<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p> <h3>Lack Of Passion</h3> </p> Coaches, players and team executives of Bulls' opponents this season all see the same theme: Lack of passion.</p> </p> "I thought they were the toughest, best at sharing, best defensive team we'd play," one coach said. "They were so mentally strong. Not this time."</p> </p> "They're not spirited," another coach said. "There's something funky going on there. They're not together."</p> </p> "They're very quiet on the court," said still another. "It seems only [Andres] Nocioni plays with fire and gusto." -- <font color="#000000">Chicago Tribune</font></p> </p> </p> </p> [*]Identifying the Bulls' problems is easy. One of the biggest right now is how they've failed to get many contributions from Tyrus Thomas after he posted two double-doubles in the first five games. </p> Trying to analyze what has gone wrong can be tough, however, without a good handle on how well the action on the court matches the coaching staff's game plan. The media are not allowed to watch practice, after all. -- <font color="#000000">Arlington Heights Daily Herald</font></p></div> </p> </p>
I wonder how much these guys are getting along. This is a bit old, but <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>"I've heard that that locker room in Chicago is an absolute mess," said one Eastern Conference scout, who asked to remain anonymous. "They paid Hinrich too much and Gordon wants more and Deng wants more than that. It's pretty ugly there."</div> I dunno if that's at all a credible source, but I've seen a few other things that, when I piece them together, suggest there could be a bit of team disharmony. * Like this quote says, the money. That's been talked about before. * I did also get the sense in the first couple of games that Deng and Gordon were, um... looking for their shot a bit much (playing for their contract?), although now that seems to have faded into the general panic and messiness that is the Bulls offense. * Anyone else remember the articles that talked about the fact the team voted for captains? In prior years, IIRC, they were named by Skiles, right? Well, I read that Gordon and Duhon raised their hands to "run" for captain and were outvoted by their teammates in favor of Deng and Hinrich. To a small, tight nit group, that sort of thing could really negatively affect the dynamic of things. * Wallace has never fit in up to this point, and since he thought he was coming to a "contending" team and he's on the downward slide (that's being charitable!), I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't a bit more pissed than usual.</p>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (such sweet thunder)</div><div class='quotemain'></p> Lack of passion? I've heard role-playing and toys sometimes help.</p> </div></p> </p> </p>
