NP: 60 Minutes

K.C. Johnson asks if anyone has any answers to the Bulls' early futility. Personally, I don't think it's rocket science. The revealing stat tends to be the disparity in free throws, and watching the last couple of games shows just why this matters. Basically, the Bulls aren't getting into the paint. They're either not passing into the post and making defenses shift so that guys can get open on the perimeter, or they're not driving into the lane and forcing defenses to collapse and adjust. As a result, the perimeter shooters are forcing up bad shots much more often. On the other side, the defense is definitely part of the problem, as the Bulls can't seem to generate much in the way of easy, fast break points.

If you can bear to watch them play, keep an eye on how many times they hoist up a shot from outside after just one or two passes. In Ben Gordon's case, sometimes no passes. I think the team's success last year may have gone to their heads, in that they think they're a good jump-shooting team. The reality is that they were good at getting good jump shots, which is slightly different, and doesn't suggest trying to shoot your way out of a slump, adding more bad shots at a nearly exponential rate.

If the Bulls are going to turn it around, they've got to dump the ball in to Ben Wallace and Joe Smith -- and while defenses can cheat on Wallace because they know he's not a threat, but they still have to move -- and guys like Deng, Hinrich and Nocioni need to make a commitment to driving the lane. That'll open things up.