The Chicago Bulls might convince Adam Silver to implement a mercy rule.

Once again, things got completely out of hand for this young Bulls team, as the New York Knicks dominated them from the opening tip at Madison Square Garden. The Bulls were down by as much as 44 points on Wednesday night, going on to lose 135-105. Jalen Brunson needed only 28 minutes of action to score 33 points.

The good news for the Bulls? They now have a rare three-day break before they see the floor again on Sunday afternoon. That's a lot of time to go over film and hit the practice court hard. The bad news for the Bulls? They're now 1-7 and still have to face the Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs in their next two games.

*shivers*

Brunson Outscores the Bulls

After icing the Chicago Bulls in the fourth quarter of their last meeting with 14 points, the Finals MVP picked up right where he left off. He was a big reason why the Knicks started the night beating the Bulls at their own game. They were pushing the tempo in transition and piercing their way to the rim. It led to a 22-point start for Jalen Brunson on 8-10 shooting for the night, who was feasting on Chicago's lackluster defense.

His most confident shot of the opening frame came with 2:11 left to go. He carried the ball up the floor, only to pull up for his third triple of the quarter over the six-foot-eleven Noa Essengue. Tiago Splitter was forced to call a timeout down 32-14. The Bulls would go on to score just 21 points in the quarter on 8-25 shooting.

Yes, that means that Brunson single-handedly outscored the entire Bulls offense in the first quarter.

You absolutely have to tip your cap to Brunson. That was a superstar doing superstar things. At the same time, it was a reminder of how limited the Chicago Bulls are defensively. They just do not have the kind of on-ball defender to throw at a player like him.

Can't Buy a Bucket

Jalen Brunson wasn't the only player on fire. OG Anunoby was abusing the Bulls' defense in a similar fashion, using his strength to get to the free throw line for a 11-12 showing over the first two quarters.

The Knicks' offense also used this downhill start to open up the rest of the floor and drain some kick-out triples. By the time the first half ended, they were 10-20 from deep, with five different players draining a shot from downtown.

How did the Bulls shoot? Same old, same old. They were a dismal 5-26 to start the night, which included missing 20 straight threes at one point. It wasn't until two-way guard Jaylin Sellers splashed one that the streak was finally snapped. And the fact that he was even in the game underscores just how ugly things became early on.

The second half saw a similar story, as the Bulls made just 16 more field goals and failed to score 30 points in either of the final two quarters. They ended the night shooting just 38.5 percent from the field with 10 total made threes. The Bulls were repeatedly playing against a set New York defense and simply couldn't get out in the open floor for some easy looks.

As for the Knicks, they were 50.7 percent from the field and cruised to victory behind a 30-37 showing at free throw line.

Tiago Splitter Grasps At Straws

With another game spiraling out of control, Tiago Splitter continued to throw things at the wall.

He shook up his rotation again, going with Zach Collins and Isaac Okoro off the bench first in hopes of stiffening up his defense. As Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic noted, this eventually led to a new lineup for the Bulls that featured those two alongside Tre Jones, Norman Powell, and Josh Giddey. He would also go with another unfamiliar look that featured Jones, Giddey, Powell, Noa Essengue, and Smith.

At the end of the day, nothing flipped the script for Chicago, not even a five-man group of all vets. The Bulls would go 13 players deep in the first half alone, which included giving Patrick Williams his first taste of minutes this season and letting two-way guard Jaylin Sellers take the floor.

You almost have to wonder if Splitter is getting a little too trigger-happy with these different lineups. On the one hand, sure, he's been left with little choice. The starting group has been so bad, and the deficits have become so great that he's looking for anything to light a spark.

On the other hand, the lack of consistency may not be helping. As great as it is to give everyone playing time, there is a real lack of chemistry with this group. No one quite seems to understand how the pieces fit together, and this includes their lead ball-handlers. Would forcing a tighter rotation to play through the mistakes help? Maybe not ... but it could be worth a try.

Caleb Wilson Benched

It's only seven games into the regular season, but Chicago Bulls fans have at least grown used to feeling Caleb Wilson's presence. He's made watching the blowout losses bearable with relentless energy and plenty of highlight plays.

On Wednesday night, however, it looked like frustration had finally caught up to him. Wilson couldn't get any shots to fall early on, starting the night 2-12 from the field. He was forcing the issue a little too much, which included taking seven shots from downtown and converting just one.

Tiago Splitter would eventually call a clearly frustrated Wilson off the bench with 5:09 left to go in the third quarter. And he would not return. It represented a departure from what we've seen Splitter do over the first couple of weeks. In previous blowout losses, Wilson was thrown back into the game late to finish things out. By not doing it this time, the head coach may have been trying to send him a message.