Thompson: No Time For Bulls, Noah To Mesh – Hello Miami

By Brad Thompson--

The defensive effort wasn't there. The defensive rotations weren't there. This is not the way the Bulls wanted to start the second half of the season.

Wednesday night's 118-113 loss to a Raptors' squad that had only 15 wins this season was not what Bulls fans had expected with Joakim Noah returning to the lineup. The Raptors shot 58% from the field against a normally stingy Bulls defense. It was an uncharacteristic performance, but something seen before from the Bulls on the road. Chicago is just .500 (13-13) away from the United Center this season.

The Raptors game was a classic trap game for the Bulls. With a huge win over the Spurs before the All-Star break, the Bulls might have been a bit over confident. And with Thursday night's battle against the Miami Heat looming, it seemed the Bulls weren't very focused on Toronto.

It was great to see Noah back after missing 30 games. Clearly, it'll take some time for Noah to knock off the rust and mesh with the guys. Don't underestimate the time it might take Noah to get back into a rhythm on both ends of the floor. Noah is a welcomed sight in the paint, but he and Boozer have hardly played together. Having two low-post players who haven't played alongside each other might require some patience, particularly on the defensive end.

No question the Bulls should beat a team like the Raptors. And all the reasons I've mentioned are just excuses, but I was excited to see Rose, Korver, Deng, Boozer, Noah in the lineup together. I think it's their most potent lineup, especially offensively.

Noah and Boozer offer two scoring options on the block. Deng is an effective wing scorer and Korver's shooting spreads the floor, opening up room for Rose to penetrate. This lineup creates matchup problems.

The question is – will this lineup fit with Thibodeau's defensive system?

Who guards the other team's shooting guard? Korver and Deng's lack of lateral movement and foot speed limit their ability to effectively defend on the perimeter. The other option is to insert Ronnie Brewer or Keith Bogans. Both are better defenders, but can't shoot it like Korver. This isn't a new concern for the Bulls. It's been something they've been dealing with since the start of the season. At least now Noah and Boozer are behind them to stop dribble penetration and help out defensively.

Obviously Bogans, Korver and Brewer all play and it just depend on nightly matchups to see who's on the floor during crunch time, but is there any chance that Thibodeau's rotation changes at shooting guard with Noah and Boozer in the lineup together? Once Noah get's comfortable I think his defensive ability will allow Thibodeau to play Korver more. Time will tell.

With help from a weak division – the Bulls are 11-0 against Central teams, the best record in the NBA against divisional opponents – and an incredible home record (25-4) the Bulls are pushing the Celtics and Heat for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. So it's easy to see why Thursday's game is important.

Winning on the second night of back-to-back games is always tough and traveling hasn't given the Bulls much time to practice with Noah or correct the mistakes from Wednesday's loss, but the Bulls seem like they've been focused on the Heat since the All-Star break. No doubt the United Center will be buzzing with LeBron, Wade and Bosh in the house, let's see if the Bulls, at full strength, can quiet the Heatles.

Do you agree with Brad? Post your comments below.

Brad M. Thompson, a former college football player and coach, made his return to the Midwest in 2009 after fighting wildfires out West. He earned his master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and covers the Big Ten Conference and Chicago sports. Follow him on Twitter at @Brad_M_Thompson. Find more of Brad's blogs here.