The Bulls’ coaches were discussing Sunday night’s 116-103 victory over the Suns in the few minutes before the locker room is opened to reporters and the players begin leaving.
The win to conclude the last extended Western Conference trip of the season was a relief. The Bulls went 3-4 and now play six of their next nine at home, starting Tuesday night against the Toronto Raptors.
Games usually are something of a blur, especially against the Suns. The Bulls had just finished two games against the most wide-open teams in the league, averaging almost 119 points per game, 20 above their season average.
There was much to discuss, such as Kirk Hinrich’s brilliant fourth quarter, in which he scored 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting to lead the comeback win. Ben Gordon scored 27 points on 7-for-17 shooting after collecting 24 on 7-for-18 shooting against Golden State.
There was the uncertainty over P.J. Brown’s stiff back, which kept him out Sunday, and the degree of Tyrus Thomas’ enthusiasm.
But mostly they were talking about Luol Deng, who was superb yet again.
“That was one of his better all-around games,” Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. “I thought he was great. He had no turnovers, he blocked shots, he rebounded. It was one of his best games as a pro.”
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Skiles stopped short of calling it a breakout game, because he had seen that level of play from Deng before.
“Really,” he said, “the whole year.”
The case can be made, and without much hyperbole, that Deng has been the best player on the Bulls this season. He is making a strong case to be a future All-Star. And if the Bulls do make a trade before the Feb. 22 deadline, it will be hard to include him.
“I felt good,” Deng said after collecting 29 points and 12 rebounds against the Suns for a team-best 11th double-double. “My confidence is high. I’m trying to keep being aggressive and learn from every game, what I’ve done wrong, what I’ve done right and keep trying to get better.”
That’s a scary thought given the 6-foot-9-inch forward turns 22 in April. He’s making quite a case for being an All-Star now.
Since the All-Star reserves were announced Jan. 31, which coincided with the start of the Bulls’ trip, Deng has been the team’s best and most consistent player, with Hinrich not far behind.
Gordon has been slumping, shooting 50 percent in just one of the last seven games and under 40 percent on the trip. Skiles wondered whether Gordon had been affected by the All-Star snub. He’s the Bulls’ leading scorer at 21.2 points per game, and many expected him to make the team.
Deng is averaging 18.4, but he bettered that on this trip while playing consistently good defense.
“I’ve tried to focus on my defense,” Deng said. “I didn’t want to be ball watching.”
If you’re a Bulls fan, you’ve had a ball watching Deng lately.
He scored at least 20 points in five of the last six games on the trip. He had four double-doubles and missed a fifth by one rebound. In the last seven games he is averaging 21.9 points and 9.7 rebounds. He is shooting 50 percent and he has been aggressive, averaging more than seven free throws per game. He shot 15 against Utah and 13 against Seattle. He had three steals in the Utah and Sacramento games.
He did not attempt a three-pointer on the trip and has shot just three all season.
That represents one of the big changes in Deng’s game. He hasn’t been a good three-point shooter, so he has worked more on an effective short jumper. Scouts around the league say he might be the best interior cutter in the game, so effective that it tests the Bulls’ guards to find him more.
In addition to his improved scoring, Deng is averaging 7.2 rebounds per game and shooting 52.2 percent. He’s second on the Bulls in scoring, second in rebounding, third in steals, fourth in assists, fourth in blocks and first in minutes played.
Deng is turning into a real success story. He was taken with the No. 7 pick the Bulls acquired from the Suns in the 2004 draft with the idea of using it to acquire Al Harrington, but that deal fell through.
Deng was bothered by a wrist injury at the end of his rookie season, which limited his workouts. He was not regarded as a great athlete, but he’s an extremely hard worker.
Flexibility is an issue for him, but he’s always working on it before games and has proved to be one of the more active players in the league. It’s hard not to see him as an All-Star, considering a player like Caron Butler of Washington made it this season.
His future will be an issue. The trading deadline is in nine days, and the Bulls are considering whether to trade for Pau Gasol or make another major deal. Deng isn’t considered a post-up player but has shown some post moves lately. He says he’s working that into his game.
Could the Bulls afford to give him up in a trade? Would they? It’s a difficult decision. Is he good enough for the Bulls to stand pat with the group they have?
Sunday “was a big win for us,” Deng said, and he certainly helped with seven points, four rebounds and two blocks in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve lost a lot of close games. This time we made big plays. The trip did not come out like we wanted, but now we go home and focus and try to get on a run.”
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