by Blessed Fabellon
I’ve never really been an avid sports fan. I enjoy watching certain sports like volleyball and baseball and only recently have gotten back into basketball because of my boyfriend. Sometimes when he talks to me about current sports events, I just nod my head and agree. In an effort to be able to engage more in those conversations, I took it upon myself to put my two cents on a topic I found quite interesting.
From what I’ve seen as an indifferent sports fan after a few Google searches, a bit (a LOT) of ESPN and SI reads, and curious talks with my dad, my friend (a huge Bulls fan), and my boyfriend, the Chicago Bulls seem to have been in a state of “limbo” since Lonzo Ball’s injury in January of 2022. Prior to the injury, the Bulls were said to be among the top of the East’s contenders. Ever since then, it feels like the Bulls have been in a vicious cycle of attempts at smart moves that don’t really seem to pan out, little bits of hope, followed by disappointment when things don’t work out.
I think that the Bulls did a good thing by trading Alex Caruso for promising young point guard Josh Giddey, who has great size and offensive potential. They also unloaded Demar DeRozan’s negative floor spacing, large contract, and older timeline for former rookie of the year candidate, Chris Duarte. However, in doing so, they lost two big pieces that contributed to their former hopes, which is contributing to the Bulls’ troubles.
With Lonzo Ball coming back and playing around 20 minutes a game, this begs the question of what the Bulls should do. They aren’t bad enough to realistically be in the running for Cooper Flagg, the consensus #1 player in this year’s draft, but they aren’t good enough to definitely be a true, or even fringe, contender. So, what do they do?
Just looking at their roster, I’m not exactly sure what the direction of the team should be. To me, guys like Giddey, and Matas Buzelis, the Bulls’ 1st round pick this year, are a good start, but they aren’t at the level of potential where you could build around them. Meanwhile, guys like Patrick Williams, Dalen Terry, Ayo Dosunmu, and Jalen Smith are all great pieces to come off the bench or play minor roles. If used smartly, they can be great role players on a winning team, even with their shortcomings.
That brings us to the more complicated players, at least from what I’ve seen. Zach Lavine has been in trade rumors for what feels like his entire Bulls tenure, but he continues to put up numbers and remain on the team. Maybe it’s his large contract or play style that scares teams away, but if they can get a young player or a 1st round pick for him, they should stop stalling and holding out for a better offer.
The same goes for Nikola Vucevic, who had a terrible year last season from what I’ve heard, but has looked great offensively this season. This is what they wanted from him when they traded for him; it’s what they’ve been waiting for. However, it’s too late. He’s 34 years old and a good team could definitely use his production coming off the bench.
I believe the Bulls need to choose a direction, as they seem clueless right now. In my opinion, they should be offloading those players for a good future and some actual hope, as opposed to just floating around and hoping things go their way.
