season: the pending free agency of Deng, Gordon and Chris Duhon; the trade for Hughes and Gooden and the surplus in the backcourt. After the Pacers, the Bulls play the Hawks twice next week, along with the 76ers and the Bucks. Eighth doesn’t seem like much when it will likely lead to a matchup with Boston, which just completed a rare sweep of the three Texas teams on the road.
“It’s an exciting next seven, eight days for us with all the games we have against the people who are in the pack with us,” Boylan said. “These games … pretty much the heart of our season is right there staring us in the face.”
If the players decide to play like a team, it would be a start. And it’s what they owe themselves and the home fans who have supported them so faithfully.
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sasmith@tribune.com
