Westerlund: 5 Thoughts On Bulls-Clippers
By Cody Westerlund-
CHICAGO (CBS) – The Bulls dropped a 96-86 contest to the Clippers on Sunday afternoon at the United Center, struggling offensively as they shot a season-low 31 percent. Players not named Nikola Mirotic combined to shoot 16-of-64 (25 percent) for Chicago.
Here are the observations and notes of the day.
1. The hits keep coming for the Bulls. Already missing Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson to injury and with Pau Gasol playing sick, Chicago lost All-Star wing Jimmy Butler in the third quarter with what coach Tom Thibodeau called a hyperextension of the left elbow. He'll have an MRI on Monday, with the severity of the injury not yet known.
It's just the latest malady for the Bulls, who have only played two games this season in which they started and finished with everyone healthy. At a time of the year when teams should be jelling into what they'll look like in the playoffs rotation-wise, another reality awaits Chicago.
After 82 games, it'll still have to learn on the fly in the postseason.
"Right now, there's a lot of moving parts and different combinations, but we'll figure it out," Thibodeau said.
"It's an unforgiving league. You don't want to feel sorry for yourself … Hopefully, we have a will and a determination that can get us past the times when things are tough. We have to be mentally tough right now."
2. Kirk Hinrich had an abysmal performance Sunday, going scoreless in shooting 0-of-7, turning the ball over twice and recording zero assists in 25 minutes. Hinrich is shooting 32 percent from 3-point range and is only 3-of-26 from beyond the arc since Jan. 25.
He's bringing next to nothing to the table offensively, as teams have no respect for his outside shot and he can't create for others. It's a real problem for the Bulls offense too, because with Hinrich on the floor, defenses can cheat to the paint and clog driving lanes/operating space for others.
Hinrich's limitations are magnified by Rose being out and Aaron Brooks' prolong struggles as well. Brooks shot just 28 percent from the field in February and started March off with a 5-for-17 performance Sunday.
Because of the team's health issues and Thibodeau's respect for his game, Hinrich will keep playing – but it'd make more sense to give some of his minutes to Doug McDermott if a big wing is needed or E'Twaun Moore if a guard is needed. Moore is a capable system defender and has shot better this season, but he played just two seconds Sunday.
"He's battling through injuries," Thibodeau said when asked about Hinrich's struggles. "We're short-handed. He's giving us what he has."
3. The lone bright spot for the Bulls on Sunday was the rookie Mirotic, who set a career-high with 29 points on 11-of-23 shooting. Illustrating Chicago's offensive problems, he was the long Bull to record a field goal in the fourth quarter, when he scored 16 points.
"We just have to play simple basketball," Mirotic said. "Try to play good defense, try to share the ball."
With Gibson in a walking boot for a left ankle sprain, Mirotic could continue to get big minutes in the near future. And if Butler's out for any stretch, Mirotic's offense will be much-needed.
"He's very important for this team's success," Joakim Noah said.
4. Back in early 2010 when he was still with the Hornets, Chris Paul had surgery on his left knee to remove the damaged portion of a meniscus tear, an injury similar to Rose's and the surgery he had Friday. The most difficult part of the return, Paul said, wasn't physical.
"The hardest part of it is the mental aspect of it and the trust in it and stuff like that," Paul said. "Everybody's injuries are different. You just never know. It's tough. I was never as athletic as D-Rose was and stuff like that. I'm sure he's going to hit his rehab as hard as he can."
After he initially returned, Paul unknowingly favored his left knee by often jumping off his right foot when driving into the paint, he said, even when it made more sense and was more natural to jump off his left foot. It wasn't until Paul went back and watched film that he even realized that he'd been jumping off his right foot so much.
5. For the second time since the All-Star break, the Bulls utilized the Hack-a-Shaq strategy. On Sunday, they fouled Clippers big man DeAndre Jordan off the ball three times in the fourth quarter, and he went 3-of-6 from the line on that trio of possessions. Jordan is a 41 percent free-throw shooter.
The Bulls also used the same strategy on Pistons big man Andre Drummond recently. He's a 39 percent foul shooter.
"It's a tough one for me," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said when asked his view on the strategy and whether it should be allowed. "The old-school thought is don't do anything, but it looks bad for the game. Fans hate it. So my guess is we have to change it. That would probably be against what I really want.
"Jeff Van Gundy was talking about it today. He was like, 'We got to change that rule.' He's probably right."
In the final two minutes of regulation and overtime, such away-from-the-ball fouls result in one free throw and the same team retaining possession of the ball.
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
