Chicago Bulls (Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports)
Over the same weekend the Chicago Bulls celebrated the Hall of Fame induction for Toni Kukoc, the team was thrust into a pretty bold report regarding their new roster.
That new roster, headlined by the additions of DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball, has a fairly strong chance at making a postseason run this year. However, one particular columnist at Bleacher Report believes that the Bulls may not end up in a season full of peaches and cream.
Zach Buckley of B/R one of the teams believes the Bulls are one team to watch for in terms of yet another roster reconstruction. In fact, he labeled them as which could “blow it up” this year.
Buckley noted that Zach LaVine’s contract situation might have a lot to do with the ultimate decision to once again shake things up.
“If LaVine doesn’t sign an extension this offseason, the front office could feel awfully antsy come February if the Bulls can’t gain traction in what could be the most competitive Eastern Conference playoff race in years. And if they get the sense LaVine might leave, they surely won’t be keen on paying the 30-year-old Vucevic $46 million for the next two seasons or $81.9 million over the next three to the 32-year-old DeRozan.”
Would the Chicago Bulls actually consider blowing up the newly-constructed roster less than a year in?
While Buckley makes some good points about the age of Vucevic and DeRozan, along with their high salaries, this is all based on what-ifs.
If LaVine doesn’t sign an extension, most of us Chicago fans would be surprised. He has remained level-headed about extension talks and has stayed focused on this team and his job to lead them.
While he’s been vocal about what he feels he deserves with his next contract, LaVine has kept it all professional and respectful.
At this stage, let’s assume the Bulls work out an extension with LaVine. From there, it’s all about whether or not this roster comes together and performs. DeRozan has been at the center of any negative chatter regarding the new roster, and while a lot of the analytics do make sense, that only means so much these days.
There are several rosters in this league which might not have worked well together if it were all based on analytics and “fit,” but because of these teams being constructed with multiple All Stars who simply want to win, that desire and professionalism end up trumping any analytics.
Sure, the Bulls are paying DeRozan and Vucevic a chunk of change, but they also gave up a lot to acquire them both. That, alone, says more than you need to know. The Bulls traded a total of three first-round picks in order to land these guys, so Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley won’t be too eager to get rid of them.