There will be better days for Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg.
With every windmill dunk and long three-pointer he has seen from rehabbing Zach LaVine in the last week, there has to be.
Right now, however, it’s about trying to maintain patience, something that again was tested in the Bulls’ 100-93 loss Sunday to the Heat at the United Center. It was the Bulls’ fifth loss in a row.
‘‘You have to keep in mind the big picture,’’ Hoiberg said when he was asked about making sure the Bulls don’t rush LaVine, who is recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, back too quickly. ‘‘You have to be careful as far as throwing too much at him right away.
‘‘The big thing is, it is exciting. It’s fun to see a player of his ability running the floor. He shoots it with ease. He has great range. He can really attack the basket and make plays. It’s fun as a staff to see what we’re going to be able to do when we do get him back.’’
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Until then, the Bulls will have to endure games such as the one against the Heat.
It was a game in which the teams combined to score 20 points in the first quarter, the third-lowest-scoring first quarter in NBA history, and a game in which starting point guard Kris Dunn was benched for Jerian Grant midway through the third quarter.
‘‘Yeah, [losing is] definitely getting tough, but we’ve got to understand that we’re young,’’ Dunn said. ‘‘We’re trying to improve individually and, as a team, trying to improve our chemistry. There’s other teams in the league that were going through a bad start and eventually . . . they became better. That’s what we’re trying to get to.’’
What Dunn’s trying to do is find some consistency. He was great Nov. 17 against the Hornets and had a good start to the Bulls’ recent four-game trip, but he was dismantled Friday by the Warriors’ Stephen Curry and went 0-for-6 with three turnovers against the Heat.
‘‘Kris needs to come out and be an attack player,’’ Hoiberg said. ‘‘That’s who he is; that’s when he’s at his best. He missed a couple early. That can’t affect his confidence the way it did.
‘‘The big thing for Kris is we love him. He’s had some really big moments for us. We’re going to continue to start him. He’s just got to go out there and make the right play. It was one of those nights.’’
Dunn didn’t run away from the criticism.
‘‘Attack harder, then,’’ Dunn said of Hoiberg’s assessment. ‘‘I definitely respect his opinion, so I’m going to go and attack harder, then.’’
Grant led the Bulls with 24 points. Denzel Valentine added 14 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, and rookie Lauri Markkanen had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
As for LaVine, the Bulls hope to have him back by the middle of December.
‘‘We’ll take him slow,’’ Hoiberg said. ‘‘No reason to rush him back at this time. But he’s itching to get back out there and is excited to be back part of the team.’’
Follow me on Twitter @suntimes_hoops.
Email: jcowley@suntimes.com
