Bulls have no identity 54 games into the season

PHOENIX — It was an interesting answer. Actually, it was an interesting evasion.

After a disappointing loss Friday to the Suns, guard Dwyane Wade was asked if the 26-28 Bulls were constructed correctly.

“I’m not touching that,’’ he said.

Fifty-four games into the season, the Bulls don’t seem to have an identity or a style of play.

The Suns are 17-37, but they push the ball up the floor at a blinding pace.

What exactly is the Bulls’ style?

“I don’t know,’’ All-Star Jimmy Butler said. “Do whatever it takes to win games is the style that we play. I think we’ve got to be better at that, but it doesn’t matter what style you play.

‘‘You can play this way, that way, as long as you win, that’s a good style of basketball.’’

Wade had a similar vague description.

“You want to know what you do well,’’ Wade said. “If you don’t know what you do well, then how do you win consistently?’’

Asked if the Bulls even know what they do well, Wade said, “At times.’’

“A game like Friday’s, if you look at it statistically, [it reveals] how we lose games,’’ Wade said. “We turn the ball over a lot, give up a lot of transition points and don’t have a lot of ball movement. And we lose the rebounding war. Those are the things that don’t give us a chance to win.’’

Basically, it’s a blueprint for losing basketball.

This ill-conceived roster was thrown together last summer by two supposed basketball men — general manager Gar Forman and vice president of basketball operations John Paxson — who tried to pass it off as a workable situation.

They knew coach Fred Hoiberg liked pace and space but instead provided him with isolation and inconsistency.

The team was built on hope: the hope that Doug McDermott would be a knock-down three-point shooter who could improve defensively, the hope that Nikola Mirotic would finally become the stretch four they hyped him up to be three seasons ago.

They also hoped that rookie Denzel Valentine would be a playmaker/outside threat, allowing Butler and Wade to attack the rim.

Instead, they’re the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference and have some serious decisions to make as the Feb. 23 trade deadline approaches.

“We’re a team that once we do the right things, we can score,’’ Wade said. ‘‘We’ve proved that. We just have to do everything right. We’re not a team that can lollygag and not do things right and still put up 112-plus on you. I’ve been saying all year: [Our margin for error] is very slim.’’

Beating Tom Thibodeau’s Timberwolves on Sunday would give the Bulls a respectable 3-3 record for this trip, but Butler (bruised right heel) is iffy for the game after trying to grind his way through the Suns game. Then before the All-Star break, they’ll have to deal with the Raptors and Celtics at home, no easy task.

Then again, nothing comes easy for this team.

“We haven’t found a niche,’’ veteran big man Taj Gibson said. “We’ve got no choice but to move forward.’’

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Email: jcowley@suntimes.com