The Windy City Bulls Are Apparently Not Participating in the G-League Bubble

The NBA officially announced plans for a 2020-21 NBA G-League season on Friday afternoon, and the games are slated to take place in a very familiar venue: ESPN’s Wide World of Sports located at Disney World Resorts in Orlando will become yet another bubble site.

At the beginning of February, the G-League plans to run a 15-game season that will result in the top eight teams participating in a single-elimination playoff tournament. Only 18 teams are listed to play this season, and an important name not on that list is the Windy City Bulls.

The Bulls organization will be joined by the Celtics, Bucks, Hawks, Heat, Wizards, Pistons, Suns, Lakers, Mavericks, Trail Blazers, Kings, and Thunder as having no representation inside the bubble (Note: the Nuggets and Blazers do not have their own G-League affiliate).

Is it just me, or does this feel like an odd (and bad) choice by the Bulls brass? While they have not had the best pool of G-League talent to evaluate over the past couple of seasons, this new front office has preached nothing but player development since taking over. So, why wouldn’t participating in this bubble be a priority? The season is also only 15 games (plus playoffs), so the Bulls could look to further evaluate two-way talent Adam Mokoka and Devon Dotson while also still giving them a good chunk of time with the big league roster this season.

Now, for what it’s worth, the NBA’s press release does indicate that the Bulls can still send these players into the bubble by assigning them to a different team’s roster, so there is that.

NBA teams without an NBA G League affiliate participating in Orlando will have the opportunity to assign roster players and transfer Two-Way players using the league’s flexible assignment and Two-Way rules.  The full list of the 17 participating NBA G League teams is below.

Still, I don’t understand why they just wouldn’t send a full squad to Orlando. The Bulls now can not use this time to further develop or evaluate standard G-League talent, and that truly feels weird considering everything this new franchise has discussed. The only understandable reason I could think to skip is that they don’t feel prepared internally. Damian Cotter – 2019-20 Windy City Bulls head coach – joined Billy Donovan’s coaching staff this offseason. Perhaps there were other moves made inside the G-League walls as well, and therefore the organization feels as if the infrastructure is not sound enough to pull off this extended bubble stay.

The other reason for not participating would be that ownership did not want to pay for it, and if that is the case, it would be all kinds of frustrating.

Anyway, if you still want a rooting interest, I’ll recommend team “Ignite.” They are not a specific affiliate, but rather a new G-League team created to foster elite, draft-eligible NBA prospects. Some of the best players of the 2021 draft class will be on full display and considering the Bulls could very well finish with another lottery pick this season, it might be worth our while to scout the talent.

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.

more bulls news

What Would be the Best Draw for the Chicago Bulls in the Play-In Tournament?

Nine games stand between the Chicago Bulls and the Play-In Tournament. I know ... yippie! Practically locked into the No. 9 seed, this puts them in line to host the No. 10 seed at the United Center in Round 1....

Best Defense of the Season, Playing Big, Javonte Green’s Instant Impact, and Other Bulls Bullets

Lose to the 14-win Wizards one game and hold the Pacers' elite offense to their worst performance of the season the next. Your 2023-24 Chicago Bulls, everyone! As I said in last night's Enhanced Box Score, I'm now even more...

WOW: Minnesota Timberwolves Sale to Alex Rodriguez Falls Through

The Minnesota Timberwolves dropped a bomb on Thursday morning. According to a statement released by the Timberwolves and Lynx ownership group, the franchise is no longer for sale. A transition of power was thought to be in place over the...

Enhanced Box Score: Bulls 125, Pacers 99 – March 27, 2024

I got to be honest, I'm even more upset about the Washington Wizards' loss. If the Chicago Bulls played like they did tonight, they would have beaten that depleted Wizards team by 40. This was a locked-in group from the...

Javonte Green Makes Bulls Return… Immediately Does Awesome Stuff

Javonte Green has officially made his Chicago Bulls debut ... again. The 30-year-old signed with the organization via a 10-day hardship deal on March 22. Injuries to Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, and Julian Phillips paved the way for...

WATCH: Alex Caruso Snatches Rookie Ben Sheppard’s Ankles

Alex Caruso will always be known for his defense capabilities, but he's showing a lot more than that this season. The veteran guard is averaging double-digit points for the first time in his career. A big part of that has...

Draymond Green Ejected Less Than 4 Minutes Into Game Against Orlando

Draymond Green was at it again on Wednesday night. Out East to take on the Orlando Magic, the Golden State Warriors watched Paolo Banchero bulldoze Andrew Wiggins to the rim early in the first quarter. As Banchero high-fived his teammates...

Pre-Gamin’: Indiana Pacers at Chicago Bulls (7:00 CT), Projected Lineups, How to Watch, More

Everything was awful on Tuesday. Be Better. https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1772971933161705610?s=20 Game Info Indiana Pacers (41-32) at Chicago Bulls (34-38) – 7:00 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago (TV) and 670 The Score (Radio) Projected Starting Lineups Chicago Bulls Coby White Alex Caruso Ayo Dosunmu...

Around the Association: Caitlin Clark Gets Big(3) Offer, Knicks Getting Help, Lakers OT Thriller, More

It's hard to believe we have less than three weeks remaining in the NBA's regular season, and we should be in for some real drama down the stretch. The Knicks have plenty to play for in their remaining 11 games...

WHOA: NCAA Looking to Ban Prop Betting on All College Athletes

As the NCAA men's basketball tournament gears up for the Sweet Sixteen, the college sports world received some big news. On Wednesday morning, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that NCAA president Charlie Baker wants to officially ban prop betting on college...

Latest News

Heat vs. Trail Blazers Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Portland Trail Blazers (19-54) are heavy underdogs (+14.5) as they attempt to break an eight-game losing streak when they visit the Miami Heat (39-33) at 8:00 PM ET on Friday, March 29, 2024 at FTX Arena. The matchup airs...

Cavaliers vs. 76ers Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Cleveland Cavaliers (44-29) take the court against the Philadelphia 76ers (39-34) as 7.5-point favorites on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET on NBCS. The matchup has an over/under of 210 points.Cavaliers vs. 76ers OddsCavaliers odds to win:...

Knicks vs. Spurs Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The New York Knicks (44-28) are heavily favored (-10) to continue a three-game winning streak when they visit the San Antonio Spurs (17-56) at 8:00 PM ET on Friday, March 29, 2024 at AT&T Center. The contest airs on BSSW....

Wizards vs. Pistons Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Detroit Pistons (12-61) are 2.5-point underdogs as they attempt to turn around an eight-game losing streak when they visit the Washington Wizards (14-59) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at Capital One Arena. The matchup airs at 7:00 PM ET...

Pacers vs. Lakers Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Los Angeles Lakers (41-32) will attempt to extend a five-game winning streak when they hit the road to play the Indiana Pacers (41-33) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse as just 2.5-point underdogs. The game airs at...

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Western's top two teams, the Denver Nuggets (51-22) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (50-22), hit the court at Ball Arena on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 9:00 PM ET on ALT. The Nuggets are favored by 6.5 points at home....

Warriors vs. Hornets Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Golden State Warriors (38-34) play the Charlotte Hornets (18-54) as double-digit, 11.5-point favorites on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET on NBCS. The over/under is set at 218 in the matchup.Warriors vs. Hornets OddsWarriors odds to win:...

Clippers vs. Magic Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Los Angeles Clippers (45-27) visit the Orlando Magic (42-30) after winning three road games in a row. The Clippers are favored by only 1 point in the contest, which starts at 7:00 PM ET on Friday, March 29, 2024....

Bulls vs. Nets Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Chicago Bulls (35-38) are favored by 5.5 points against the Brooklyn Nets (28-45) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET. The matchup airs on NBCS. The matchup's over/under is 215.Bulls vs. Nets OddsBulls odds to win: -218Nets...

Kings vs. Mavericks Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks (43-29) are 1.5-point underdogs against De'Aaron Fox and the Sacramento Kings (42-30) Friday, March 29, 2024 at Golden 1 Center. The matchup begins at 10:00 PM ET on NBCS. The over/under for the matchup...

more bulls news