Depth, when utilized properly, can be one of the greatest assets a basketball team can have. It can execute a coach’s process like an assembly line, as each player functions like an interchangeable part.
Depth can also have a negative effect on a team. It can stunt the growth of a young player, doing damage to their fragile confidence. It can alienate a veteran, as options can eliminate their opportunity to work through a slump.
Such is the conundrum facing the Chicago Bulls and Tom Thibodeau. Thibs' principles for playing meaningful minutes are almost solely based on defensive effort. It is his calling card and it is the team's identity. No effort on defense, no meaningful playing time, i.e. the fourth quarter.
While this is a fair and clear expectation for players, there are times when the defensive end of the floor is not the issue. Also, defensive effort is one thing, but the inability to defend due to subpar athleticism is another.
Case in point, Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The score was stuck on 73 a piece, for what seemed like an hour. This was the time for the Bulls to take control of the game. The Miami Heat lead had been erased. The Miami hero of Game 2, Udonis Haslem had tired from the emotional charged minutes he’d played. The Bulls were at home and the fans were on the edge of their seats.
They were waiting for a string of plays to cause them to blow the roof off the building. Instead, the Bulls put together about six or seven offensive possessions where they got nothing.
Derrick Rose did not have the type of game we have come to expect from him this season and postseason. He needed help. Here is the lineup on the floor at this crucial juncture of the game:
At the three was Luol Deng. He was exhausted from a strong first period and chasing LeBron James. Taj Gibson, who despite the dunks and spirited play, is not supposed to be any more of an option offensively than Udonis Haslem. Omer Asik, who for all his effectiveness on defense is one of the most inept offensive players in the league. Last, but certainly not least in my observation, is Kyle Korver.
When Korver makes two of his first four or five shots and Stacey King is yelling for “hot sauce,” his defensive inequities are easy to absorb. When he does not make his shots early, his presence on the floor is not worth the points he gives up on the other end.
Korver can’t guard a monument and he resembles one when whomever he is assigned to beats him off the dribble with ease. Thibs' fourth quarter lineups are usually based on which unit is consistently getting stops. I understand that, but in a game like this, when you recognize that scoring is the issue, how do you justify Boozer sitting the final 16 minutes?
I know he was not having his best game offensively. In fact, he was shooting 30 percent from the field, but he did have eight rebounds, four of them were offensive. Most importantly, he is still a threat to score. Miami is not going to leave him alone. He is a much better option in the pick and roll. This is still the most effective set play the Bulls run, though they don’t run it as often as they should.
Boozer sits because of his defensive lapses and what is perceived as poor effort on that end. I’m not going to argue if its poor effort or just the same deficiency he has always shown in his career. The result is the same.
As much is true for Korver. He is not an effective defender, even with good effort. He does one thing well, shoot the ball. When the shot is not falling, it is clear how his day is going to go. He never shoots his way out of a poor start. He was 1-for-7 from the field.
Eric Spoelstra outcoached Thibodeau in the fourth period. The Bulls usually hide Korver on defense. They genuinely put him on the perimeter player least likely to take him off the dribble. Spoelstra countered that by placing Korver’s man in pick-and-roll situations with LeBron James.
The strength of the Bulls defense is again, the interchangeable parts. This is consistent, except for when it comes to Korver and Boozer.
They are the team's two worst defenders. When Korver is in pick and roll, he does not have the ability to switch to the man with the ball, especially if that man is James or Dwyane Wade. It causes a hesitation in the defense as he has to labor over the pick to stay with his assignment.
This clunky transition created the opportunity that resulted in the three point field goal that gave Miami the lead at 76-73 after a prolonged period of scoreless basketball.
This was the turning point of the game. The Bulls scored two more points the rest of the way, while James or another member of the Heat scored nine more points to put the game away.
Isn’t it time to start putting Korver on the same leash Boozer and now Joakim Noah are on? A cold shooting Korver costs the Bulls much more down the stretch than an ineffective Boozer. At least Boozer has the ability to impact the game with his rebounding or getting to the line.
This is not a bash Korver piece. I recognize the importance his shooting can bring to the Bulls offense. This has been evident by the big shots he has made during the regular season and during the Pacers series. I also recognize his shortcomings, as well as the Bulls' issues during losses.
I know Thibodeau has to see them as well. Keeping Korver on the floor contradicts the standard that Thibodeau has set all year.
When he is not converting threes it really makes no sense. All this while your $15 million man toils the bench for missing defensive assignments.
If Gibson were not on the roster, Boozer would be given the opportunity to play through his slumps and work through his defensive issues. His defense feeds off of his offense. When he scores, his defense is better. This is normal for a big man—ask Pau Gasol.
The depth at his position makes the handling of the two players different. I’m not sure if the depth at power forward is a good thing for the Bulls in the long run.
There hasn’t been much to criticize Thibs about this year, but the management of fourth quarter personnel could be this group's downfall.
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