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3 Keys to getting the Chicago Bulls back on track after a disappointing start

By Thomas J. Brown

Nov 14, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan talks to forward DeMar DeRozan (11) and guard Zach LaVine (8) during a timeout of the NBA game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. The Bulls wins 100-90. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan talks to forward DeMar DeRozan (11) and guard Zach LaVine (8) during a timeout of the NBA game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. The Bulls wins 100-90. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports /
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Chicago Bulls
Nikola Vucevic of the Chicago Bulls (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) /

Chicago Bulls: Rebound the basketball!

Hall of Fame power forward Dennis Rodman was an integral part of three Chicago Bulls championship runs in the late ’90s. Everyone in the league knew he was not a scoring threat, but he did all of the intangibles for the team, like setting great screens and going after loose balls. However, there was one thing The Worm did at an elite level that was not intangible but rather very quantifiable: rebound!

During his tenure with the Bulls, he led the league in rebounds per game every year and was once quoted as saying, “I want to do for rebounds what Michael Jordan did for dunks.” This year’s team could learn a lesson from the former Bulls legend. Currently, they are 20th in the NBA in rebounds per game with 43.6 boards per contest. There’s an old adage in basketball that the team that wins the battle of the boards will most likely win the game.

In Chicago’s case, this is proving to be true. It is no coincidence that the team averaging a league-best 51.1 rebounds per game, the Milwaukee Bucks, also has the best record in the league with ten wins and one loss. This trend has plagued the team all season. On Wednesday, the team lost a very close game at home to the upstart New Orleans Pelicans.

While Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson deserve the bulk of the credit for handing the Bulls a loss, Chicago should also reevaluate their commitment to the boards; they were outpaced 50 to 35 in overall rebounds that night. A 15-rebound deficit has a direct correlation to a four-point loss in front of the hometown fans. If the Bulls want to be a playoff team, they cannot continue to be grossly outperformed on the glass on a nightly basis.

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