Bulls, Other ‘Delete Eight’ Teams Can Have Voluntary Group Workouts

The fear that the eight teams not invited to the NBA’s Orlando bubble would have to wait until the playoffs ended to reconvene has been squashed. The NBA and NBAPA have agreed to allow the Bulls and the other members of the so-called “Delete Eight” to conduct voluntary group workouts in their home market. You can read all of the details here:

In the Bulls’ case, their “campus” will be the Advocate Center, and that shouldn’t be a surprise considering the individual workouts that have been happening there since the NBA gave teams clearance to go to their facilities, albeit while following coronavirus-dictated guidelines. Every player on the Windy City Bulls roster is eligible to take part if they so choose, but only five of them will get the opportunity. All of this will be a relief to Arturas Karnisovas, who previously lamented the Bulls’ “competitive disadvantage” of being left out of the Orlando bubble. Now, he finally can see what he has.

While it’s not yet known if this starts a clock on Karnisovas’ search for a head coach, it probably would do him good to have someone in place by the time group activities begin Sept. 21. You want to give your players some direction they can follow, especially a young team like the Bulls. Granted, the person at the top of Karnisovas’ list might be with a team that’s still alive in the playoffs by the time that date comes around. But hopefully, he’ll have rounded out his list.

Taking that out of the equation, it’s simply nice to know that the Bulls will work together again very soon. You know these players have been pining for it, and with Jim Boylen finally out of the picture, there’s got to be a more positive vibe around the team than there’s been in a long time. Every time a new era starts for anything, there’s a sense of renewed optimism. And with luck, a new voice will be there to guide them.

Of course, the Bulls only are able to work with who they have now and not any draft picks or other new players they’ll have next season. However, it’s unlikely that matters to anyone on the current roster. Working out with your teammates is normal, and that opportunity finally has returned. It’s almost impossible for any of them to be unhappy right now, and hopefully soon, the fan base will follow suit, especially if that draft lottery puts the Bulls higher than seventh for once.