Billy Donovan says Bulls’ management focused on internal improvement originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
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Internally, nobody from the Chicago Bulls expected to be 5-10 after 15 games.
But that’s their current reality after they concluded an extremely favorable schedule stretch with just a 3-5 mark. The Bulls had seven of eight home games and the only road game was a bus ride to Milwaukee.
After posting the NBA’s fourth-best defense over the previous seven games, the Bulls had recognition problems all night in a 118-100 loss to the Miami Heat. The Heat shot 50 percent overall, including 48.6 percent from 3-point range.
With a tough, four-game trip beginning Wednesday in Oklahoma City, the Bulls are in danger of their season slipping away. Particularly since Zach LaVine and the organization both are open to finding their two-time All-Star guard a new home.
But coach Billy Donovan said his daily conversations with management remain focused on the current personnel.
“I think everything is really totally geared toward how we can help this group play better,” Donovan said. “Certainly we’ve talked about the starts we’ve gotten off to early in games. We’ve looked at some different starting lineups, played some different rotations, tried some different things to try to get back to a level of consistency.
“We’ve shown some signs of really good possessions on offense and really good possessions on defense. But it’s the consistency part we have to keep working at.”
Donovan has started Patrick Williams, Torrey Craig and now Alex Caruso at power forward. He said the current look with Caruso will remain at least for the short-term.
In the past, management has resisted undertaking a full rebuild, opting for continuity instead. Management rebuffed interest for Caruso at last season’s trade deadline.
And while there’s a growing sense around the league that LaVine may not be the only Bull made available in potential trade talks, Donovan insists the current focus is to right the ship with the current personnel.
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