I’m Not Mad, I’m Just Disappointed and Other Bulls Bullets

All right, let’s get this over with.

  • I’m not sure anything I write can make you feel better about the Bulls start to the 2019-2020 season, but that’s partially because you shouldn’t feel better. Not right now. Sure, we can harp on how we’ve seen only four games and how the talent is there, but what if it turns into eight games … 12 games? And what if the individual talent levels lives up to less than the sum of the parts?
  • When the legitimate reasons for concern manifest immediately and in full force, there’s reason to worry. And NBC Sports Chicago’s Jason Goff said it best himself, “there are no flowery words for another loss like this.”
  • I feel like a cliche parent whipping out “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.” And just like that cliche parent finding out their 17-year-old is actually out trying his first sip of beer rather than playing Mario Kart down the block … I feel lied to. All of this offseason hype has carried no weight. This team has to earn back my trust.
  • Ugh.
  • Thank goodness for Thaddeus Young and Wendell Carter Jr. Both players showed an extreme level of accountability after last night’s loss in Darnell Mayberry’s recap for The Athletic. “I feel like we got too caught up in, ‘Oh, we’re a playoff team. We’ve got the team. We’ve got veterans around us.’ All that’s great. But we just need to win. That’s how I’m looking at it now,” Carter Jr. said.
  • As Mayberry similarly points out, the attitude expressed by Carter Jr. just doesn’t feel like it’s shared by nearly enough of the players. In one of my many typed out but deleted tweets after last night’s game, I challenged the want of this team. From the outside looking in, a feeling of contentment rules over this squad right now, and other than Coby White, Young, and Carter Jr., I’m not quite sure who’s truly fighting for a win.
  • With Carter Jr. on the mind, it is worth noting he’s the only one playing like he’s supposed to against these past two opponents.
  • Chandler Hutchison should be returning on Friday … and any change in personnel is welcomed. It’s quite possible not being on the court these past two games will be a good thing for Hutchison. He can come in with a fresh mindset.
  • Hey, that’s actually a great – oh … nevermind.
  • As I expressed with Hutchison, Valentine might be able to give a – somewhat – different feel. I’m not going to put my neck out there for either of these guys because we truly don’t know what to expect, but the current rotation just isn’t cutting it. It could be worth giving them a small shot … especially in place of that Dunn/White/Archie lineup.
  • YOU CAN’T WIN GAMES THAT WAY!
  • YOU ALSO CAN’T WIN GAMES THIS WAY!
  • Can this be on the loop outside the United Center on those jumbo screens? I know Carter Jr. isn’t the one that needs a wake-up call, but the whole team needs to remember this play and that feeling. You now let Collin Sexton and Bobby Portis make huge plays with the game on the line … ouch.
  • At NBC Sports Chicago, K.C. Johnson hits the mailbag, answering questions about the job security of Boylen and GarPax. As you can imagine, frustratingly perhaps, none of the above appear to be in jeopardy of losing their job at the moment.
  • Stephen Curry broke his left-hand last night after a harsh fall in the Warriors game against the Suns. Considering Curry should be out for a significant amount of time, Chicago’s game against Golden State on Nov. 27th should have just become a whole lot easier. I’m wishing Curry a speedy recovery! The NBA isn’t nearly as fun without Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Zion Williamson. Ugh.
  • written by

    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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