Insider: Prepping the Bulls

[Weez]

Disguising offenses, defenses key

By Brian James

ESPN Insider

It's been seven years since the Bulls have been in the playoffs.

Since Michael Jordan left the franchise, the team has not had one player in the All-Star Game.

Skiles

Bulls fans are some of the most knowledgeable and loyal. Finally, they are getting some reward for their patience.

After an 0-9 start, the Bulls have stampeded into the thick of the Central Division race. If the season ended today, they would own the Eastern Conference's No. 6 playoff seed.

Let's analyze what's changed in the past 36 games – the Bulls are 23-13 in that stretch – and try to forecast whether the Bulls finally will return to the postseason this spring.

On Feb. 8, the Bulls scored an impressive victory over the host Mavericks 107-100. How are the Bulls suddenly winning, even on the road?

They play hard and now have taken on the personality, drive and understanding of coach Scott Skiles, a 10-year NBA veteran as a player. They're turning around a losing culture. General Manager John Paxson has made plenty of personnel changes, moving out the non-believers in Skiles' system.

Everyone is on the same page. Now the Bulls' rotation features six very young, hungry players, and six willing veterans who still have their passion. There are some other keys:

Skiles is coaching this squad like it's a good, old-fashioned team. The Bulls practice very hard, with knowledge that demands must be met, and that "If you can't get the job done, then maybe your substitute can." This team features balanced scoring with no true superstar, and a second unit that brings scoring, toughness and sometimes warrants playing as many minutes as the starters.

Defense matters: The Bulls recently posted a 26-game streak of holding foes to fewer than 100 points. They were 18-8 in that span.

Hinrich (left), Chandler and Nocioni (right) demonstrate help defense on Nets star Vince Carter.

The Bulls lead the league in field-goal percentage defense (.415) simply because now this team is getting back in transition defense, not losing sight of the ball as much, and extending its half-court man-to-man defense past the half-court stripe.

The Bulls seem to spend a great deal of time in practice working different elements of their defense every day with "4-on-4 shell" half-court tests, disadvantage drills, close outs, fronting-the-post excercises when possible and throwing in an effective 2-3 zone.

Skiles has six or seven color-coded different coverages in screen-roll defense, and he isn't afraid to implement any of them to the Bulls' advantage.

There's a different key player for the Bulls' winning turnaround each night.

Second-year guard Kirk Hinrich has been the most steady. On any given night he can excel as the team's best defender, or leading scorer, or best playmaker. Plus, he has the ability to provide rebounding from either the one or the two. He is subject to shooting slumps, hitting less than 40 percent from the floor in recent games.

Rookie forward Luol Deng consistently has played well. The former Duke star possibly had his best game as a pro with 30 points and 11 rebounds in 47 minutes in the victory over the Mavericks.

Rookie guard Ben Gordon has put up some huge offensive numbers coming off the bench. He's doing it in a style similar to the Bad Boy Pistons' valuable sixth man, Vinnie "The Microwave" Johnson.

Rookie forward Andres Nocioni brings the toughness and points off the bench with Gordon. Veteran big man Othella Harrington has averaged in double figures as a starter.

Young forward/center Tyson Chandler has shown flashes of the promise that convinced the Bulls to trade Elton Brand to the Clippers for Chandler's draft rights four years ago. Chandler's bringing the rebounding, shot blocking and defense the Bulls expect from him.

Rookie guard Chris Duhon, another former Duke star, starts now. He brings the energy and unselfishness the coaching staff is looking for and gives Hinrich a break from playing too many minutes at the point.

Veterans Antonio Davis, Adreian Griffin, and Eric Piatkowski have been major helpers, too.

But you can't win without someone holding down the middle. You have to credit the continued improvement of Chandler's 2001 draft classmate, Eddy Curry.

Listed at 285 pounds, the 6-foot-11 Curry has worked harder on keeping his weight down and improving his conditioning and the results have been favorable.

The Bulls make a concentrated effort on getting the ball to him down low on the move. Curry used to be accused of being an offense's "black hole" -- passes would enter his hands and disappear into the void, never to return.

The Bulls' success ratio of completing scoring plays after timeouts is higher than many teams'. One key is that they have multiple options to resort to if the first option is covered.

Now he has improved his passing out of double teams. He fights to get better position. His screen roll defense is better, but he still needs to become a better rebounder at his position.

Something an average fan or even a journalist might not see is how organized this team is during the games.

The Bulls' success ratio of completing scoring plays after timeouts is higher than many teams'. One key is that they have multiple options to resort to if the first option is covered.

The Bulls disguise the start of many of their sets. That confuses foes and keeps teams off guard. The offense is fitted to their personnel and varies from the pro sets that the majority of NBA teams run. The Bulls might have at least 50 plays in their playbook, which is standard, but they excel at being unpredictable.

What's in their future?

The Bulls must do a better job of keeping their turnovers down. Those have been a problem at times.

On the personnel front, there's a big question looming. Do the Bulls try to re-sign pending free agents Chandler and Curry, or do they trade one or both if they're convinced they cannot extend the contracts?

The Bulls need to improve rebounding to help Curry inside. Eventually, they'll need a bigger two guard who can add to the depth.

But this team is more than competitive on the road and gaining confidence with every victory. Their 23 victories to date equals what the Bulls had all of last season. If they can finish with a .500 record at season's end, it would mean an 18-game improvement over last season.

The players and city are excited. The Bulls' cup might not be overflowing yet, but it's much better than half empty.

Brian James, a former assistant coach with the Pistons, Raptors and Wizards, is a regular contributor to Insider.