Gutless, Inconsistent Bulls Sure to Disappoint Again

It's the same thing every year: the Bulls come into the season with a more-than-capable lineup that provides plenty of depth and veteran leadership, only to go through the motions on almost a nightly basis. Games only seem to be taken seriously if they are being played against the top teams in the league, and the high-scoring affairs are overshadowed by a lack of heart and urgency. This is not the way this organization is supposed to function, yet after blowing a sixteen-point lead to the visiting Phoenix Suns last night, the Bulls are showing signs of yet another disappointing season.

The addition of Hoiberg has yet to show any promise

The summer for the Bulls was an exciting one. Tom Thibodeau was forced out and the rookie NBA coach Fred Hoiberg was hired. The Bulls FINALLY  had an offensive-minded coach that promised to put up plenty of points with a roster that is almost identical to last year's. Throw in the re-signing of Jimmy Butler and the improved health of Joakim Noah and you have yourself a pretty successful off-season given what the Bulls felt they needed to accomplish. The news of any feud between Butler and Derrick Rose had finally died down and it appeared as if basketball could finally be the sole focus once again as opposed to who's coming or going or, most importantly for the Bulls, health.

Now, however, the season is almost a quarter of the way gone for the Bulls and they have shown no signs of improvement or identity under Hoiberg. In classic Bulls fashion, they took down the San Antonio Spurs in a hard-fought and well-earned win only to fall to the traditionally dismal Charlotte Hornets just a few nights later. That's the kind of inconsistency the Bulls have come to be defined by. That's their only identity right now and the shame of it is that they seem perfectly okay with that.

As the years have gone by, it's become obvious that this is not a tough team. Sure you have guys like Butler, Noah, and Kirk Hinrich who would run through a brick wall for this team, but Butler is the only one who can give a consistent performance while the other two have dealt with injuries and lack of playing time up to this point. The guys who bring the energy are on the bench while this group continues to spiral into a team with very little chance at a title run.

That's where the biggest problem, in my mind, comes into play. This team is content to blame loss after loss on lack of energy and attention to detail on the defensive end. Every post game interview in the locker room is littered with quotes like "It's just about playing hard, and tonight we didn't do that" or things along those lines. This is a group of veterans, grown men, who obviously realize the problem, but aren't willing to rise to the occasion and fix it. And what's really aggravating is watching this team beat teams like the Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder because they then show you how good they COULD be, but choose not to be.

The evolution of Butler has kept the Bulls afloat this season

Every Bulls fan, at some time or other, hangs their hat on the six banners that Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Phil Jackson helped hang in the rafters. All six of them, facing the six banners the Chicago Blackhawks have raised, have a spotlight on them every night while the retired numbers of Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, Pippen, and Jordan are illuminated during starting lineups. Those six championships are constantly talked about and praised for how good those teams were because they took every game seriously. There were no nights off and there were certainly no games that were taken lightly. So any member of today's Bulls team that wants a ring or wants to be put in the conversation of being one of the organization's best teams, dream on. This team doesn't want it bad enough.

It's still early in the season and this is a new system. That is understandable and it will take time to mesh as the Bulls get used to playing more guys and finding their roles in the new offense. But that will never excuse the lack of interest and poor effort on the defensive side of the ball. That's not how Tom Thibodeau built this team to play and, say what you want about him being stubborn or relentless on playing time, but the Bulls miss Thibs, and they miss him dearly. Thibs didn't accept lack of effort and he did not allow excuses. It didn't matter how many times Derrick Rose wimped out of a game, Thibs was fully accepting of the "next man up" philosophy and he changed the culture of the team to believe that same way. That's something Fred Hoiberg does not bring to the table. Hoiberg was praised for his poise on the sidelines and his "calm, cool, and collected" demeanor. But as the rookie head coach has loosened the reigns and shown a much more relaxed personality, he has also loosened the expectations and accountability. If the Bulls want to turn this season around and truly be an elite team, it starts with Hoiberg demanding more from his players.

The season is far from over, and thanks to a brutal Eastern Conference the Bulls find themselves sitting in fourth place in the conference. The conference is far too poor for the Bulls not to make the playoffs, but if there is any chance of dethroning LeBron James and the Cavs the Bulls will need to make a number of adjustments. There is no reason this team cannot win the East and capture that number one seed, but that's also been said for the past three seasons. The Bulls need to figure it out and start playing with the toughness that the city of Chicago is used to seeing. Being lazy and showing no signs of interest is not what made this organization elite and it's time this team stops accepting that kind of play. Chicago takes great pride in the Bulls, and it's time for the Bulls to grow up and give the city something to actually be proud of.