Nocioni hasn't scored in double figures in seven straight games and is shooting an unsightly 38.4 percent, a career low.

"I'm frustrated with myself and how the team is playing, but there's no excuse," Nocioni said after practice Friday. "We're not moving the ball. We're playing one-on-one Basketball. We don't trust each other.

"We have to play together and try to find the open shots. We used to play like this. We used to pass the ball three or four times before taking shots. Or we'd penetrate after two or three passes. Right now we shoot or try to go to the basket after the first pass. That's really tough."

Nocioni, once one of the players who most seamlessly figured how to play off Derrick Rose, lately has been the picture of frustration, muttering to himself, complaining to officials, sitting by himself at the end of the bench during a timeout in Milwaukee after getting pulled.

"I'm a really emotional guy, so sometimes it's tough for me to control myself," Nocioni said. "I was frustrated because I want to win and this is my personality. I was complaining about how we moved the ball. I feel we're not playing the right way. But we need to keep working. It's still early. We need to play together."

As recently as Sunday, in a victory in Philadelphia, the Bulls offered a glimpse of what can be when they share the ball -- 26 assists, 52 percent shooting, four players in double figures. Yet back-to-back losses have included stretches in which players looked selfish offensively.

Guessing the dominant topic at Friday's practice, then, seemed pretty easy.

"We worked on sharing the ball a lot today," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "I don't know if people are struggling to understand that. I think they understand it. I just think they have to do it.

"We have to go from strong to weak side. The better teams load up on the strong side [defensively]. If you move the ball and attack, we have guys who can break [defenders] off the dribble. We have to be smarter and get in more play sets where we move the ball."

In other words, Nocioni isn't the only one struggling.

"I tried to figure out how to play with Derrick, and I think I found a way because he's so smart and fast," Nocioni said. "It's easy to get open shots with him. But lately, I'm not finding my spots.

"I have to be ready. I have to still bring my energy no matter what."

And a shorn look.

kcjohnson@tribune.com