My girlfriend got me into watching this season of The Bachelorette with her after successfully avoiding it for basically the past five years (sometimes, there are just things you have to do). But while I was reluctant at first, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t grown to enjoy sitting down and hardcore judging all of the male specimens on this show.
However, most importantly, I find myself comparing each guy to NBA teams right now. The whole thing is just like a drama-filled free agency where all these teams (the guys) fight over one player (KD, Kemba, Irving, etc). Anyway, I’ve been dying to throw these comparisons out there, but I’ll choose not to bore you for my own self-amusement.
Instead, I’ll give you bullets.
NBC Chicago Sports’ Mark Strotman recently pointed out the Bulls’ newfound versatility on the court, and I can agree it’s pretty great. The Bulls are essentially (and finally) building a roster like we’ve never seen before. The only problem is that they’re several years late. Every season, positionless basketball has dug its way deeper into the dynamic of the NBA, but when all other teams were turning that direction several years ago, the Bulls stayed put.
Two years ago the Bulls had the most cookie-cutter roster in the NBA.
Three drafts later, the Bulls are looking as versatile as they've been in a long time. That's good news for the rebuild. https://t.co/Mo9ou5payQ
Strotman points out that during Jimmy Butler’s last season with the team (ya know, the confusing one with Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo), the Bulls had one of the most locked rotations in all of basketball. Rondo was playing point guard, Wade was at shooting guard, Jimmy was at small forward, Taj Gibson was at power forward and Robin Lopez was at center… and the lineup rarely changed. Funny enough, as Strotman made sure to mention, this was the second season under head coach Fred Hoiberg, a guy who was known for creativity and mixing things up on the court.
I’m glad Strotman took the time to hammer home this point; it’s a huge part of why this team has been stuck in what feels like a perpetual rebuild. I understand that positionless basketball in itself sounds like the lack of a plan, but it’s not. If anything, whatever it is the Bulls have been putting on the court over the past several seasons signifies a lack of a plan. Sure, the team added several young pieces with Markkanen, LaVine and Dunn via trade, but the team was also trying to throw in Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis (we all know how that ends). Not to mention, there was that whole David Nwaba and Paul Zipser thing the team was trying to make happen.
Overall, the Bulls failed to be aggressive, nor really operate with any sense of direction during the Hoiberg years. But the Bulls have finally appeared to catch onto the current, more versatile roster model of the modern NBA. While I’m not yet sure how encouraged we should be for the results of this upcoming season, I’m at least more content in knowing that the foundational of their lineup is one that makes sense. And the addition of Coby White should solidify the beginning of a more modern style of basketball overall. Now, sign reasonable free agents and don’t screw this up!
A day we shall all remember. With this anniversary and the recent moment of the year award going to Rose’s 50-point game this past season, it has me all nostalgic. #TheReturn?
You know what? I’m hyped now. Just relive the moment’s from Rose’s career-night earlier this season. Gosh, it’s awesome.
Mark Schanowski put together a super comprehensive guide to what the Bulls could do in the free agency market this offseason. The drafting of Coby White certainly changes the tier of point guard the team will end up pursuing, but how the Bulls will use their cap space is just as important as ever. Anyway, get a couple more realistic names on your radar by reading through this.
Also, Bleacher Report compiled some Bulls rumors for all of us. Honestly, there isn’t much there that hasn’t been touched on already, but it’s a decently quick overview of where things stand.
J.R. Smith, you take those Bulls shorts off right this instant before a bunch of eyeball emojis start popping up – Oh, too late.
The closest Smith got to playing with the Bulls was when he signed with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in China for a year during the NBA lockout in 2012. Smith averaged 34.4 points per game during his 32 games there and had four 50-point games. I guess China gets the incredible Smith and we get the one who does stuff like this…
I went ahead and broke down Coby White’s offensive and defensive skill set over the last couple days. The 19-year-old certainly has a lot of exciting attributes he can bring to the court right away, but what serves most exciting is certainly his potential. If you want a closer breakdown of his game and what to expect as he begins to play in Summer League and the start of the regular season, make sure to check those out.
Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.
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