The Chicago Bulls are on a season-worst five-game losing streak and head coach Billy Donovan is on the case trying to find the remedy.
The Bulls’ head coach spoke with the media after the team fell to the Philadelphia 76ers 121-106 on March 7. Donovan didn’t throw his team under the bus, but he did point the finger of blame at himself while also acknowledging the inexperience of some of his top performers.
“I have to be better,” Donovan told the media. “I have to find better ways to help them. I’m in this with them. I think it’s my responsibility for guys like Ayo (Dosunmu) and Coby (White) even Zach (LaVine), some of these guys who haven’t played in places that they want to play in this league, that there are certain things you can’t escape that have to do. And you have to confront them.”
Donovan Believes Young Bulls Have to Learn How to Win
The three players Donovan pointed out are among the Bulls’ top contributors from the backcourt, but none of them have played a single postseason game. Dosunmu is a rookie while White and LaVine have been on dreadful teams in Chicago, and in the latter’s case, some time with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The message Donovan seems to be delivering is that his team is still trying to figure out how to win. Unfortunately, because of a rash of injuries that have ravaged the Bulls’ roster all season, the team has had to learn how to win while shorthanded.
The hope is we will get an opportunity to see this team whole before the end of the season and heading into the playoffs.
Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams Update
The Bulls are playing without three starter-level players in: Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams. Caruso and Williams, who have been out with wrist injuries appear to be the closest to a return.
All three men traveled with the team to Philadelphia for the loss to the 76ers, per the Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe, but will not be with the squad on Wednesday when the Bulls visit the Detroit Pistons.
Alex Caruso, Lonzo Ball and Patrick Williams traveled with the team to Philadelphia, but will head home to Chicago for the Detroit game.
Billy Donovan said medical felt this was a good time for them to make recovery progress and “the best place to do that is in Chicago.”
All three men have done non-contact work, per NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson, but it appears we’re still at least two weeks away from having Caruso or Williams reevaluated, and perhaps even longer for Ball.
Billy Donovan said Alex Caruso will need to be checked out by doctor again before he’s cleared for contact. That date is not set. Caruso, Lonzo Ball and Patrick Williams did individual, non-contact work today.
The NBA’s regular season ends in just over a month, which means Chicago might have Williams and Caruso for the final two weeks before the playoffs. Ball’s return could be pushed right up until the April 10 regular-season finale against the Timberwolves.
The biggest questions for the team at this point is how much can they stay afloat while they await reinforcements. Secondly, once Williams, Caruso and Ball return, how quickly can they all get on the same page?
The entire team hasn’t been together since Williams went down back on October 28. The Bulls have since added Tristan Thompson into the mix and they have found a rhythm. Will Williams return to his starting power forward spot, or will he come off the bench initially?
There are mounds of questions and the hope in Chicago is that the answer to the Bulls’ ongoing issue is somewhere in the health of the three guys they’re missing.
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Billy Donovan Points Finger After 5-Game Skid