The Chicago Bulls are supposed to be bad. Unlike previous years, the playoffs are not supposed to be the expected internal goal. DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso are both gone. Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis are both in. Add to that the signing of Jalen Smith, the five-year contract for Patrick Williams, and the endless praise for Coby White, and the Bulls have made it clear that youth is their priority.
Still, there’s still work to be done for management to show they’re fully invested in the rebuild. Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic both remain on the roster despite countless trade rumors and reports. Not only could the two veterans hamper the development of the team’s young talent, but it could also lead to wins. And that’s bad news for a Bulls organization that needs to finish in the bottom 10 of the league to keep its 2025 first-round pick.
Tanking isn’t easy, especially when a strong draft class is looming. Multiple teams are expected to be in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes as the 2024-25 season drags on. If the Bulls want to be truly competitive This In the race, they will have to put winning second. Unfortunately, a new projection of the total number of victories suggests that they may struggle to achieve this.
Chicago Bulls’ Boring Win Projections
ESPN’s panel of experts attempted to predict the final balance sheet of each team for the upcoming season. Although the Chicago Bulls shed some top veterans this summer, they finished in a familiar spot. Billy Donovan’s team finished the play-in tournament as the top seed, joining the Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks, respectively. ESPN gives them a 30-52 record.
I couldn’t help but let out a frustrated chuckle when I saw this. There’s hardly a worse outcome this year than ANOTHER play-in tournament ending. Some might say it would be decent A unique experience for the Bulls’ young players. But not really! Josh Giddey is coming off two play-in games, Jalen Smith is coming off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, and the Bulls’ young trio (Coby White, Patrick Williams, and Ayo Dosunmu) has already made the play-in two years in a row. Is 9-on-10 really going to teach this group something they don’t already know?
What could easily surpass the value of one or two Play-In games is another A very promising lottery pick to add to the equation. Given their lack of star-level talent on the team right now, the Bulls need as many darts as possible. While I find this ESPN projection nauseating, I can’t necessarily say I disagree with it. This management is apparently addicted to mediocrity. If they’re sitting in 11th place in the East at the trade deadline, how do we know they won’t try to justify a push to the play-in tournament?
Even if they consider keeping the pick a priority, I question their ability to outplay other teams. Whether it’s Detroit, Charlotte or Toronto, several teams in the East have shown that they (1) aren’t afraid and (2) know how to position themselves for more lottery balls. Again, tanking is difficult and it takes initiative!
The good news is that if the Bulls can get rid of LaVine or Vucevic, I’ll feel a lot better about their ability to avoid walking that tightrope. The bad news is that it’s still a big “if.” Both players have no market so far, and I worry that the Bulls won’t be able to capitalize on a market either if it suddenly expands. We’ve seen them consistently overvalue their assets, and that could very well happen again if LaVine or Vucevic get off to a good start to the year.
So yeah, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about the Bulls immediately ruining the start of this new era. If you want to know more about all this, I spoke with the CHGO Boys Earlier This WeekWe covered win total projection, as well as a bunch of other offseason scenarios.
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