Alex Caruso wasn’t about to muck his hand just yet.
Not when the Bulls guard still felt strongly that while his roster has flaws, they are mostly correctable.
“I think it’s been different [issues], depending on matchups,’’ Caruso said, when discussing yet another loss and a disappointing 11-16 start to the season.
And that’s the frustration.
The Bulls have actually been a mid-tier rebounding team this season, yet watched the Knicks embarrass them on the boards Wednesday, grabbing 48 rebounds to the Bulls’ 31.
They’ve been a much better defensive team than they were at the end of last season, currently sitting eighth in defensive efficiency, but it was just over two weeks ago that they allowed Phoenix’s Devin Booker light them up for 51 points in just three quarters of a blowout loss.
They entered Thursday third in pace per game, but far too often have watched the offense bog down in crucial situations.
The fix in Caruso’s mind? Stay focused on the details, and do so for 48 minutes.
But then there are the flaws that aren’t correctable. Cracks in the dam that a finger and some duct tape won’t repair.
Outside shooting, toughness in the frontcourt? All valid. But it starts at the point guard position and the realization that Lonzo Ball won’t be walking through that door anytime soon. Maybe even for the remainder of the year, as the rehabilitation from September left knee surgery continued to be one step forward, two steps back.
While the Bulls won’t publicly rule Ball out for the season, the concern inside the Advocate Center has been growing lately, especially with the guard relatively still stuck on the same steps in the rehab process before experiencing pain.
Then factor in that second-year point guard Ayo Dosunmu was currently sidelined with an abdominal bruise, but also was struggling with some growing pains of his own at that point guard position, and some tough conversations might have to be had if executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas wants to salvage this “continuity’’ project by the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
There’s a reason the Bulls were a league-worst 3-11 in clutch games so far this season, and a lot of it has to do with the lack of a true court general when games are on the line.
Goran Dragic has done a very good job running the point off the bench, but is still 36 years old and hasn’t been used consistently in those spots.
That was again on display in the overtime with the Knicks, as coach Billy Donovan continued to go point-guard-by-committee, and watched his offense seemingly trudge through mud, scoring just three points.
“What I’ve tried to do coming down the stretch, and we’ve tried to work on this, is have different guys back there based on the different actions because that’s where we’re at,’’ Donovan said. “There’s times I’ve put Zach [LaVine] back there, there’s times I’ve put Ayo back there, Alex is back there, just different guys handling based on the different set we’re running at that point and time.
“When I was at Oklahoma City my last year with Chris Paul, you know, he was the guy every single time.’’
They don’t have “the guy’’ to do that, and even if Ball does return in the second half of the season, his health will remain a concern. A proven point guard should be handcuffed to him.
“There’s no question that with Ayo out and Lonzo out there’s depth issues there right now with the hand that we’re dealt with,’’ Donovan said. “There hasn’t been anything of, ‘Hey, we’re going to go out and try and find a point guard.’ I imagine that Arturas is looking at everything as it relates to our entire roster.’’
He better be.
