It is hard to look at the Bulls with a 6-12 record, with half their wins coming against the Hawks and Bobcats, and have much reason for optimism. Certainly a weekend split is no big accomplishment, especially when they needed Ben Wallace to hit 8-9 from the line in order to do so, but subtle changes in the rotation are starting to show. As a team, they have adjusted to being a miserable team from behind the arc by taking a couple steps in and taking the two or going to the bucket and getting fouled. This enabled them to stay competitive eventhough Ben Gordon has a miserable shooting weekend and Deng was held in check by Boston. Ben Wallace appears to be moving much better leading me to believe that his early season funk was mostly a result of trying to rush back from his ankle injury. It isn’t much, but is a sign of hope.

Additionally, for the Bulls to bench Tyrus Thomas in favor of Joe Smith, Andres Nocioni, and occassionally Joakim Noah speaks volumes. He was the #2 overall pick, chosen instead of LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, or Brandon Roy, and he isn’t working out. They tried to force feed him into the starting lineup when he does not fit what they do. For all the highlight reel dunks and blocks he can provide, Thomas still looks lost in the offense. He still can consistently hit a 15 footer when left alone, and apparently does not know all the plays and sets. Thomas will eventually get another chance to play, but if the past two games are any indication, maybe they shouldn’t. While Smith is aging and not as athletic as he once was, he can still give 20-25 minutes of solid basketball. Nocioni is showing that he is at his best as an undersized power forward who can spread the floor and pester bigger opponents. And while Noah lacks many of the same skills that limit Thomas, he appears willing to be a hustling, scrapping pest. Noah can’t shoot or dribble. When he gets the ball on a kick out or reversal, I wish someone would just run to him and take it back. Yet somehow, Noah is still been a positive for the Bulls in their past five games. He keeps balls alive, rebounds, and dives all over the floor. While he is much to weak to be a decent finisher, he is hitting a good percentage of his side-spinning free throws. It is unlikely that he will ever be good enough to be a starter on a contender, but sooner than I would have thought, Noah will be able to be a solid big off the bench. He appears willing to be another Anderson Varejao, which isn’t exactly what one would want out of a lottery pick, but in the right situation can be of use to a team trying to compete in April and May. The Bulls are in a tough spot with Thomas. He has talent, and if the Bulls give up on him will catch on somewhere else. By benching him and Skiles openly ripping him, they have killed his trade value. It is a shame that the Bulls organization have not yet learned how to handle and develop big men.

Lastly, Skiles has seemingly accepted the fact that Duhon needs to be the first guard off the bench. Hinrich will eventually fix whatever is making him a brutal point guard. I cannot believe that he has completely lost it. In each of his first four years, his numbers and overall efficiency improved, and while he might have peaked, this kind of drop in overall productivity is incomprehensible. Other than the Hawks triumverate of point guards, I don’t think there has been a team with worse production out of that spot. I have to believe he’ll right the ship, but until then the Bulls need to lean on Duhon when Hinrich isn’t any good. Sefolosha has showed that he isn’t the answer as a big guard. He can’t shoot or run the point, which means he can’t ever be a major contributor. Hopefully with the Sonics, Pacers, and Knicks coming up Hinrich can take advantage of poor defensive teams and start his turn around.

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