The Chicago Bulls deserve an automatic playoff bid for their ELITE schedule release video. If you missed it, be sure to check it out here. Even if you didn’t grow up playing the old-school Pokémon games like us super cool kids, you’ll appreciate how incredibly well done it is.
Everyone – myself included – makes a bigger deal about the NBA’s scheduled release than needed. But, hey, can you blame us? The dog days of the offseason are brutal, and we still have 67 days until opening night on the West Coast. At least having some games on the calendar gives us something to talk about and overanalyze!I’m satisfied with the Bulls’ first few weeks of the season. Unlike last year’s gauntlet to begin the year, I feel like Chicago was handed a much more balanced slate. The Thunder, Raptors, Pistons, and Pacers make up the first four games of the regular season. Each of those contests, especially the first two, should be decent tests for this Bulls team without being too much too soon. Ya know, like a medium heat wing. Just enough of a kick to test the palate.In general, that’s how I feel about the first month or so of the season. No matter how prepared a team feels coming into a new year, everyone needs some time to get their feet wet. The Bulls should have plenty of games to do that and build confidence before a brutal stretch arrives in December. Anyway, I’ll have way more specific thoughts to share in a separate post soon.I’m not ready to give my win/loss prediction for this team just yet, but Bleacher Report sure was. The site put the Chicago Bulls at a record of 37-45. Not only would this be three fewer wins than last season, but it would be their worst record of this current “Big 3” era. For what it’s worth, this also isn’t far past the current over/under win total set by FanDuel, which puts Chicago at just 36.5. Which teams did they have with a higher number than that? The starless Brooklyn Nets and the youthful Indiana Pacers.Look, I’ve been plenty critical of this Chicago Bulls team. I’d love to sit here and yell at the national media for sleeping on them, but they did miss the postseason entirely and finish 9th in the Eastern Conference. You are who you are until you aren’t. But I am pretty confidently hammering the over on the Bulls team going into the season. While I may not be high on their ability to be a playoff threat, I really do think they’re built for regular-season success. We shouldn’t necessarily sleep on what role players like Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig can do for this team. They round out the roster well and give head coach Billy Donovan arguably his most well-rounded unit yet in Chicago. If I had to guess right now, I think the Bulls hover around .500 and are competing for in that 6-8 range.Browsing the interwebs for Chicago Bulls’ content, I saw a user on Reddit ask a good question: “Do you think this team has a rival entering this upcoming season?” Well, according to the NBA, not really. The league did announce “rivalry week” for the second-straight season on Thursday, but they only included a total of 11 nationally-televised games. To little surprise, the Bulls did not make the list.If I had to pick a rivalry, however, I guess I’d have to go with either the Raptors or Heat? Those were, obviously, the two teams the Bulls faced in the Play-In Tournament. Toronto may want to avenge their embarrassing collapse under the weight of Diar DeRozan’s screams. Meanwhile, the Bulls may have a chip on their shoulder after being just a few minutes away from taking down the team that advanced to the NBA Finals. Not to mention, Chicago actually swept Miami in the regular season, so I’m sure they like they can compete with them again this year.One other team to throw into the mix would be the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. may not view Chicago as any sort of stiff rival, but the two did play some highly entertaining games the past two seasons. There is no denying that the Bulls play with a little extra juice against this squad, especially after the whole Grayson Allen incident and an ugly playoff exit.Agree with Bill Simmons here, the James Harden market is extremely dry. With that said, however, Daryl Morey could easily stumble upon an oasis once the season inches closer. Teams get way more desperate when the ball is tipped in the air. Not to mention, you never know when the next star will ask out. The moment that happens is the moment Morey may have a chance to get something done.
