Chicago Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg understood that this
season would be filled with plenty of growing pains as his team
began a multi-year rebuilding process.
Patience would be key, Hoiberg knew. But at least early on --
despite a lack of victories -- the Bulls demonstrated the kind of
effort on a nightly basis that showed Hoiberg that they were
determined to be competitive.
But of late, slow starts have led to frustration. Now, with the
Bulls in the midst of a five-game losing streak entering tonight's
game against the Charlotte Hornets, Hoiberg hopes his young team
can reverse a couple of disturbing trends.
In their latest loss -- a 92-79 setback against the Oklahoma
Thunder on Wednesday -- the Bulls managed only seven first-quarter
points. Chicago quickly fell behind by 20 points and trailed by as
many as 27.
The Bulls (2-10) have averaged 12.7 points in the first quarter of
their last three games, which has led to a drop in confidence.
"A similar thing that's been happening is we hang our heads when
things aren't going great out there," Hoiberg told reporters
Thursday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "That's the one
common thing. When things aren't going great, instead of finding a
way to fight through it, we're shutting down a bit. That's got to
change."
The Bulls will have starting guard Justin Holiday back against the
Hornets after Holiday missed Wednesday's game for the birth of his
first child. The Bulls have struggled to establish much offensive
rhythm, partly due to being short-handed at times, but Hoiberg
stressed the need for improvement starting with Friday's game.
Hoiberg conducted a long team meeting on Thursday in which he said
his players needed to learn to better deal with adversity. And of
late, there has been plenty.
Especially, to start games.
"I think at times we do get stagnant, especially in that first
quarter," Holiday told reporters Thursday, according to the
Sun-Times. "Obviously, if we knew exactly what it was to make that
better we would."
Like Chicago, the Hornets (5-8) enter Friday's game having lost
five straight. Charlotte extended its losing streak on Wednesday
with a 115-107 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Hornets are dealing with their own youth-related issues.
Rookies Malik Monk and Dwyane Bacon have been called upon for a
heavy workload early on in the season. On Wednesday, Charlotte got
Nic Batum back after the guard missed the first six weeks with a
torn ligament in his elbow.
Now, Hornets coach Steve Clifford has found a way to put together
cohesive groups on the floor as Charlotte continues a stretch when
it will play seven games in 11 days.
Clifford told reporters Wednesday that with Batum back and Michael
Kidd-Gilchrist playing at a high level, he won't lean so heavily on
younger players like he has been forced to of late. But given the
slate of competitive tests the Hornets face coming up, Clifford
says that everyone must be ready -- no matter how seasoned they are.
"In the next six (games), we'll play five of those against teams
that were picked top 5 in either the East or the West," Clifford
said after Wednesday's game, according to the Charlotte Observer.
"This isn't the time for guys to grow up; either they're ready to
play or they're not."
Tonight's game can be heard on Good Time Oldies 1060 with the Pre-Game Show at 6:30.
