NP: Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand

That sound you hear is the first couple of Chicagoans jumping off the Bulls bandwagon. With last night's loss, the team has dropped two straight, and yielded 100 or more points in three of the last four. This happens right at the top of a tough five-game road trip.

One thing I've noticed recently is that Eddy Curry hasn't been nearly the scoring presence he was during January, and his relatively poor defensive skills compound that lack of output. The M.O. for much of the winning performances has been to pound the middle early to open up the perimeter later, while early defensive pressure, despite Curry's shortcomings on that side, were able to knock opponents out of their offensive rhythm.

So we're not scoring enough early, especially inside, and we're not knocking opponents off their game effectively enough. What to do? My first instinct is to reverse the offensive game plan from scoring inside to open the perimeter to working the perimeter to open up the lane. Which is sort of a post-hoc strategy for swapping Tyson Chandler into the starting lineup for a stretch. If Chicago can soften up the middle early, Curry can come in and do some major damage off the bench, sort of a post version of what Ben Gordon's been doing.

Of course, this relies on the backcourt being able to hit shots early, but even if they don't, Chandler and Antonio Davis are your best rebounders, so it still might work out.

Anyway, Coach Skiles, if you're reading this, no need to give me credit if it works.