The Chicago Bulls officially missed the postseason on Friday night after losing to the Miami Heat in the Play-In Tournament. Zach LaVine in particular failed to show up and show out in the biggest game of the year.
Following the loss, vice president Arturas Karnisovas was asked if he plans to keep this core together for 2023-24. His answer will certainly open some eyes across the Bulls fanbase.
Via Jamal Collier:
“My responsibility is to look at everything; at the end of the day a .500 team is not good enough.”
There were a ton of rumors earlier in the campaign about Chicago blowing it up at the trade deadline and potentially moving LaVine. They stood pat. It resulted in a 40-42 record and a ninth-place finish in the Eastern Conference.
Defensively, the Bulls were great, ranking fifth in the Association. It was on the offensive end where Chicago struggled immensely, sitting 23rd and scoring just 113.1 PPG. That put them 22nd in the league. The supporting cast in particular was one of the biggest problems.
The Bulls committed to trying and being a contender in the East when they brought in both DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball in particular. DeRozan has lived up to expectations while Ball is dealing with a very obscure knee injury that may prevent him from ever playing basketball again.
If this organization was going to actually go into a retool rather than a full-blown rebuild, perhaps trading DeRozan for a bunch of assets and another star guard could be the move. LaVine is still capable of being a building block for the franchise.
There are undoubtedly some big decisions for Chicago to make this summer and it appears all options are on the table.
Follow Us
Subscribe