The Chicago Bulls seem to be suffering from an identity crisis.

The team’s focus should shift to the next rising star from the collegiate level because the Bulls are certainly headed to the lottery.

Those are the feelings of panicked Bulls fans expecting a full and immediate return to the 2011 Bulls team that won 62 games and lost in the conference finals to Miami. This team is the best Chicago squad since the ‘98 Bulls.

Somewhere between those two descriptions are the real 2013-14 Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls are somewhat stuck in basketball purgatory. They are trapped between retooling the franchise and maintaining championship aspirations.

While those championship aspirations may be present, they are not realistic. Not for this season at least. That is not to say Chicago will miss the playoffs. Trust and believe their record is not indicative of how the season will go.

The Bulls will not hover around the .500 mark all season. The Bulls starting five had never played together in a regular season game before Oct. 29. Chemistry is going to be an issue in the early part of the season.

Eight preseason games are hardly enough time to develop a rhythm with teammates. We must also remember that Joakim Noah missed the entire preseason. It will take some time for the players to get acquainted with one another on the court.

Derrick Rose has to readjust to the game. He had a great preseason, but after 18 months, nothing compares to live regular season action. Every team is gunning for him and he knows it. Entering last night’s game against Cleveland, he had more turnovers (25) than field goals made (24).

Once Rose returns to form and the chemistry is there, this still will not be a championship team. The lack of a second scorer haunts the Bulls. There have been too many scoring lapses to count in games over the past three seasons that could have been remedied by having a wing player that could create his own shot. There is this tendency to stand and watch Rose make something happen and defenses key in on that.

Jimmy Butler has improved tremendously as a defender and perimeter shooter, but he is not a second option. Luol Deng has reached his ceiling. Noah is still the energy source of this team, but he’s never been known to put up big numbers offensively. Carlos Boozer is playing his best basketball, but history tells us he will not sustain this all season.

Interestingly enough, Nate Robinson was the type of player who could create his own shot. Unfortunately, Mike Dunleavy was paid the money that could have gone to Robinson. Dunleavy is nothing more than a spot-up shooter. The reality is that signing Robinson would have given the Bulls four point guards with the return of Rose. This would sink Marquis Teague deep into the bench and made him appear as if they’d lost faith in their draft choice. As a result, the solution came and went without having ever teamed with Rose.

This is not a very deep team either. Taj Gibson is the lone remaining key contributor from the Bench Mob, the moniker given to the 2011 Chicago Bulls’ second unit. They were very effective and a lot of times the difference in the game. They have since been disbanded via trades and free agency.

The make-up of this team is likely far from finished. Although they will compete night in and night out, front office decisions are being made. That is another key component to identifying who this team really is.

As mentioned earlier, Boozer’s play has been great. However, the rumor around the association is that the Bulls will use the amnesty clause on the last year of Boozer’s contract. They may even look to move him before then.

It is also assumed that Deng will test the free agent market at season’s end. The front office is likely listening to offers for the All-Star forward but his durability is a question. Losing him for nothing is a scenario the Bulls do not want to envision, so they may trade him for less than his market value.

The Bulls are a middle-of-the-pack playoff team. They are not deep enough to overthrow Miami or Indiana but will be better than most of the East. The Bulls defensive effort should mask their offensive struggles during the regular season. They’ll compete hard night in and night out, and while this season isn’t a wash, no one in Chicago should be expecting a coronation.

Spencer is a senior in LAS. He can be reached at [email protected].