Bulls still trying to figure things out

Watching the Bulls lose a very winnable game in Miami on Sunday, I wondered if they’re just not in synch yet or if they’re not good enough to finish off a decent team on the road.

This debate might continue through the end of November since the Bulls have so many tough road tests coming up. Derrick Rose is clearly not quite himself after missing most of preseason with an ankle injury. Also, the John Salmons-Luol Deng combo is something the Bulls rarely used last season.

Down the stretch, the Bulls just didn’t look like a very confident team; not quite sure what to do. The funny thing is, Dwyane Wade scored just 1 basket in the fourth quarter, plus a couple of late free throws. Miami had a variety of guys knocking down big shots, especially Udonis Haslem and Carlos Arroyo.

The Bulls were getting plenty of open looks, even in crunch time. They’re shooting 16 percent from 3-point range through three games, which is worrisome.

LATE GAME TURNOVER
The Bulls still had a chance in this one trailing 91-87 with about 40 seconds left, but they botched a set play. Rose drove baseline and tried to get it to Hinrich in the corner. Wade contested the pass and Hinrich was falling out of bounds when he caught it. He tried to dish it back to Rose, but he was out of bounds.

"We ran it the time before and Wade kind of knew what was coming and he was there,” Hinrich said after the game. “Derrick had to try to force a pass. To catch that, I was like falling out of bounds and didn't have anywhere to throw it.”

I thought a bigger possession might have been when the Bulls had the ball and an 80-79 lead with about 4 ½ minutes left. Deng missed a corner jumper, Joakim Noah got a couple of good tips that didn’t fall, then Hinrich missed a good look at a 3-pointer. Four shots and no points.

Coach Vinny Del Negro went with a small lineup down the stretch and it obviously didn’t pay off. With Rose and the outside shooters missing shots, it might have helped to have someone else in the game who could have helped score off the offensive glass.

WADE TALKS HINRICH
Here’s one leftover from the Dwyane Wade postgame chat. He was asked about his frequent matchups with Hinrich, who has had some defensive success over the years against Miami’s superstar.

"I respect Kirk,” Wade said. “He's a solid defender and I'm sure he respects me the same way. I love those kind of matchups. There's going to be some games where he's going to do a good job and there's going to be certain games where I'm going to get the better of him. We came in together (in the 2003 draft), so we'll match up a lot.”