Second Half of the Season

In the last game before the All Star break, the Bulls beat the Miami "Remember 2006" Heat 99-92 at home.

It is a small consolation for a very disappointing first half of the season for the Bulls, who were expected to make a big splash this year after last season's exciting run into the 2nd round of the playoffs. To say this year has been ugly has been an understatement.

Kobe Bryant did not come to Chicago. Maybe not giving up Deng and Gordon for everyone's favorite perfectionist freak will prove to be a smart move in the long run. However, at 10 games under .500 in a dismal Eastern conference with Joe Smith providing most of the heroics, you have to consider what having a legit superstar could do for this team.

But, I'm not here to urinate and complain about the first half, I'm here to look forward to the second half of the season.

Here's what the team needs to do:

1. Get healthy: Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, and Ben Gordon have all been plagued by injuries this year, which has let to rotation problems, matchup problems, and overall getting our asses handed to us problems. In order for this team to compete, we need these 3 on the floor and at least close to 100 percent.

2. Thankfully, we are in a weak conference and hope is not yet lost. The Bulls are only a few games outside of the playoff picture at the moment, and with a decent winning streak, they could find themselves clinging to a 7th or 8th seed. The goal for wins and losses in the 2nd half should be balancing out the first: if the Bulls can finish the season 20-10, then they would finish .500 and likely have a 5th seed tied up. For this group, that's a reasonable request, as they've been making similar runs to end the last few seasons.

3. Most of all, what this team needs to do is COMPETE. Every single night. Last year, win or lose, the Bulls put everything on the floor. This year that same kick just isn't there. They have shown flashes of fire, particularly in pounding the Pistons every time they come to town, but the drive just hasn't been there consistently. Whether our Bulls make it to the dance in April or not, I'll be proud of them if they show some of that grit again.