Kirk Hinrich is all alone in the corner. He shoots: clank. Again: clank. Once more: clank.

This is during warmups when no one is keeping score and no one has a hand in his face. But the clanking continues when the shots count.

Coming off a season during which he put up career-best numbers – 16.6 points, 44.8 percent shooting and 41.5 percent three-point shooting – Hinrich is down to career worsts: 10.3, 35.0 and 23.5 percent.

“I’ve had bad games before, or even two games, but I can’t remember anything like this,” the former Kansas University standout said.

Of all the reasons for the Bulls’ surprising struggles, Hinrich’s poor play tops the list. He is their point guard, a co-captain, the guy who has been with the team the longest. He is in his fifth season, and, among starting point guards, his shooting percentage ranks at the bottom of the league.

Not coincidentally, the Bulls are the league’s worst shooting team, the only one making less than 40 percent of its shots.

“When I’m aggressive and play with a lot of energy, our whole team does,” Hinrich said. “When I’m passive, it trickles down.”

He has been as passive as a shy 3-year-old on Santa’s lap, which has put Bulls coach Scott Skiles in a tight spot. Bench Hinrich and his confidence could be broken for the season. Keep him in the lineup when backup Chris Duhon is more productive – which hasn’t been the case consistently – and the team’s performance suffers.

“I would question how many teams take out their starting point guard,” Skiles said. “It doesn’t happen very much, but if we keep struggling, anything’s got to be on the table.”

Of course, one errant-shooting point guard does not turn a 49-win team into a team on pace to lose 54 games by himself. The Bulls have a list of problems as long as that 3-year-old’s holiday wish list.

¢ Quitting on the coach. Rumblings are growing louder that if the Bulls haven’t tuned out Skiles yet, they are reaching for the dial.

¢ An aging center. Ben Wallace, 33, started showing signs of decline last season when he would follow one good game with a few lackluster efforts. His numbers are down even more this season, and that includes his minutes.

¢ Kobe talk. Considering Kobe Bryant has almost as many points as Ben Gordon and Luol Deng combined, perhaps there should have been more than rumors about a trade between the Lakers and Bulls. Vice president John Paxson’s insistence on making Deng untouchable will not turn out to be one of his better moves.

¢ The schedule. The Bulls overcame a 5-9 start last season with a 14-3 December. Turning around their 3-9 November this year, however, will be more difficult.

¢ Great expectations. After advancing to the second round of the playoffs last spring, the Bulls entered the season as the choice of some experts to reach The Finals. “Maybe you guys don’t know very much,” said Skiles, only half-smiling.

Maybe so, but I know this much: If Hinrich doesn’t shoot better, the Bulls’ season will crash with a clank.