NEWSLETTER
In one day, the Chicago Bulls will begin group workouts.
In five days, the Chicago Bulls will begin the preseason.
And, thanks to the schedule release yesterday, we learned that in 18 days the Chicago Bulls will begin the 2020-21 NBA season!
• All 30 teams found out what their first 37 games would look like this season on Friday. Why 37 and not the full 72? The league plans to release each team’s schedule in two parts to leave enough room for possible changes due to the ongoing pandemic. While the goal is obviously to get through the season without any cancellations or changes, it’s practically impossible to think things will go that smoothly after what we’ve seen with other leagues. So, all things considered, this seems like another smart and self-aware move by the league office.
• When I first viewed the Bulls schedule, I felt like Adam Silver burst through my computer screen and slapped me in the face with reality. I guess all this optimism surrounding the organization had me thinking that the Bulls first 15 games of the season would just flip back and forth between the Cavaliers and Pistons. 15-0 baby! However, the schedule reminded me just how many solid teams there are in the NBA and just how much work the Bulls need to do to become one. Over the first 12 games of the season, Chicago will play the Bucks, Mavericks, Trail Blazers, Lakers, Clippers, and Boston. That feels incredibly annoying at first glance, but upon further consideration, I’m actually kind of happy about it.
The Chicago Bulls 2020-21 Schedule Is Outhttps://t.co/DeAeIPqHQO
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) December 4, 2020
• Remember last season when the Bulls apparently had one of the easiest starts in the league? Yeah, that didn’t go too well. The Bulls lost to the Hornets, Knicks, and Cavaliers over the first five games of the season. Everything about it was rather yuck. Now, starting on the opposite end of the spectrum might actually be much better for this young team and new coaching staff. Everyone involved will have to be on their A-game from the start, and learning how to match up with some of the league’s best squads is better to do sooner than later. The Bulls should learn a lot about themselves and how their new style of play works over the course of these first couple of weeks, and that should theoretically only produce better results as the season goes on.
• Let’s also not forget what this tough early schedule could do for the front office. Arturas Karnisovas has been clear about his intentions to evaluate this talent over the course of this season. He has to decide who fits with the future vision of this organization, and there is no better way to make those decisions than by watching players go up against the best of the best. The counter-argument to that is he could write these games off due to the general early-season woes, but I find it hard to see someone who is reportedly as methodical as Karnisovas doing that. I expect that everything he sees throughout training camp, preseason, and the start of the season will play a role in his decision-making.
• Billy Donovan was also hired to help in that department. An experienced and proven head coach should be able to get this team playing solid basketball from the start. And the quicker he can work out the kinks against teams like the Hawks and Wizards before hitting the gauntlet, the better he can help Karnisovas do his job at getting a complete read on these players. Time to work together!
• If you missed the schedule release content, I gotcha. Here were some of the best:
It's NBA Season in America!
Let's go to @wolfblitzer and @JohnKingCNN for more.@CNN | @CapitalOne pic.twitter.com/AwYO2sQ0gL
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) December 4, 2020
https://twitter.com/Timberwolves/status/1334959223046893577?s=20
https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/1334969850691719171?s=20
https://twitter.com/trailblazers/status/1334953150600544256?s=20
• If James Harden actually wanted to play in Chicago, I’m not sure why any fan would turn this down. The real question isn’t whether or not this is too much for Harden, it’s whether or not the Rockets would even accept it.
There are several rumors around Houston eventually moving James Harden. Would you support a trade for Harden, sometime this year, that includes LaVine + (Your least prized asset of the Core4) + next year’s #1 Unprotected?
— See Red Fred (@cbefred) December 5, 2020
• Otto Porter’s interview on Friday basically centered around one thing: Health. Porter sounded more than confident that he’ll stay on the court this season, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Donovan was also open this week about making Porter’s health a priority, so it’ll be interesting to see how the team handles him early-on. Will they carefully watch his minutes? If we’re being honest, they could be even more willing to do so with Patrick Williams on the roster. Got get the rookie some playing time.
LIVE: Otto Porter Jr. Training Camp Presser, presented by @BMOHarrisBank https://t.co/5McAJrLnex
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 4, 2020
