| Chicago's Halfcourt Offense A Work In Progress Authored by Brandon Hoffman - November 24, 2008 - 11:38 am
| Current Featured Columns | | Merry Christmas, Raptors Fans The Raptors might not be playing good basketball right now, but there are plenty of things for Toronto fans to be thankful for this holiday season.
A Melo Behind The SuperstarsCarmelo Anthony has never been one of the league's most efficient offensive players.
 |
Maynor Using Utah’s Resources
Eric Maynor is an increasingly rare four-year, small college rookie. He sat down with RealGM to discuss how his first few weeks of NBA life has gone and what he has learned from Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan.
|
 |
Why LeBron To The Clippers Makes Sense
LeBron James already plays for a perennial underdog in Cleveland, but moving to the Clippers would allow him to do so in a huge market and with a core that will immediately compete for championships while also having an encouraging long term outlook.
|
 |
‘Home-Heavy Schedule’ Brings Question Marks
The Heat have been plagued by inconsistencies, making it difficult to determine how good they really are this season.
|
|
More from RealGM's Columnists
|
| |
But despite their hot-streak and homecourt advantage, Denver found themselves in a dogfight until the fourth quarter before they pulled away for a 114-101 win, largely due to a game-high 28 points from Ben Gordon.
Gordon shot 7-of-13 from the field, 5-of-7 from the three-point line, and 9-of-9 from the free throw line. Gordon scored 15 of his game-high 28 points in the second quarter to help erase a 9-point first quarter deficit and cut Denver’s lead to 4 heading into the second half.
Drew Gooden scored 21 points on 8-of-17 from the field and grabbed 7 rebounds.
Bulls forward Luol Deng, sidelined by a left hamstring strain, was replaced in the starting lineup by Joakim Noah. Noah struggled from the field (1-of-4) but led the Bulls with 9 rebounds. Chicago entered the game fifth in offensive rebounding and scored 18 second-chance points behind Noah’s 5 offensive snares.
Kenyon Martin led a balanced Nuggets attack with 26 points on 10-of-10 from the field. Martin scored 9 of his team-high 26 points over the final 5:05 to help the Nuggets close the game on an 18-2 run.
Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, and Nene paced the Nuggets with 21 points a piece.
Denver took advantage of Chicago’s three-guard lineup by punishing the Bulls inside. The Nuggets outscored the Bulls 50-32 in points in the paint.
"We've got to get used to scrambling when we have that small lineup out there,” Gordon said. “It's definitely not every man for himself. We've got to cover for each other, but when a team gets the ball at the front of the rim, there's not much you can do."
Denver outrebounded the Bulls 41-39, including a 15-7 advantage in the fourth quarter.
Chicago entered the game 27th in points scored per 100 possessions, but hung tough with Denver through three quarters. Chicago’s offense is designed to feature the strengths of rookie point guard Derrick Rose. Rose is lighting quick, so whenever possible, the Bulls look to the push the ball in transition.
When forced into the half-court, Chicago’s offense consists of Rose running pick-and-rolls with Gooden, Nocioni, or Noah at the top of the key, while Gordon and Hughes space the floor by spotting up around the three-point line. The Bulls were moderately successful with this scheme through three quarters, but their offense came to a screeching halt when the Nuggets switched up their defensive strategy in the final period.
“They were switching and trapping,” coach Vinny Del Negro said. “Offensively we got a little stagnant. We’ve got to do a little better job of moving the basketball and creating space.”
Chicago may want to start by generating some movement away from the ball. Standing around the three-point arc, Gordon and Hughes were spectators for too much of the night. If that doesn’t work, Coach Del Negro would be wise to curtail Chicago’s pick-and-roll dominated offense.
For starters, Rose lacks the shooting ability to keep opposing defenses honest. Opposing guards are free to go under screens, while big men can play a step off to deter penetration. Secondly, Chicago lacks an athletic big man that can draw attention rolling to the basket. With zero movement away from the ball, and little attention paid to the screener, opposing defenses are allowed to overload the strong side and force harmless ball reversals. Sharpshooter Ben Gordon benefited from the defensive attention paid to Rose, but spotted up on the opposite end of the floor for much of the game, only one of Gordon’s seven made field goals was assisted by Rose.
I’m not suggesting the Bulls abandon their dribble-drive offense altogether. Rose is more than adept at breaking his man down off the dribble and creating for himself and others. But he doesn’t have the skill set nor is he blessed with the right supporting cast to be a pick-and-roll point guard at this stage of his career.
Brandon Hoffman is a contributing writer for RealGM. Visit Brandon’s NBA blog BallerBlogger.com. |
