Bulls
In building a case for Thibodeau’s dismissal in 2015, the former Bulls front office played the minutes card and played it hard. That false narrative has stuck with Thibodeau, despite the numbers saying something different.
The Green deal could be the difference between the Bulls falling short in the play-in games or surviving them.
The way this season ends should send a strong message to the front office about much-needed changes that need to happen this summer. The problem is that conversation hasn’t happened yet and might not happen at all with exec Arturas Karnisovas’ mindset.
The Bulls’ up-and-down ways have been on display in the last week. Do they have what it takes to get out of the play-in tournament and reach the playoffs?
But the Bulls have an easier schedule than the Hawks, who have seven games left and must face the Nuggets, Timberwolves and Mavs. The Bulls have six games left, and two are against the Wizards and Pistons.
“Coming down to these final games, last two weeks of the season, all these games are critical,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “Certainly you felt that way in the Minnesota game.”
DeMar DeRozan was the headliner with 27 points, but you can’t ignore Alex Caruso’s performance. He provided his usual stellar defense and added 21 points.
Vucevic is no stranger to criticism, especially this time of year, but Donovan says the 33-year-old’s skills are not diminishing.
White’s season has gone from breakout to suddenly broken, but his coach and teammates are confident that a rebound is imminent.
The Hawks are only a half-game behind the Bulls for the No. 9 seed. DeMar DeRozan said it’s time to treat the remaining games like they’re all “one-and-dones.”
While the No. 9 seed isn’t ideal, it’s where the Bulls have been for quite some time and where coach Billy Donovan wants them to stay with eight games left.
Alex Caruso had been waiting for a defensive performance like that, but it can’t be a one-off. Can Javonte Green help the cause?
Only two days after an embarrassing loss to lowly Washington, the Bulls put on a defensive clinic against Indiana.
Caruso is averaging career highs in points and three-point attempts.
The low point of the season happened when the front office opted to stand pat at the trade deadline. Now tough decisions must be made this summer, and veteran DeMar DeRozan needs to take control of that.
With 10 games left and very little chance of moving up out of the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference, it would be nice if coach Billy Donovan had the option to throttle back some and get his team a bit of rest before the play-in tournament. Monday was an example of why this team makes it difficult.
Fundamentally, Terry’s shot has improved despite the numbers saying otherwise. But the 2022 first-round pick knows he has to keep tweaking his outside shot if he wants to have staying power.
This was the part of the schedule the Bulls were supposed to take advantage of. Instead, they find themselves running out of time.
The Bulls need White to get back to his old self before the right hip injury. That was evident Saturday in the loss to Boston.
Green was a high-energy force for the Bulls for two-plus seasons, and with the uncertainty surrounding Julian Phillips’ injured right foot, bodies were needed.
The Bulls let Strus leave after the 2019-20 season, and they could have really used his services since. Now they have a rookie in Bitim who has some similar traits. Is the former Turkish League standout on that path, and does he have staying power with the Bulls?
Closer extraordinaire DeMar DeRozan was ejected in the third quarter after receiving a flagrant-2, but the Bulls were the ones bullied most of the evening.
After missing three games with an injured right hip, White returned to the rotation Thursday, coming off the bench so coach Billy Donovan could control his minutes. No doubt his presence and voice were missed.
The game with the Rockets on Thursday is significant as the Bulls finally hope to reach .500 after a dismal start to the season. It will also allow Karnisovas to again try to sell the decisions he and the front office have made.
Forget MVP or All-NBA first-teamers on this Bulls roster, but that doesn’t mean DeMar DeRozan, Coby White and Alex Caruso shouldn’t be considered for awards.
The Bulls have 13 games left in the regular season and an opportunity to break even when they visit the Rockets on Thursday.
“Joakim [Noah] is very driven and motivated,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He’s all about the team, about winning. You can put Coby and Ayo into that category in terms of how they view things.”
King fell for a fake Adrian Wojnarowski account on the site formerly known as Twitter during the Wizards-Bulls game Saturday night. The mistake was King’s alone, and he apologized to the crew afterward. NBCSCH also addressed the matter.
Fresh off a 34-point, nine-assist night, Dosunmu not only discussed how he’s not even close to being satisfied, but agreed with his coach that there’s still a lot of improvement to make.
Thanks to a career-high 34 points from Ayo Dosunmu, the Bulls treated the 11-win Wizards just like an 11-win team should be treated, easily winning 127-98.