Chicago Bulls: Offensive Spread Key To Success

As the Chicago Bulls come off of a win against the Utah Jazz and Pau Gasol gears up for his return, the team needs to continue to be offensively strong across the board.

Coming off of a Saturday night win against the Utah Jazz, the Chicago Bulls are continuing to make a push for this season’s playoffs. Currently eighth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 35-33, the team will face the 26-42 Sacramento Kings on Monday night.

And although it should be an easy win, the team cannot lose sight of what propels them towards success: involving everyone offensively.

The Bulls were without Pau Gasol again on Saturday, with the big man still struggling from a knee injury. At 35, Gasol was perhaps taking on too much at once, posting near triple-doubles night in and night out. Although Gasol carrying the burden for the injured likes of Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose worked at the time, it is now preventing the team from being as strong as they could be.

"“[I] couldn’t bend my knee to a certain degree. Then it pinched,” Gasol said, regarding his recent knee pain. “That was a big part of it. Now the pounding of play with the fluid and the games and the schedule and the minutes, I don’t know. A little bit of everything I guess. I was feeling some discomfort, soreness, pain to a certain degree. Trying to play through it, manage it for awhile actually. But after the Miami game the knee gave out and had that reaction. The alarms went off and we tried to find out what’s going on and we did, now we’re managing it. Hopefully it won’t get worse and we won’t have an episode like we did after the Miami game.”"

Gasol is expected to return at some point this week, but all parties involved seem to want to proceed with caution. Which is only right, especially given Butler’s setback earlier this month. But even as Gasol returns, Chicago cannot and should not continue to rely on him as much as they once did.

"“I’m probably not going to be 100 percent all year,” stated Gasol."

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However hard this may be for some fans to stomach, it does not necessarily equate to the Bulls being doomed. That is, as long as everyone contributes.

Just as putting all of the team’s metaphoric eggs (or balls, as it were) in Gasol’s basket is not a great strategy, neither is doing the same with other key guys like Butler or Rose. With Butler already pushing himself to a degree some are calling too far, and Rose seemingly sitting out more often than not lately, Chicago needs a solid offensive spread.

Yes there are some organizations that have superstars, guys that have spectacular performances night after night. For example, the Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook duos of the league. And while one also cannot discredit the rest of the squad, it is clear who must take control in order to win.

The Bulls used to operate like that, with Rose and Joakim Noah headlining each matchup. But those days are gone. Injuries and egos have taken them away. Chicago is a unit now. And that is what the team needs to act like in order to come out victorious.

Rose scored 22 points and dished out six assists against the Jazz. Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic both totaled 15 points apiece, with 10 and six rebounds, respectively. Butler finished with 15 points, five rebounds and six assists. Even Bobby Portis went for nine points and five rebounds.

Everyone contributed. And the Bulls came out on top.

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Gasol’s return will be welcomed with open arms. But that should not mean that anyone else is allowed to take a step back. The less the team counts on a single entity to survive, the easier their survival will be.

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