Without Noah, Bulls play worst defense in 27 years

The ailing Bulls’ defense will be difficult to fix as long as center Joakim Noah remains sidelined with a sore left foot.

We’ve definitely seen how valuable Noah has been to the Bulls’ defense this season. Not only does he add height and athleticism to the front line, he’s also one of the league’s quickest big men moving side-to-side. That allows Noah to play excellent help defense and then recover quickly.

The Bulls just can’t keep up against good teams with Brad Miller, Chris Richard and their other plantar fasciitis sufferer, Taj Gibson.

The Bulls used to have a nice defensive complement in Tyrus Thomas, but he’s been traded to Charlotte and newcomer Hakim Warrick doesn’t come close to providing the same intimidating presence.

For a more athletic front line, the Bulls could try playing more of James Johnson and Joe Alexander, but neither player has the experience to be expected to keep up with veteran opponents.

Like I mentioned a few days ago, these defensive problems stayed hidden when the Bulls played teams like Indiana, New York and Minnesota. Against a tougher schedule, it’s tough to see the Bulls winning any of their next five against Orlando, Miami, Memphis, Dallas and Cleveland.

DERON DUNKS
One play from Tuesday’s game that is bound to get plenty of attention was Deron Williams’ fast-break dunk over Derrick Rose.

This game was evidence that Williams, if anything, might still be underrated as an NBA star. The former Illini point guard was absolutely brilliant with 28 points and 17 rebounds, while hitting 11 of 15 shots.

But that dunk came with an explanation. While throwing down with his right hand, Williams clearly used his left forearm and elbow to push off and keep Rose away from him. Younger players usually get hit with offensive fouls for doing that, but it hardly mattered. It was an impressive play by Williams nonetheless.

“I’ve just got to catch somebody else,” Rose shrugged.

A day earlier, Rose joked that he tries to get out of the way when he knows a dunk is coming.

“Yeah, I didn’t see him right there, but it’s the NBA,” he said.

Williams was humble after the game. This is what he said about the dunk:

“I was just hoping Wes Matthews was going to pass it. He hasn’t passed it to me too many times this year. It gave us a little energy boost. I thought we were more focused in the second half.”

MILESTONE DEFENSE
Oddly enough, the last time the Bulls gave up 130 points in a four-quarter game, they won. That happened in the 151-135 ode to odorous defense at Milwaukee on April 14, 2008.

It took a while to find the last time the Bulls gave up as many as 254 points in consecutive games. Here’s what I came with by pouring through 25 years of results in the media guide:

--On April 9 and 11, 1984, the Bulls gave up 265 points in consecutive games, but that included a 136-134 loss in double overtime at Washington, along with a 129-112 home loss to New Jersey.

--The most recent example with two 48-minute games was March 20 and 22, 1983. The Bulls lost at Seattle 128-116, then lost at home to Detroit 134-116 for a total of 262 points allowed.

--The worst two-game defense in this decade was 247 points. That was on March 28 and 29, 2003 with a 140-89 loss at Indiana (a result often blamed for the demise of general manager Jerry Krause a few days later) and a 107-92 home loss to Sacramento.

--The Bulls haven’t given up 250 points in consecutive games since Feb 1 and 3, 1990, a 139-112 loss at Houston and 112-111 loss at San Antonio.