() In the eight preseason games, the Bulls have won all of them, which is a good sign in the eyes of the fans. They have begun to have greater expectations for the Bulls' new season.
However, Coach Skiles knows that preseason games cannot mean anything at all. Although the winning streak looks good, it does not mean that the Bulls are now a team that can win the championship.
Historically, many teams that performed poorly in the preseason did not perform very well in the regular season, while many teams that performed poorly in the preseason were able to compete for the championship in the regular season.
Therefore, he did not get carried away by victory. Naturally, he also did not want his players to get carried away by victory.
After the preseason, Coach Scales held a small meeting specifically for this purpose. At the meeting, he first affirmed the players' performance in the preseason, and then reminded everyone that this was just a preseason, not
Just because they have won, they think too highly of themselves. The Bulls still need to play steadily step by step and advance towards the playoffs.
Scales said what needed to be said, but he couldn't control whether he would listen or not.
The biggest problem for the Bulls now is actually the experience of the main players. Although young people are motivated, they are also inexperienced and have not experienced hardships, troughs and setbacks. This also means that if the Bulls have a smooth journey, maybe this year's youth storm will
It can really take the league by storm, but if it encounters a setback and falls into a trough, Skiles is worried that the self-confidence of these players will be affected.
But now, the self-confidence of this group of rookies represented by Chen Jie is through the roof.
The victory in the preseason made them feel that the NBA was nothing more than that, and those who could dominate the NCAA now had lofty ambitions in their hearts.
During the rest period after a few days of preseason, when Chen Jie was chatting with Du Hong, he even joked that if the two of us had just won the NCAA championship and won the NBA championship in the first year after entering the league, would it be okay?
It will be passed down as a legend.
Although it was just a joke, I could see Chen Jie's mentality.
He looks a little arrogant now.
The dissatisfaction of being inferior to others in the draft, the high spirits of winning a multi-million contract, and the pride of being regarded as the darling and focus of the Chicago media fans made Chen Jie a little forgetful.
But this is not a big problem. After all, he has played in the NCAA for two years and has also experienced the torture of not playing and the bitterness of being eliminated. Chen Jie's current mentality is quite mature, so although Skiles can see something
There were clues, but he didn't pay too much attention to it, and was still prepared to let him adjust himself.
In Skiles' view, it is normal for a proud player like Chen Jie to be a little arrogant.
And now the Bulls have a lot of problems, and Chen Jie's problem is considered a minor one.
What Skiles cares most about is the cooperation of several main players. The running-in in preseason and training camp did not allow several young players to have a chemical reaction at all. The cooperation between Eddy Curry and Chandler in the paint is pretty good.
Yes, after all, they have played together for several seasons, and Chen Jie and Luer Deng on the outside also have some tacit understanding, but the connection between the inside and outside lines seems to be broken, and there is no one who can connect them. This is what Skiles finally said.
The reason for the decision to start veteran Griffin instead of Luer Deng.
He wanted to see if this player, who entered the league in 1999 and is now one of the oldest players on the Bulls, could serve as the team's lubricant.
Adarian Griffin was just transferred from the Rockets this year. His original position was shooting guard, but there are Chen Jie, Piakowsky, and Frank Williams at this position.
It was already saturated, so Skiles moved him to small forward.
This player entered the league in 1999. He did not participate in the draft, but signed with the Celtics as a free player. He has experienced many teams in his career. In Skiles' view, this experience should be able to
He can connect the Bulls inside and outside.
Moreover, another reason for choosing him is that he will not seize the ball from several talented young players on the offensive end. This player is still defensive-oriented.
He has a tough style, can lead young players to fight hard, and will not suppress the young players' room to play. Therefore, although he is 1.94 meters tall and has trouble playing small forward, Skiles decided to give it a try.
In addition to running-in issues, Skiles is most worried about defense.
Skiles, who watched Chen Jie's NCAA game video, found that he was highly motivated on defense and had good individual defensive abilities, but he was unable to integrate into the defensive system established by Duke University's old coach K.
This worries Scales.
The defensive intensity of NBA and NCAA is completely different. Chen Jie’s height and strength are both good. If he can understand the coach’s defensive intentions well, coupled with his defensive enthusiasm, Skiles can even be sure of him.
He will definitely be a regular in the defensive first team in the future.
But now, for the time being, the Bulls' defense can only rely on Chandler and Griffin, the two top defensive players inside and outside.
As for Curry and Hinrich, Skiles feels that they should still attack. It's not that Curry can't defend, but he is proactive, while Hinrich's physical fitness is inherently inferior to that of black players.
They are all scumbags!
These two problems are considered the biggest tactical problems of the Bulls now. However, Skiles is confident that they can be solved and the problems will be solved after a long period of competition.
Defense will improve if you practice more in training.
But this all takes time.
Skiles knows that what the Bulls need most now is time!
Give him three to five years and he will be confident in leading this young team to the championship.
However, I don’t know if the team’s management will have this patience, and I don’t know if the fans will have this patience.
Since Michael Jordan in 1998, this team has not tasted the championship for six years. They have been waiting for a long time.
Looking at the six championship banners hanging on the ceiling of the United Center and thinking of the legend of Jordan, Skiles felt that coaching such a team was really stressful.
Of course, he is not the only one who is stressed.
A few days later, on November 1, 2004 local time in the United States, the new NBA season officially began. The opening game was between the Orlando Magic, who had this year's No. 1 pick, and the Chicago Bulls, who had this year's No. 3 pick.
The game will be held at the United Center in Chicago.
When he entered the court to shoot warm-ups before the game, Chen Jie looked at the six championship banners above his head, thinking about the legend No. 23, and felt the same pressure as Skiles.
In Chicago, under the glory of Jordan, no one will relax.
