Bulls' December Blues

Here it is the cradle that holds the space between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The turkey has been devoured. The mistletoe is on call. Holiday music pulsates in our ears as we shop along ice-kissed avenues. Oh yes and the Bulls are again struggling to survive an early season disaster. Yup, it must be December in Chicago.

This unmitigated convulsion of a start (again) leaves the Bulls at 3-10, dead last not in their division but in the entire Easter Conference. Of course there is time to regenerate and check into the lower-echelon of the playoffs, but it is not the issue to be sure. The concept of making the playoffs, Baby Bulls, etc has gone out of the rearview mirror many miles ago. What we have here is a veteran team with supposed leadership oozing all over the United Center floor and bench, still not prepared to begin a season in order to compete for one of the top spots in the conference. The East has markedly improved. If one imagines the Bulls waltzing through the opening round of the playoffs please think again. At this rate, provided they do make the playoffs, Chicago could very well be staring down the barrel of a loaded Boston Celtics shotgun come April. In such a scenario the Bulls could be lucky to get a game.

The West-coast road trip, the "circus trip", provided its usual fare as the team procured a 1-3 record. Featured was a 38 point mashing by Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. The Bulls seem more intrigued by what Sun Times reporters have been writing (aka-Kobe trade talks) than shooting, defending and, oh yes, winning. Based on results to date the trade value of any Bull worth mentioning would not hold water in a Kobe trade anyway.