Tag: 2023-24 nba regular season

What do we want to see from the Chicago Bulls for the rest of the season?

What else can Chicago do to wrest a bit of momentum back heading into the NBA’s 2024 offseason?

It is far too easy for fans of the Chicago Bulls to focus on all of the things that the storied ball club’s front office has done wrong this season, as there is no shortage of errors and missteps to point to. But what about the future for this banged-up ball club? What do we want to see from the Chicago Bulls for the rest of the 2023-24 season?

We have heard rumbles about fortifying the roster with a buyout guy or two, which might not be the worst place to start. There has been some success in developing players in place of the injured stars they tend to play behind — expanding this approach is also a good plan.

What else can Chicago do to wrest a bit of momentum back heading into the NBA’s 2024 offseason?

The folks behind the “Bulls Central” YouTube channel recently put together five things they would like to see from the Bulls for the rest of this season.

Take a look at the clip above to hear them.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

How to describe the Chicago Bulls in five words?

You can probably guess where this is going.

An NBA analyst recently tasked himself with describing the Chicago Bulls and every other ball club in the Association with five words, and when it came to the Bulls, you can probably already guess where that analyst went. Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz went with “the definition of insanity” to describe Chicago.

And in reference to the Bulls’ inaction at the NBA’s trade deadline for the third season in a row, it is not hard to understand why given their current state of affairs. “It’s been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” writes Swartz, who suggests Chicago might be given their recent lack of moves.

“Sitting pat at the trade deadline without buying or selling was the worst thing this franchise could have done,” he adds.

“After finishing two games below .500 last season (40-42), the Bulls are on near-identical path (currently 26-29) while playing mostly the same core,” suggest the B/R analyst. “A play-in tournament loss is now the best realistic outcome for a team that should have traded off some of its veterans, stocking up on draft picks in what will become an inevitable rebuild.”

“Chicago could well lose DeMar DeRozan in free agency to the Philadelphia 76ers or another contender when it probably should have traded him (and others) all along.”

Can’t say we disagree, even a little.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Chicago Bulls hold steady in latest Bleacher Report power rankings

What would be nicer is a commitment from the front office to making the team better by getting a bit worse before the 2024 NBA trade deadline passes.

The Chicago Bulls have held steady in the latest Bleacher Report power rankings for the week, with Chicago staying at No. 21 overall in the league despite winning more games than they lost. Noting the team’s rough start to the league’s 2023-24 season, B/R analyst Andy Bailey writes that the Bulls have “seemingly been clawing to get back to .500 ever since.”

“This week, they crept closer to that presumed goal, going 2-1 with two wins on the road and adding a little more evidence to Coby White‘s Most Improved Player case,” he suggests. “After he put up 35 points and 9 in a win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, White is averaging 19.0 points and 5.1 assists (up from 9.7 and 2.8 a season ago).”

“If he keeps this up, and the Bulls stay in the hunt for a .500 record and a play-in spot, he has an outside shot at the award.”

A little hardware for a Bulls player would be a nice silver lining for Chicago in what has mostly been a lost season for the team. What would be nicer is a commitment from the front office to making the team better by getting a bit worse before the 2024 NBA trade deadline passes.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Chicago Bulls fade in latest Bleacher Report’s weekly NBA power rankings

“The Chicago Bulls are about as ho-hum as NBA teams get,” writes B/R.

The Chicago Bulls had been enjoying some success in recent weeks, but hit a bit of a rough patch in terms of their play last week. A pair of road losses has the Bulls slipping in the latest Bleacher Report weekly NBA power rankings, with Andy Bailey citing that slippage as to what has Chicago dropping from No. 20 to No. 21 this week.

“The Chicago Bulls are about as ho-hum as NBA teams get,” writes Bailey. “After closing the week with back-to-back road losses, they’re 2-2 in their last four, 3-3 in their last six and 6-6 in their last 12. Very Even Steven.”

“That, of course, shouldn’t throw the Bulls off what this entire season has been indicating they should do,” adds the B/R analyst.

“It’s past time for Chicago to get whatever it can for DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic and step into a new era with Coby White and as much draft capital as it can accumulate,” writes Bailey.

Will the Bulls make a move at the deadline to draw their future plans into sharper relief? Fans can only wait and hope — but with Feb. 8 not far in the future, the wait will at least be a brief one.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

What is next for the Chicago Bulls ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline?

Is it really a good idea to build around players like Coby White and Patrick Williams? And what to do with the whole Lonzo Ball situation?

What is next for the Chicago Bulls ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline? The Bulls are at a critical juncture in the recent history of the storied franchise. The team’s front office has some very tough decisions to make with regard to what players to build around and which to move on from.

Should Chicago try to move Zach LaVine to get off his lengthy contract? Or try to get some value from DeMar DeRozan instead of risking losing the veteran wing in free agency? Is it really a good idea to build around players like Coby White and Patrick Williams? And what to do with the whole Lonzo Ball situation?

The Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe sat in on one of the more recent episodes of the “Hoopsology” podcast to talk over the future of the Bulls organization at this most crucial of moments.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear their chat!

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Should we trust the Bulls’ recent improved play?

Many fans aren’t sold on it being sustained success.

With their recent victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Chicago Bulls have won two games in a row and improved to 21-23 for the NBA’s 2023-24 season, flirting with getting back to being a .500 ball club and comfortably in range to have a play-in tournament spot so long as they at least maintain the status quo.

Winners of six of their last 10 games, the Bulls are clearly starting to trend in the right direction after a series of injuries to starters helped Chicago discover just how much talent they had playing behind them — and more importantly, how they better fit together as a unit.

Even with these tendencies starting to build for Chicago, many fans aren’t sold on it being sustained success, such as “Numbers on the Board” podcast host Kenny Beacham.

Joined by cohosts Pierre, Mike and Darrick, Beacham broke down why he feels ‘indifferent’ about his Bulls’ play in contention. Check it out above!

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=673484646]

As the Bulls get closer to .500, what is next for Chicago?

The momentum continues to move in the right direction for Chicago.

After beating the Memphis Grizzlies, the Chicago Bulls find themselves just outside of being a .500 team for the first time in some while. Taking advantage of a dinged-up Memphis roster, the Bulls took care of business. The momentum continues to move in the right direction for Chicago to make the play-in tournament or perhaps even flirt with a full playoff spot by season’s end.

Players like Coby White, Andre Drummond, and Ayo Dosunmu continue to surprise, and Chicago’s overall health has also been generally trending in the right direction save for another minor injury for guard Zach LaVine to have to deal with. This brings up another question with the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline looming on Feb. 8:

What’s next for this ball club?

The host of the “Chicago Bulls Central” podcast Haize took some time on a recent episode to explore what the Bulls might have planned for the rest of the 2023-24 season. Check it out above!

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=673484646]

Bulls hold steady in newest Bleacher Report NBA power rankings

Chicago did not lose ground in the rankings, even if they also haven’t gained any. 

The Chicago Bulls are slouching toward the proverbial treadmill of mediocrity with every day they do not make a move, and that tendency is even starting to show up in NBA power rankings. Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey slotted the Bulls into the No. 20 spot they held last week — and not all of that is negative.

Noting Chicago has “pretty solid positioning in the play-in tournament, where they have a 2.5-game buffer between themselves and 11th place” due to the improved play of Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic, has helped Chicago not lose ground in the rankings, even if they also haven’t gained any.

“The 33-year-old returned from an injury on January 5, and the Bulls are 5-2 since then,” notes the B/R analyst. “During those seven games, he has averaged 18.4 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists.”

To be fair, some of those wins were not vs. especially dangerous opponents (a pair of games against the lowly Charlotte Hornets, the Houston Rockets, and the San Antonio Spears do not exactly instill fear in their opposing teams).

Which is probably why such a solid record over that stretch did not see the Bulls rise.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=673484646]

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).”

Bulls GM Marc Eversley shares why he believes in Chicago’s veteran core

Chicago Bulls general manager Marc Eversley recently spoke about his team’s offseason and future during a visit to the Bulls Talk Podcast.

[anyclip pubname=”2123″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8170″]

The 2023-24 season will be an important one for the Chicago Bulls. The team may have added a few key pieces over the summer, but it’s more or less the same core running it back this year. How the team performs could dictate what happens in the future for Chicago’s roster, one largely designed by current general manager Marc Eversley.

Eversley became GM for the Bulls in 2020, and has presided over some of the team’s biggest moves. He helped reel in DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball. It’s been an ambitious era for Chicago, even if injuries and other concerns have prevented the club from making a deep postseason run. Consequently, there have been persistent rumors about what happens next for the Bulls.

For now, Eversley is focused on the present. He recently spoke to the folks at the “Bulls Talk” podcast about his team, how he feels about the latest roster additions and his belief in Chicago’s veteran players.

You can check out the entire conversation on YouTube, courtesy of NBC Sports Chicago.