We all need a break from the Chicago Bulls.
It's been a while since I have just put my thoughts down. This isn't a "beat" piece, a player breakdown, or anything like that. It's just raw thoughts on what I have seen from the Chicago Bulls in the 2022-23 season.
The Bulls are two games out of the final "Play-In" spot. Yes, you read that right. Not the playoffs, a play-in spot. They're 11th in the Eastern Conference and losers of six straight games heading into the break.
It almost baffles me at this point. If you had told me at the beginning of the season that the Bulls would have a top-10 defense, I would have guessed they'd be in good shape. Well, I would have thought wrong.
Watching the Bulls play basketball has become a chore. The team can show flashes of excellence, but it's often short-lived. What they show more times than not are inconsistencies. What I mean by that is, the Bulls can start a game hot, moving the ball around, not settling for jump shots, attacking the rim, and everything else in between. Then all of a sudden, they become lax. Then it becomes nothing but your turn, my turn basketball between Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.
When the NBA Trade Deadline passed and the Bulls did nothing , I was not only irritated but a little shocked. It isn't hard to see what needs to be done. As good as Lonzo Ball was for this team, he isn't walking through the door anytime soon. So, if Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley didn't want to blow up the roster, why not try and make a move for a point guard?
None of it makes sense to me. Yeah, I guess you can say "shame on me for expecting something", but what the hell are we doing here? Personally, I wanted them to blow it completely up. They risk losing Nikola Vucevic for nothing this offseason after sending young talent and picks to acquire his services. They paid LaVine the max and that just looks like a terrible decision now considering he appears to be just a good scorer on a bad team. DeRozan is good, but he isn't good enough to be "The Man" on a team with real championship aspirations.
Now what? I wish I could say lose out and get a good draft pick. But I cannot say that. The reason why is because that pick is with the Orlando Magic and it's top-four protected. Right now, the Bulls have a 32% chance of landing in the top four according to Tankathon.
I honestly don't know where they go from here. Even if they dip their feet in the buyout market, are they going to land someone who truly helps them? Will Russell Westbrook or John Wall be a saving grace for this team? Unlikely. For now, I'm just going to enjoy NBA All-Star Weekend and take a much-needed break from the Bulls.
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