By Kevin Arnovitz

CHICAGO -- What's particularly dispiriting about the Bulls' recent slide -- culminating with a cataclysmic 118-83 loss to Atlanta -- is that we all witnessed what Chicago was capable of when it pushed Boston to the brink of elimination last April. Yes, the departure of Ben Gordon has left the team with a diminished ability to spread the floor, but his absence alone shouldn't have the Bulls descending to their current depths. Gordon was never a defensive stalwart, and this year's model started the 2009-10 season winning games smothering opponents on the perimeter, executing fierce double teams and denial, and with decisive pick-and-roll defense. Even while they struggled offensively, the Bulls did enough to stay in games.

The long road back will occur -- as the cliché goes -- one game at a time. But how, exactly, does a team do that? Basketball games are won and lost because teams maximize their players' talents. Execution is vital, and a lack of execution can usually be attributed to guys not putting themselves in the best position to exceed. Shots are often contested because not enough space is being generated for shooters. A stagnant offense makes ball movement difficult. An inability to get shots inside of 15 feet means that a team is doing a lousy job of getting bigs position on the block or creating driving lanes for penetration. These things require creativity and right now the Bulls are a terribly uncreative team.

How do the Bulls return to respectability? Here's a to-do list for some of the team's big guns:

Derrick Rose

Rose's explosiveness is starting to return. He's getting to the line with more regularity and forcing opponents to commit. That's all good news. But as John Hollinger pointed out earlier this week, Rose has become a defensive liability as Chicago's primary on-ball defender. Too often, Rose ends up trailing -- and essentially getting taken out of the play -- on high ball screens. Anticipation seems to be much of the problem. Rose will never be a peppy, slap-the-hardwood, one-on-one defender, but he sometimes appears to be caught off-guard when opposing point guards put it in gear. Jose Calderon and Jarrett Jack didn't post big numbers in the Raptors' recent shellacking of the Bulls, but they were able to breeze into the paint early and initiate offense at will. Some of that was the failure of the undersized Jannero Pargo to do much of anything defensively, but Rose was also complicit. As he returns to full health, Rose's commitment to slowing down his counterpart at the point will go a long way toward restoring the Bulls' defense.

Luol Deng

The lanky small forward has long been the undefined variable in the Bulls' offensive scheme. When healthy, Deng has tremendous capacity to create separation for his jumper -- and he doesn't need much because he can shoot over most small forwards. But Deng can also play the 4, and has logged a Player Efficiency Rating of 24.2 at that position this season. "The Bulls have nobody who can work in the post," has been a popular refrain for years, but Deng has a post game -- something he demonstrated last week against New Jersey. Rather than hang out on the wing, Deng should be darting to the block, whether he's coming off ball screens or beating his man down low in early offense situations. "Finding matchups where he can post up and finding ways to cut him into the lane are things we want to do," Bulls head coach Del Negro said. With Deng's height and passing ability, he can also make plays for others against a drawn-down defense.

John Salmons

After his strong campaign in 2009-10, Salmons has sputtered to start the season. His jump shot has abandoned him and, too often, it's because he's launching them against strong contested close-outs. "I need to get to the basket off the dribble," Salmons says. "That'll also help me get to the foul line more often for easy points." Easier said than done, because defenses are clogging the interior against Chicago, making penetration all that much tougher. Salmons was a prime beneficiary of Ben Gordon, but this season it's not enough to stand stationary along the perimeter, wait for the ball and shoot. There's a reason Salmons' assist rate, which has always been impressive for a swingman, has plummeted to a career low: He's become an island in the Bulls' offense.

Joakim Noah

Noah will probably never be a dangerous post threat, and he's not going to demand any double-teams down low -- but that doesn't mean he shouldn't challenge defenses by situating himself close to the basket. Noah is the primary high screener for Derrick Rose, but why not work some magic down low with Luol Deng? Vinny Del Negro could use the two together on a flex screen-and-seal or a basic pin-down, which would put Noah in prime position for an easy layup or a zippy pass to a teammate -- something Noah does well. Chicago's offense is too anemic right now to have players on the floor who aren't being used as potential scorers. Noah may not have the world's most refined offensive game, but he can do more than collect garbage. It's an imperative for the Bulls to find opportunities where Noah can be more useful as both a scorer and facilitator.