Number 2 In The East?!

    I cannot believe that after years of watching terrible Chicago basketball, the Bulls are now one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Looking back on my expectations the Bulls have far exceeded them and I am fully confident that the Bulls are title contenders. The Lakers are a train wreck holding a record of 9-9 and the Nets are without one of their best stars in Kyrie Irving. These were the favorites going into the season and while these teams are struggling, Zach Lavine and Demar Derozan are averaging over 25 points per game, leading the Bulls to a 12-6 record. Looking back on my expectations I want to analyze the Bulls signings this offseason and our rookie's involvement.

    First off I have to tip my cap to the Bulls General Manager, Marc Eversley. He came in and made some big moves but boy have they paid off. I was ecstatic when we signed Demar Derozan but many fans felt the Bulls had paid too much for the aging veteran. DeRozan has adapted quickly to the new environment and fits perfectly in Billy Donovan's offense. He is now the leading scorer for the Bulls and at this time he is in high consideration for the MVP award. I was also happy with the Bull's signing of Lonzo Ball. While I was expecting his main attribution to be playmaking, he has actually become a great 3 and D player. Lonzo is averaging about 2 steals per game and has a higher three-point percentage than Steph Curry. Also, Alex Caruso has been a very impactful player for the bulls, covering for an injured Coby White, bringing a great defensive presence and playmaking ability.

Now sadly while the Bulls are playing at a great level, our rookies have not been heavily involved. Marko Simonivic has only played in one game even though the Bulls heavily hyped him up while he played overseas and our starting center Nikola Vucevic is currently injured. One rookie that has seen some playing time is Ayo Dosunmu. He has actually been a solid backup but overall I don’t see him developing into a star player. Likely he will be a career role player like Shaun Livingston or Kirk Hinrich. One young player I hoped would develop this year was Patrick Williams. Sadly he suffered torn ligaments in his wrist and will miss a huge portion of the season. This will likely stunt his development, but in all honesty, in the few games he played this season he did not look promising. He seemed afraid to shoot the ball and on the defensive side, he was very lacking in interior defense, rebounding, and help defense. I would scream at the TV many times as he let an offensive player cut the basket and put in an easy layup. Overall the Bull's younger players are obviously not a focal point for the team which in reality means the Bulls are pushing for a Championship this season instead of focusing on the future.

    

    The Bulls are looking very promising so far and I am glad that they are pushing for a championship instead of giving rookies starting opportunities. Zach Lavine finally has some weight lifted off his shoulders and the offseason signings have fit tremendously in Billy Donovan's revitalized offense. Demar DeRozan immediately became an MVP candidate and players like Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso have become elite role players for the Bulls. Overall I am very pleased with the team's success so far and the near future looks very promising. Also, I am slightly nervous since I made a bet that if the Bulls won a championship I’d get a Bulls tattoo and surprisingly, that has become a great possibility.