Category: Bulls

Have the Chicago Bulls officially become underrated?

The Chicago Bulls haven’t had a ton of playoff success, but have they officially become underrated?

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Two years ago, the Chicago Bulls pushed their chips on the table, ending their rebuild and entering a new era. They traded for Nikola Vucevic at the 2021 deadline and followed with a bunch of moves the following summer. They signed DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso in free agency.

Since they made their moves, the Bulls have won a single playoff game. This past season they missed the playoffs entirely. They were bounced in the play-in tournament by the Miami Heat. Chicago made two more additions this summer, Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig, but the Bulls still seem a ways away from contending for a title.

However, the Bulls Central YouTube channel recently discussed whether or not the Bulls have become underrated.

Chicago has three stars on the roster in Zach LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic, so the star power is there. But their lack of playoff success leads to lots of questions.

How good do you think the Bulls will be next year?

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Patrick Williams’ mindset is key to development with Bulls

Is this the year Patrick Williams finally takes a major jump with the Chicago Bulls?

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The Chicago Bulls have failed to take the necessary steps forward to improve the ceiling of the team. Instead, they’ve spent the past two seasons nursing a middling core and have just one playoff win to show for their efforts.

They made a couple of solid additions this summer: Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig, but they will not be enough to get them over the hump. If they want to make the jump from play-in contender to a legitimate playoff team, they need their existing guys to develop. One of those who need to take the biggest jump is Patrick Williams.

Matt, Big Dave, and Will of CHGO Sports recently sat down to discuss Williams’ lack of development, noting his mindset will determine how much he can improve moving forward.

Will Williams finally take a jump this season? Or will Bulls fans once again be left wanting more?

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Should the Chicago Bulls give DeMar DeRozan a contract extension?

Should the Chicago Bulls extend DeMar DeRozan, or should they let the current core come to an end?

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The Chicago Bulls made a commitment to winning this summer. Two years ago, they made a bunch of moves to end their rebuild, and despite their relative lack of success, they decided to add to their roster this offseason instead of tearing it down and entering a new rebuild.

They brought back Nikola Vucevic, meaning their core of him, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan will be back this season. However, DeRozan, who is 34 years old, is entering the final year of his contract. Chicago needs to re-sign him if it wants to keep him around for the long haul, but should it?

Haize of Chicago Bulls Central on YouTube recently discussed this concept, debating whether or not the team should extend DeRozan.

Should the Bulls look to keep DeRozan around moving forward, or is it time for the current iteration of the team to come to an end?

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Jevon Carter signing with Bulls labeled a top 5 underrated move

The Chicago Bulls signing Jevon Carter was one of the most “underrated” moves of the offseason.

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Heading into the summer, there was uncertainty regarding what direction the Chicago Bulls would go. Well, there was uncertainty in the fan base, that is. Chicago made it pretty clear that it had no interest in a rebuild, but fans debated whether or not that was the right choice. Regardless, the Bulls decided to push forward rather than step back.

In turn, they made a flurry of offseason moves, including retaining core players and bringing in guys via free agency. One of the players they signed on the open market was veteran point guard Jevon Carter. According to Brian Martin of NBA.com, the signing was one of the most underrated moves of the offseason.

Martin believes Carter will provide the Bulls with the reliable point guard play they need.

“With the news that Lonzo Ball is expected to miss the entire 2023-24 regular season, the Bulls needed to add point guard depth to its roster this offseason,” Martin wrote. “The addition of Carter should help fill that void. Carter is entering his sixth NBA season and spent the past season and a half with the Milwaukee Bucks. In 101 games with Milwaukee, Carter averaged 7.6 points, 2.4 assists and 1.6 3-pointers in 21.4 minutes per game while shooting 43.7% from 3-point range.

“Carter gives the Bulls a reliable point guard (he posted a 2.87 assist/turnover ratio in Milwaukee) that can execute an offense and help stretch the floor with elite 3-point shooting. His 42.1% shooting from long range last season ranked 12th in the NBA; meanwhile, the Bulls ranked last in the league in 3-pointers made (10.4 per game) and attempted (28.9 per game) last season.”

What do you think of the Carter signing?

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Who should start for Bulls next season: Coby White or Jevon Carter?

Who should the Chicago Bulls start at point guard next season: Coby White or Jevon Carter?

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The Chicago Bulls made strides this summer to improve their roster by retaining key players and signing free agent pieces. They addressed needs at the point guard position by re-signing Coby White and bringing in Jevon Carter.

While indications are Carter is likely to open the season as the team’s starting point guard, there is an easy case to make that White should receive that honor. He had a strong end to this past season and has more potential to grow because he is 23 years old. Carter is 27.

The good people over at CHGO Sports recently discussed this topic, giving their thoughts on who the Bulls should roll out at the starting point guard position.

Who do you think should get the starting gig next year?

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2023 Basketball Hall of Fame Class: Dwyane Wade’s best plays in a Bulls jersey

In honor of the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame class, here are Dwyane Wade’s best plays in a Chicago Bulls jersey.

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Dwyane Wade may have only spent a single season with the Chicago Bulls, but it was a memorable stretch. Wade is a Chicago native, after all, and coming to the Windy City after more than a decade playing for the Miami Heat was a huge deal at the time.

Wade joined the Bulls on a two-year, $47 million deal in the 2016 offseason after Miami offered a significantly smaller contract. In Chicago, the three-time NBA champion teamed up with Jimmy Butler and newly-minted Bull Rajon Rondo to create a new nucleus for the club. Wade averaged 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists in his lone season with the Bulls, serving as an important leader for his new team.

An elbow fracture he suffered in the spring of that season derailed the experiment, but Chicago pushed the No. 1 seed, the Boston Celtics, to six games in the opening round of the 2017 NBA playoffs.

However, this Bulls core quickly was dismantled, and Wade went to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a reunion with LeBron James.

Nevertheless, it was a unique season with plenty of memories. Now, the Chicago native and former Bull will be a part of the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame class.

Check out Dwyane Wade’s best plays with the Bulls, courtesy of House of Highlights on YouTube.

Make sure to tune in to Bulls Wire for more updates about the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame class.

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Mock trade sees Bulls ditch Zach LaVine in 4-team blockbuster deal

Mock trade sees Bulls ditch Zach LaVine in 4-team blockbuster deal

For the past two seasons, the Chicago Bulls have been rolling with their core of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic. Despite having 10 All-Star appearances between the three of them, the Bulls have only won a single playoff game.

Despite that, Chicago further committed to winning with them this summer. They re-signed vital pieces, including Vucevic, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, and they signed Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig in free agency.

However, some fans and media have questioned whether that was the right decision, given the Bulls lack of success with this core. To those folks, blowing up the roster would be the better option.

One mock trade concocted by Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report would see the Bulls do just that, ditching LaVine in exchange for a potentially-brighter future.

Bulls guard Coby White buys Chicago home listed at $5.1 million

Chicago Bulls guard Coby White just purchased a $5.1 million home in Chicago.

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The Chicago Bulls made sure to keep hold of their players this summer. In addition to re-signing Nikola Vucevic and Ayo Dosunmu, they brought back Coby White on a three-year contract. The 23-year-old guard is entering his fifth NBA season and hoping to take another leap with the Bulls.

With his new contract, White decided to plant roots in Chicago. According to a report from Miranda Davis of The Real Deal, White purchased a home in Chicago located on North Cleveland Avenue. Davis noted that the home, which includes six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, was listed at $5.1 million.

White is the Bulls’ backup point guard heading into the season. They brought in Jevon Carter in free agency, and he seems to be the likely choice to take over the starting role.

During the 2022-23 season, White played a career-low 23.4 minutes per contest, but he ended the year on a great run, giving Chicago hope he can continue to develop.

In the last 15 games of the regular season, White played 27.6 minutes per contest. He averaged 13.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 52.3% from the field and 44.2% from behind the arc on 5.1 3-point attempts.

Now, the Bulls look to White to lead their bench unit alongside Dosunmu, Alex Caruso, Torrey Craig and Andre Drummond.

He’ll be in Chicago for three more years, and, barring a trade, he has a place to call home.

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3 players Bulls should have signed in NBA free agency

Here are three players the Chicago Bulls should have signed in NBA free agency this summer.

The Chicago Bulls decided to push forward this summer rather than peel back. After completely changing the outlook of their team two years ago, they’ve enjoyed middling success, having won just one playoff game with their new look core. In turn, they made an attempt to improve their roster this offseason.

In addition to retaining key players – Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu – they brought in two free agents. Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig are set to help Chicago revamp its roster by adding quality defensive play and, more importantly, high-level 3-point shooting. But were they the right choices? And more importantly, should Chicago have done more?

Let’s take a look back at NBA free agency and reflect on three players the Bulls should have signed either in addition to Carter and Craig or instead of them.

3-point shooting key to Patrick Williams reaching ceiling with Bulls

If Patrick Williams wants to reach his ceiling with the Chicago Bulls, three-point shooting is the key.

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The Chicago Bulls decided to change the structure of their team two years ago. They traded for Nikola Vucevic and signed DeMar DeRozan the following summer, creating a Big 3 of those two and Zach LaVine. Unfortunately, the Bulls have won a single playoff game since then.

All three are multiple-time All-Stars capable of helping the Bulls put together a relatively competitive season. While some begged them to blow up the roster this summer, Chicago doubled down on its win-now plans, adding depth pieces and bringing back their core players. But none of that matters unless one player picks up the pace: Patrick Williams.

If the Bulls want to be the best version of themselves, Williams needs to reach his ceiling. But that raises another question: What is Williams’ ceiling?

The 21-year-old forward just wrapped up an impressive season in which he appeared in all 82 games, starting 65. He didn’t take any major statistical jumps, but his efficiency was amazing, and that’s why Chicago needs to lean on him more.

Obviously, LaVine and DeRozan are going to take care of the scoring on most nights, and Vucevic will deliver healthy contributions, too, but the Bulls can allow Williams to get more involved with his 3-point shooting and athleticism.

Williams projects as a top-notch 3-and-D forward, and his defensive talent is clear. But if the Bulls want him to be at his best, they need to get him more involved on the offensive end.

Catch-and-shoot 3-point opportunities may be the best way to do this (and it’d also help the Bulls’ 3-point woes) while simultaneously not taking away from the rest of the team.

For Williams, increasing his shot volume by taking more 3s could be the best-case scenario.

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