Bulls' early fall raises red flags

0 Comments | USA TODAY, December, 2007 | by Mike Dodd

CHICAGO -- Late autumn on the Chicago sports scene in recent years has typically featured a quarterback debate for the Bears, the Cubs and White Sox vying for offseason headlines and the Bulls struggling in the early NBA going before beginning a run that leads to a successful year.

This fall the final element could use an asterisk. Actually, a question mark.

The Bulls got a rare win Wednesday at Charlotte, improving to just 5-11. Although there are no visible signs of panic at United Center, neither is there a sense of certainty about a turnaround. The team expected to contend for the Eastern Conference title is in the Central Division basement and in a shooting slump that threatens to erode its confidence.

The normally sharp-shooting Bulls were...