Tag: 2023-24 Chicago Bulls

We need to talk about the Chicago Bulls’ defense

Will the Bulls be able to leverage this development into salvaging some of their season?

We need to talk about the Chicago Bulls’ defense so far this season. There has never been high expectations for a team with Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and DeMar DeRozan as their primary stars, with the trio known much more for their skills on the offensive end of the court.

Even with the additions of Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, two plus backcourt defenders, the Bulls at their best have never been a lockdown ball club on that end of the court save the 2021-22 season. But with Ball out indefinitely, that Chicago is finding ways to be a respectable team on defense this season, especially in clutch time.

Will the Bulls be able to leverage this development into salvaging some of their season? Or should Chicago pull the plug on this version of the team to build for the future?

The hosts of the “Bulls Central” podcast recently took a deep dive into all of this on a recent episode. Check it out above!

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Does trading Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Poku, Tre Mann, and picks make sense?

This feels like a good value to Chicago from where we sit.

Would a trade that sends Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder make sense to the Bulls’ front office? Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley recently floated a swap that would see Caruso dealt to OKC for Alex Pokusevski, Tre Mann, and a pair of first-rounders that feels like a good value to Chicago from where we sit.

Buckley’s rationale is that Caruso “could add another dynamic element to (the Thunder’s) defensive backcourt, and he’d have no trouble finding an offensive fit as an unselfish glue guy. On the other side of the deal, the B/R analyst suggests that if the Bulls did pull the trigger on a deal like this, that it “would almost certainly be part of a larger teardown of this team” and future-focused, as this package would be.

“Even if they have no plans for Pokusevski, who’s hardly played this season, they could be drawn to Mann’s shot-making,” writes Buckley.

“Plus, both incoming draft picks would have a non-zero chance of landing in the late lottery.”

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Could a trade of Chicago Bulls star wing DeMar DeRozan to the Golden State Warriors make sense?

Could a deal be made between these two storied franchises?

Could a trade of Chicago Bulls star wing DeMar DeRozan to the Golden State Warriors make sense? Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley floated the idea in a recent article in a deal that would send DeRozan and Jevon Carter plus draft assets to Golden State for Chris Paul, Moses Moody, and draft assets.

“The Warriors have to find a way to alleviate the offensive burden on Stephen Curry,” writes Buckley about a prospective swap with the flailing Dubs. “DeRozan is capable of creating something out of nothing, and he’s a sound enough passer and processor to keep things moving in this free-flowing offense.”

“Carter could soak up the backup point guard minutes and provide 94 feet of tenacious defense,” he adds.

“If the Bulls are fans of Moody, a 21-year-old who’s shown flashes of high-end 3-and-D abilities, they could be fans of this package,” suggests the B/R analyst.

“All three incoming picks would be provided by teams with uncertain futures. Paul’s purpose, though, would be nothing more than making the money work.”

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Is Coby White the player the Chicago Bulls should be building around?

It is not every day that having a player making up close to half your ball club’s cap sheet go down injured for an extended period of time can turn out to be helpful.

It is not every day that having a player making up close to half your ball club’s cap sheet go down injured for an extended period of time can turn out to be helpful, but in the case of star Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine needing several weeks off to heal up from a foot injury, it created an opportunity to get a closer look at then-backup floor general Coby White.

Now, with it looking more likely than ever that the Bulls’ front office is planning to move on from LaVine (and that massive contract), it could make a lot of sense for the team to see what they have in White as lead guard, surrounding him with complimentary players. Or could it?

That is the debate engaged on a recent episode of the “Chicago Bulls Central” podcast, where host Haize digs into the notion of White as a focal point for a retool of the Bulls.

Check it out above!

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Bulls indecision on franchise direction has Chicago critized yet again

“It’s difficult for a franchise mired in mediocrity to make marked long-term improvements,” writes The Athletic.

The lack of a direction chosen by the Chicago Bulls‘ front office has the ball club in the crosshairs of another analyst, who has the Bulls as one of the worst offseasons in the league due to their inability to decide on how to move forward as a franchise.

“How about the Chicago Bulls’ decision to keep their veteran nucleus together?” asks the Athletic’s Josh Robbins. “Not moving DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine and also re-signing Nikola Vucevic is laudable in the sense the Bulls are trying to win. But that core group has topped out, and the Bulls are 20th out of 30 teams in the standings.”

“In other words, they’re mediocre, and in the NBA, it’s difficult for a franchise mired in mediocrity to make marked long-term improvements,” he adds.

“At this moment, the Bulls seem stuck in the mud,” writes Robbins. “That, along with DeRozan’s expiring contract, makes the Bulls a fascinating team to watch as the trade deadline approaches.”

For the sake of all our eyeballs, let’s hope the Athletic analyst is correct.

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Former Pacers star Roy Hibbert on the Bulls’ ring of honor’ debacle

The embarrassing event has had all sorts of NBA icons speak out.

The Chicago Bulls’ recent “ring of honor” ceremony to honor a number of key figures from the storied ball club’s past went sideways in a very embarrassing fashion. Mainly focused on celebrating the people behind the team’s six titles in the 1990s under Michael Jordan, few of the honored attended the event.

But former Bulls GM Jerry Krause’s widow did, and got to watch the crows boo her late husband for her troubles. The egregious faux pas has since become one of the biggest stories in the NBA media over the last few days, with everyone from local reporters to Gilbert Arenas weighing in.

Now, we can add to that list of people former Indiana Pacers star big man and current Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Roy Hibbert, who took some time to talk about that blemish on Bulls history in his own, eponymous podcast.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear his thoughts on the debacle at the “ring of honor” for yourself.

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What should we expect from the Chicago Bulls at the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline?

With the Feb. 8 deadline fast approaching and less than a month in the future, we will soon start to get some clarity about what the Bulls will do.

What should we expect from the Chicago Bulls at the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline? The general consensus around the storied ball club is that the Bulls will commit to a path whether it be a rebuild or a retool — but that range still leaves a world of possibilities for Chicago’s front office to consider.

Will the Bulls move on from star guard Zach LaVine at the deadline? What sort of a haul can they reasonably expect if they do? What about veteran wing DeMar DeRozan? Will they flip him for value to avoid losing him for nothing? And where do players like Patrick Williams and Coby White figure into the ball club’s plans for the future?

With the Feb. 8 deadline fast approaching and less than a month in the future, we will soon start to get some clarity about what the Bulls will do.

But if you would like a peek into what NBA analysts expect to see from Chicago, check out the clip embedded above to hear the thoughts of the hosts of the Bulls Central” podcast on Chicago’s trade deadline plans.

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Gilbert Arenas takes Chicago Bulls fans to task for booing Jerry Krause

Tying the Krause ire to his portrayal in “The Last Dance,” Arenas dove into the dynamics of the former general manager with that era.

A lot of veterans took note of the debacle surrounding the fans booing deceased former Chicago Bulls general manager Jerry Krause in front of his widow at the Bulls’ recent ring of honor event. The event was created to honor the 1990s Bulls squads that won six titles for the city of Chicago.

Called a ‘new low’ for Bulls fans in some corners, one such retired vet who took issue with how the fans treated Krause is Gilbert Arenas. Arenas took Chicago fans to task for their behavior on a recent episode of his ‘Gil’s Arena’ show. Tying the Krause ire to his portrayal in “The Last Dance,” Arenas dove into the dynamics of the former general manager with that era.

To hear for yourself what Arenas thinks of the former Bulls head honcho and how he ought to be remembered by Bulls fans, check out the clip embedded below.

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On Chicago Bulls fans reaching ‘new low’ booing the late Jerry Krause

Jerry Krause, the now-deceased general manager of the Bulls of that era, saw his image booed vigorously by the fans in attendance in front of one of the few people with ties to that era who did attend — Krause’s widow.

They say the path to the underworld is paved with good intentions, and that seems to be the case with the Chicago Bulls’ recent decision to honor a number of key figures from the storied franchise’s history with their “ring of honor” ceremony.

The event, which honored mainly the figures behind the team’s six titles in the 1990s, saw few of those honored attend, with scheduling conflicts given as the official reason. But many are suspected to have avoided attending due to very public feuds, and the sparse attendance of the honorees were far from the worst blemish on the event. Jerry Krause, the now-deceased general manager of the Bulls of that era, saw his image booed vigorously by the fans in attendance in front of one of the few people with ties to that era who did attend — Jerry Krause’s widow.

Decried as one of the most embarrassing moments in recent (if not all) Bulls history, the incident came up on a recent episode of the Peacock “Brother From A Different Mother” show, where it was considered a ‘new low’ for Chicago.

To hear what they had to say about the cringe-worthy moment, check out the clip embedded above.

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Chicago Bulls get passing grades in new Bleacher Report midseason assessment

“The Chicago Bulls being right around expectations is enough,” writes B/R.

Now that we are more or less at the halfway point of the NBA’s 2023-24 season, we can say that we have a pretty good idea of what the Chicago Bulls and the other 29 teams in the league are going to be this season.

And with that baseline of the results of the first 41 contests of the season behind us, some NBA analysts have taken it upon themselves to assess where each team in the Association are compared to preseason expectations, such as Bleacher Report analyst Andy Bailey. In an expansive deep dive into the status quo of the league so far, Bailey seems to be a bit confused by Chicago as many of us are, but there are also good things to point to amid those mixed signals.

“The Chicago Bulls being right around expectations is enough (…),” writes the B/R analyst, “but they get a little boost for turning a little more responsibility over to 23-year-old Coby White (even if that may have been forced, in part, by Zach LaVine’s injury).”