It's not been great for the Bulls lately. They've lost 7 of their last 10 and just got embarrassed by Minnesota mere days after getting embarrassed by Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks (twice in three days) and an even more embarrassing loss to the Hawks with a ridiculous buzzer beater by AJ Griffin with 0.5 left on the clock. They're 15th in points per game, 18th in opponent's points per game, 22nd in Offensive Rating, 16th in Defensive Rating, 30th in three-point attempts, but 11th in three-point percentage, and 24th in rebounding. They sit at 11th in the Eastern Conference and are four games behind 8th seed Atlanta Hawks. Things have gotten so bad that the infamous Zach LaVine apologists who relentlessly bashed me for my "Zach LaVine hate" are falling over themselves to suggest it's time to trade the "cornerstone of the Bulls rebuild" from 2018 and start over...again. If only it were that easy. Tearing this thing down would be easy. There's a ready-made DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic trade to the Lakers for Russell Westbrook and the 2027 and 2029 firsts just waiting for the Bulls to jump. Zach LaVine is still a talent and has value even though he has a bloated contract for his actual production and physically he doesn't seem to be at his peak (although he is getting better and finding his rhythm). There's a generational talent in Victor Wembanyana just waiting in the lottery for the lucky winner. But the Bulls continue to be their own worst enemies. When Arturas Karnisovas came to Chicago, he seemed determined to make a splash and land an All-Star. He did, Nikola Vucevic, but he gave up some serious assets to do so. The 2023 pick is only top-4 protected so if it's 5 or later, it goes to Orlando. Could the Bulls bottom out enough to increase their odds of landing a top-4 pick? I think they could, but they'd have to scrap everyone. Not helping their case is the curious extension they just gave Billy Donovan before the season. At the time it became public, Donovan was only 86-88. Just a very odd decision to extend a coach that was barely above .500. Donovan is at least competent and bottoming out with him at the helm will be tricky. The other issue is who wants/needs Zach LaVine? There are lots of teams that could use a player of his talent (San Antonio, Charlotte, New York, Denver, Lakers, and Dallas all come to mind), but realistically, what can they give back that Chicago would want? Would the Bulls want Jacob Poetl, Doug McDermott, and someone else? Or maybe Terry Rozier, PJ Washington, and one other piece? Maybe the Knicks offer of Evan Fournier and a sadly washing up Derrick Rose would be appealing? How about Bruce Brown and KCP? Not exactly exciting. Or maybe Dallas could throw out Spencer Dinwiddie and one of Tim Hardaway Jr., Davis Bertans, or Dorian Finney-Smith? I'm just not sure what the trade is, but I'm certain the Bulls will get pennies on the dollar for LaVine, but it feels like it's time to move on. Personally, I'd trade LaVine, DeRozan, Vucevic, Caruso, maybe Javonte Green, Andre Drummond, and Goran Dragic if there are takers and give Patrick Williams a chance to shine with the ball in his hands and see what we might have in Coby White. Maybe Ayo Dosunmu and Dalen Terry can develop into something. Maybe even bring Carlik Jones up to the main roster and see if he can be the floor general he was at Louisville and Radford before that. Maybe play Marko Simonovic some NBA minutes and see if he can contribute anything. It's time for the Bulls to look in the mirror and realize that this group isn't working and even if Lonzo Ball comes back, he's not going to fix all of the defensive woes, the shooting woes, and the struggles this team has. The choice seems clear: It's time to tear it down in Chicago. But that's a daunting task. We'll see if Arturas Karnisovas is up to such a task.
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AuthorBrandon Pence is the founder & author of "The Bulls Charge." Pence has been a Bulls fan since 1993 following the shot by John Paxson, believes Michael Jordan is undeniably the GOAT, and has Derrick Rose as his all-time favorite Bull following Scottie Pippen's weird feud with Michael Jordan. "The Bulls Charge" was established in 2011. Archives
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