The 2019-2020 season is over for the Chicago Bulls. Not with a bang or even a whimper. Just…fade to black. That’s it. A story with no ending and honestly that’s fine. The way this team was going, they didn’t deserve one. The NBA has finally set a date to return. A total of 22 teams will head down to Orlando, Florida to play an eight-game seeding tournament before starting an expanded playoff format. The Bulls were not good enough to be part of that.
However, that doesn’t mean fans have nothing to look forward to. Adrian Wojnarowski also revealed the dates for the NBA draft lottery and the draft itself. They will be August 25th and October 15th respectively. That gives VP Arturas Karnisovas and his new front office just over four months to get situated and start preparing for what they want to do when the action kicks off.
Never mind the fact they still haven’t made an official decision on the fate of head coach Jim Boylen.
Chicago Bulls can’t count on luck bailing them out this year
The cold reality is there doesn’t appear to be any magic potion to save them this year. Even if the Bulls did manage to secure the #1 pick via the lottery, experts aren’t too high on this draft class. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of star power available. Yet that isn’t an excuse for Karnisovas. He must start the process of building this roster back into a playoff contender. This draft must serve as a key part of it. Just don’t expect a Derrick Rose miracle to fall in their lap this time.
Business is moving forward though. Word is the Bulls spoke with Arizona standout Zeke Nnaji recently. He averaged 16.1 points and 8.6 rebounds his lone season there. While not known for defense, he’s lauded for his ability to run the floor and has excellent touch around the basket. Perhaps this is an early indication of what the Bulls will be looking at in future prospects. Maybe they’re just doing due diligence.
Either way, the new era has begun.