Bulls coach Billy Donovan still searching for sustained physicality
NEW YORK – A simple follow-up question turned into a three-minutes-and-change therapy session for Bulls coach Billy Donovan.
Then again, could you blame him?
Donovan has been begging his team to understand the importance of the start of the game and establishing a mindset. Letting the other team know that make or miss shots, they were going to feel the Bulls .
And while he would never come out and call the group soft, he’s been trying to get the core to understand physicality and how it would change their place in the standings.
“I don’t know, and that’s the thing that’s a little mind-boggling, frustrating, whatever word you want to use,’’ Donovan said on Sunday. “DeMar (DeRozan) has led our team in charges. He puts his body in plays, so he’s more than capable of doing that. ... We’ve seen Vooch (Nikola Vucevic) rim protect and go vertical, we’ve seen Zach (LaVine) come over and provide help when he needs to. It’s not like we’ve never done it.’’
Just clearly not enough.
That was the case yet again against the Nets, as yes, the Bulls built an impressive 21-point first-quarter lead, but it was courtesy of hot shooting, especially from three-point range (8-of-12, 66.7%). It wasn’t because they were physically wearing down the smaller Brooklyn lineup.
“We have to be comfortable being uncomfortable for a long stretch of time,’’ Donovan continued. “When we’re down 20? Then we’re uncomfortable. We’ve got to be uncomfortable right from the start, and it’s sustained. That’s been the challenge with this group – a sustained ability to do that for long stretches.’’
A challenge that Donovan and his staff have long been trying to solve.
It’s been discussed ad nauseum, shown on film almost daily, and has even led to three different starting groups through the first 17 games. Still, all Donovan has been getting back in return are those flashes of it.
“That’s what I’m constantly trying to talk to them about,’’ Donovan said. “The frustration piece they may feel, for me it’s like be really frustrated when you’ve just thrown everything into it. Not a half, not three quarters. There’s going to be missed block-outs, missed rotations, missed shots, all those types of things. You can’t be influenced by the ball going in the basket.’’
If executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas is going to make sweeping changes and he is invested in Donovan as his coach long term like he has said, it would be in the best interest of the organization to add -physical-minded players in some capacity.
“When we’re screening, screen,’’ Donovan said. “When you’re using a screen, use the screen. The shot goes up hit somebody. There’s a drive, we’ve got to put our body in the play.’’
Mr. Energy
Rookie Julian Phillips wasn’t expecting to be thrown in the rotation in Toronto on Friday, but loved the minutes he got – all 4:27 of them.
That’s because he went in there with a specific order: Be the energy guy. An order he embraced.
“That’s what they tell me. Just go in there and do what I do,’’ Phillips said. “Be myself and that’s what I try to do, bring energy and make athletic plays. That’s the mindset I try to go in with every time.’’
Caru-Show on hiatus
Alex Caruso missed the Sunday game against the Nets with a sore right foot, but he did give warm-ups a go before the game, so the feeling was he won’t be out long.
The defensive-minded guard has missed three games in total this season so far.
