With a less-than-stellar 9-14 start to the season, and a 12th-place standing in the Eastern Conference to show for it, disappointing would be an understatement for the Bulls’ performance thus far. Coming off of a west coast trip where they dropped four of five games, including star shooting guard Devin Booker dropping an embarrassing 50-point performance in Phoenix, things are not looking any brighter for the road ahead. NBA Hall of Fame member and comedic TNT analyst Charles Barkley shared his opinion on the situation, and it’s slowly growing to be the most popular and plausible of the outlooks on the Chicago Bulls 2022-23′ season, and rightfully so.
“It’s time to break up the chicago bulls. blow it up. it’s time. it’s time to start the rebuild and start over”
Charles Barkley via ESPN 1000’s Waddle & Silvy Show
Ignorance Is Not Bliss
The worst outcome of this season, and most likely, is that the Bulls do little to nothing leading up to the trade deadline and ride the same mediocre, aging, and overpaid roster into the back half of the season. This would mean a severe chance of missing the playoffs altogether and, if not missing it, running into a familiar foe Boston Celtics or Milwaukee Bucks in round one and being abruptly sent home like the 2021-22′ finale. Ignorant that nothing is being done to change the result on the court and injured guard Lonzo Ball is not coming back for the foreseeable future or possibly even this season, the Bulls front office has shown reluctancy to reality when it comes to re-assessing their own decisions. A prime example would be this regime’s first draft selection Patrick Williams, who has yet to average double digits throughout a season and has not shown any evidence of improvement over his first three seasons, yet to this point, has been marked as an untouchable asset.
Given that this front office brought in the dumpster fire that is the 7′ Serbian big-man and doled out the questionable max-contract that Lavine is raking in during his worst season in a Chicago Bulls’ uniform, it’s very likely the same resistance to accountability is shown around the deadline this year as well and that this team never turns the ship around. At this rate, they would miss the playoffs and not have their first-round pick, as it is only top-4 protected. They’ll likely select in the 10-14 range in addition to no longer having a starting center, have hardly any cap space to reel in free agent difference makers, and possess no young or developed talent to ride into the 2023-24′ season and beyond.
Cut The Losses And Move On
The best option with the season beginning how it has for the Bulls is to trade all the capital they can and make out with some profit. With aging star Nikola Vucevic’s contract up after this year and DeMar DeRozan’s up after next year, it may be time to get some value before they walk. Now fully invested in blossomed wing-man Zach Lavine, Chicago has its hands tied regarding cap space maneuverability. Given the current trajectory of missing the playoffs entirely and their 2023 pick only being top-4 protected from the Orlando Magic, their current state is the worst one to be in.
The Bulls can kill multiple birds with one stone by the trade deadline, turning a dwindling season into a bright future. By acquiring multiple first-round picks in exchange for Vucevic and DeRozan headed to a struggling playoff contender such as the Los Angeles Lakers or New York Knicks, acquiring young flyers or late draft capital in exchange for the underwhelming Coby White and Patrick Williams, and dumping as many lucrative contracts as possible, the Bulls could have a 180 degree turn into a rebuild with a stacked upcoming draft class and plenty of cap space to make serious contending moves next summer. This would also be a perfect opportunity for the end-of-the-bench youth in Dalen Terry and Marko Simonovic to develop on the court and showcase their unproven talent all while retaining the top-4 2023 draft selection.
Charles “Chuck” Barkley might finally have a good sports take worth investing in, and it might soon be the reality for Bulls’ fans. Unless a drastic change is on the horizon, Chuck’s next famous “guarantee” may come to fruition in Chicago, and it wouldn’t be the worst thing for the franchise. The Bulls take on the Washington Wizards at home tonight, where they’ll try to embody the saying “winning cures all” amid the endless buzz surrounding the team’s future.
Last time we saw this team fully healthy we were first in the east. Be patient; if Lonzo comes back and isn’t the same then we can blow it up but until then work on finding a point guard in his absence.