The Curious Case of the Chicago Bulls
What are the Chicago Bulls doing? The truth is, no one really knows.
Jerry Reinsdorf and Co. decided it was a good idea to send out the same underperforming team from last year, with the magic from the 2021-22 season still sitting heavy on their minds. They are living with delusions, and the worst part is they don't need to even hire a consulting firm to figure this out. Just ask a random person standing outside of the "Madhouse on Madison" and they'll give it straight to their face.
There have been a lot of rumors surrounding Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and the aforementioned Alex Caruso getting traded, but then again, those rumors were swirling around last year and nothing happened.
Right now, the Bulls are sitting right on the bubble of play-in positioning being the 11th seed in the east, and are winners of seven of their last ten (all without LaVine, FYI). Just knowing how stubborn the Bulls are makes me believe that they're going to ride this ship out for the next few months and see where it takes them, and if it becomes absolutely necessary to blow it up by the trade deadline, then they will *attempt* to do so.
The #Bulls are 7-3 without Zach LaVine.
— Die-Hard Chicago Bulls Fans (@DieHardCBfans) December 21, 2023
Their only losses came to the defending champs #Nuggets, Giannis/Lillard #Bucks in OT, and to #Heat with a buzzer beater. pic.twitter.com/KTG1VMACEC
The Bulls are going to suck every last droplet out of their current core, even if it leads to them to the 12th seed and no clear future on their horizons.
All this will make it very interesting to see how business will be handled with the Bulls front office, who are acting very much like the Los Angeles Angels did with Shohei Ohtani (albeit on a much larger scale) this past MLB trade deadline.
It takes two teams to tango, and even if the Nets are interested in Caruso, the Bulls might be living with false aspirations that could lead to them wanting to keep him, even though it makes no discernable sense at all.