Chicago Bulls Team Review

 

 

2021-22 Finish: 38-44

 

Season Highlight:

The Bulls had a year that started with so much promised but was marred by injuries to their stars more than almost any team in the league.

Chicago won 10 less games than they had the season before which is a disappointment for the Gm Merencio who is someone that is always looking to win. In saying that as much as their season was lacking consistency in regards t the line up they still ended up making it into the playoffs and once you�re in the playoffs anything can happen.

 

 

Season Lowlight: 

The lowlight is pretty plain to see. The star point guard in John Wall once again didn�t play much in a Bulls uniform in the regular season with him not making it to the court once for �reasons�. This whole contract has been a disaster for Wall and the Chicago franchise with his body letting downs one of the most electric point guards the league has over and over again. In a positive note it was the last season on the max for Wall so he could quickly go from an overpay to a baragin if everything goes well for their Bulls on FA day.

 

Best Trade: 

Bulls send: Jason Preston
Nuggets get: San Antonio 2024 second rounder and Denver 2025 second rounder

The Bulls didn�t make any big moves all season instead opting to make smaller moves around the edges and wait for their big dogs to come back to the court and stay on it. Seconds aren�t the most valuable assets in the league but getting two of them for a player that has done very little in the league and doesn�t look like doing anything soon is absolute value in my humble opinion.

 

Worst Trade: 

Bulls send: Hassan Whiteside and Lou Williams
Bulls get: Isaac Bonga, Armoni Brooks, CHI 2023 second rounder, CLE 2023 second rounder, GS 2024 first rounder and MIN 2026 first rounder

Hassan Whiteside just has that 2k god level DNA no matter what he is actually doing in the league while Williams has his moments but is pretty washed at this point. Getting two firsts in itself isnt horrendous value in a vacuum but its more the context of a contender getting nothing that helps them this season in exchange for a real game changer at the centre position. On top of that sending Whiteside to the dark side to Joel in his Death Star over in Portland. Any trade where they get a ,ajar difference maker without giving one up makes queasy but that�s just me.

 

Other Notable Trades:

None in the calendar year.

 

Free Agency:

The Bulls have a bit of talent in FA this season with Bradley Beal looking to hit FA albert with a resigning bonus.

Bradley Beal ï¿½ UFA with resigning bonus, should be an easy retain with the bonus (Updated OH NO L).

John Wall ï¿½ UFA, with bird rights but going to highly sought after due to his contract. I expect Wall to be the focus of Merencios FA day. Stay

 

 

Star:

Anthony Davis

Board man gets paid. When on the floor Davis is one of the most impactful players in 2k. Seamlessly guards any position, beats big men running both ways on the court for easy buckets and easy boards. The Bulls only go as far as their star takes them and when he plays that�s extremely high but there in lies the issue with Davis in recent years. Only played 44 games this past season and it doesn�t matter who there back up is you�ll never replace his 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks per game on an extremely efficient 60 percent shooting from the floor while playing lockdown D.

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Flop:

John Wall

John Wall when up and going was one of my favourite players to watch. An elite passer with good visions that moves like a cheetah with size enough to play the shooting guard position is rare and a joy to watch. Unfortunately in a weird NBA situation Wall didn�t suit up once in the regular season for the Bulls and you can�t help but think what could have been if only Chicago got even half a season out of him.

 

Draft Grades:

#43 � Bryce McGowen

I don�t know a whole lot about McGowen so ill pass on the thoughts by our NSL second rounder expert, Nenjabin.

�Bryce looks like a very Chicago pick. He has a clear path to the NBA as a floor spacer and attacking bench scorer with upside size and this reminds me directly of a Cam Thomas from last year (of course with different styles on the whole). If he can wade through the logjam in Charlotte on the wing, he might carve out a career. His Summer League has been solid.�

 

The Future:

The Bulls will be looking to hold the line and hope health is on their side in the upcoming season. They are super talented at the top and just need to find the right mix of role players to surround their stars cook. In my opinion some long rangy defenders are exactly what this team and I�m sure Merencio will find a way to make it work.

 

(Update: In a extremely shocking move on FA Beal was stolen away by the Utah Jazz what can only be described as a blindsided to the Chicago GM and powermove by the Jazz organisation. This throws the teams immediate outlook into disarray with having not enough talent to truly contend but not bad enough to tank to any good picks. In a much stronger East I�m afraid the Bulls may find themselves stuck on the hamster wheel that is mediocrity)

C: Nick Claxton/Boban Marjanovic  
PF: Anthony Davis/Blake Griffin/ Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
SF: T.J Warren/Nicholas Batum
SG: Malik Monk/Cam Thomas/Kendrick Nunn
PG: John Wall/Patrick Mills/ Tre Jones/ Raul Neto