Bulls hit halfway point, with trade deadline just 11 games away

SAN ANTONIO — Bulls center Nikola Vucevic knows all about what it’s like to be a general manager.

He regularly scouts young talent, evaluates rosters, makes bold moves and sends players packing.

After all, you’re not playing ‘‘Football Manager 2024’’ correctly if you’re not shaking up the organization.

Still, the soccer-simulation video game is one thing and real life is another. Vucevic will pass on weighing in on the decisions the Bulls’ front office must make with only 11 games left until the NBA trade deadline Feb. 8.

‘‘Honestly, I really don’t focus on that,’’ Vucevic said when he was asked about the roster decisions the Bulls must weigh. ‘‘It’s out of my control. Not what I get paid to do. It’s on the front office, whatever they decide to do.

‘‘I’m happy with the guys we have here, and I think we can play even better than we have. We have a lot more to show than we have so far. Whatever the front office wants to do, that’s on them.’’

Vucevic is right about the players have made a selling point. Since starting 5-14, the Bulls have gone 14-8 to bring them to the halfway point of the season.

In the first 19 games, the Bulls’ defensive efficiency ranked 22nd in the league. In the last 22 games, they have jumped to seventh.

Then there’s the offense, which had a rating of 26th in the first 19 games but is up to 18th in the last 22.

But while there is no question the on-the-court product has been better, the Bulls still are looking at finishing at or just below .500, likely sitting in play-in purgatory.

‘‘Trying not to veer out of my lane too much, but when we play the right way, we’re a good team,’’ guard Alex Caruso said when asked about the direction the front office might take. ‘‘I think we’ve proven that a little bit last year and this year, even though you can’t put much weight in seasons you’re not in [the playoffs]. But we’ve beaten good teams, we’ve shown we can play with the good teams, and that’s the way you win late in the season. For us, it’s just about the consistency of it.

‘‘Move or no move, we’ve got to show up and do our job, keep trying to win games and be a team that can beat good teams late in the season.’’

That’s all well and good, but what executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas must ask himself is, what’s really the goal here?

If it’s staying stuck in mediocrity, then keep running out the same roster. If it’s about trying to build a new look while possibly recapturing some lost draft assets, however, then some locker nameplates have to be switched up.

That starts with continuing to gauge the market on guard Zach LaVine and hoping it changes. Yes, the Bulls are 4-1 since LaVine returned from an injury to his right foot, but the four-plus weeks he was gone was when they started playing their best basketball.

Still, Karnisovas can’t dance without a partner, and the dance floor remained empty as of Sunday.

And while players such as Caruso wouldn’t mind this roster staying together, it won’t mean much if the consistency doesn’t continue showing up.

‘‘Once you get to the playoffs, it’s a seven-game series,’’ Caruso said. ‘‘They know what you’re going to run; you know what they’re going to run. It’s just about going out there and putting your best foot forward and competing. When we do that, I think we’re a really good team.’’