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Heading into the offseason, the Chicago Bulls wanted to improve. After losing in the play-in tournament to the Miami Heat, they decided to look forward rather than backward. They didn’t want to rebuild the roster. Instead, they chose to add pieces in an attempt to form a playoff-caliber squad.
They made significant additions in free agency and retained their free agents, improving the core around Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. However, how much did it help them improve relative to the rest of the league? What about in the Eastern Conference? Where does that leave them in the Central Division?
Joe Crowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, who recently ranked the Central Division teams, listed the Bulls as the fourth-best team in their division.
“Keeping the core intact was always the priority this summer, and Karnisovas did just that, signing free agent Nikola Vucevic to a three-year, $60 million deal.
“Priority No. 2 was adding three-point shooting, and that was also addressed with free agents Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig.
“Did the Bulls close the gap on Milwaukee and Cleveland? Unlikely. What they seemingly did was make sure to be in better position to win the play-in tournament and become a No. 7 or 8 seed in the playoffs. Golf clap,” Cowley wrote.
Cowley ranked the Cleveland Cavaliers first, the Milwaukee Bucks second, the Indiana Pacers third, and the Detroit Pistons fifth. Chicago’s moves this summer were solid, but were they enough?
Where do you think the Bulls rank in the Central Division?
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