The Bernstein Brief: How Will The Bulls Respond?
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) If the Bulls lose at home to the Thunder on Thursday night, it won't be for a lack of trying.
At least that's the hope, considering how Fred Hoiberg already was afforded his "What the hell was that?" coaching point earlier than anybody expected after that collective capitulation in Chicago's 130-105 loss at Charlotte on Tuesday night. Those outcomes can happen to good teams in the NBA, even if rarely in the first week of November and not at the end of a long road trip or as part of a back-to-back.
This game against the Thunder now gives us something to observe in Hoiberg's tenure -- a response.
The players said all the right things in the wake of embarrassment, talking about accountability and effort, assuring us and themselves that they're aware that such performances must be few and far between for real contenders.
It's only November, just the start of the slog. But it will be nice to see if the Bulls believe what they say.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.