Will the Chicago Bulls charge forward?
Judgment day is upon the Chicago Bulls. It is either playoffs or lottery at this point. Bulls can get the 7th seed with a win against the Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacer loss or the 8th seed with just a win against Brooklyn. But do we really want these Chicago Bulls in the playoffs?
If the Bulls make the playoffs they get matched up with either the Boston Celtics or Cleveland Cavaliers. This year, the Bulls have been notable for playing up and down to their competition. They have swept the Cavs this year in the season series, so it is possible that they could pull an upset and make a run.
You could see the Bulls lose to the lowly Brooklyn Nets tonight and see the Miami Heat win. That would put the Bulls out of the playoffs and back into lottery position. It would be the epitome of playing down to their competition as the Nets are sitting Lopez, Lin, and Booker. If they really are committed to being younger and wanting to compete while rebuilding, a late lottery pick may be the place to start.
Making the playoffs would be great experience for Jimmy Butler and the younger players on the team, such as Bobby Portis, Paul Zipser, and Jerian Grant to play important games together. They bring experience to the court with Dwayne Wade and Rajon Rondo, who both have championship rings around their fingers.
If the Bulls don’t make the playoffs, it’s time to clean house. Get rid of Gar Forman and John Paxson because they are running this team into the ground. They should’ve been fired instead of Tom Thibodeau. They contradicted themselves to start this season by saying the Bulls want to get younger and turning around and signing Dwayne Wade and Rajon Rondo, both of whom are over 30.
Now if the Bulls are able to make a run, they would have to overcome either Boston or Cleveland, which isn’t out of the realm of possibility. The Bulls have experienced players and the younger players are firing on all cylinders. If the Bulls make it past one of the top seeds, it is possible they find a way to make it to the conference finals. They make it that far, they exceed all expectations this season.
If the Bulls want to be serious about winning, they cannot do it with Fred Hoiberg at the helm. He was voted the worst coach in the league and has used the largest variety of starting lineups in the NBA this year. He was appointed as the head coach to replace Thibodeau and was the guy Forman and Paxson wanted. Everyone else wanted Thibodeau to stay. Thibs won the Coach of the Year a few years back and had the respect of the players and the fans.
The Bulls need to get younger talent that has reasonable potential and desperately need to add more three-point shooting. From the draft, The Bulls should go with best available talent. If they do decide to make a trade, they should only make one if it means that they will get picks in return or can clear a bad contract off the books to make room for signing someone younger.
No matter what side of the argument you’re on, tonight is the night the final ruling is made. Will the Bulls be a lottery team and maybe get lucky like they did with Rose in the 2008 draft? Will they be able to channel all their energy and make a surprising run when it matters most?
It all comes down to Brooklyn.
