Bulls hope to snap skid vs. Hornets
CHICAGO -- 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 Friday'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." |