It wasn’t that long ago that things were looking up for the Chicago Bulls. On February 24, 2022, they were 39-21 (.650), leading the Eastern Conference standings, and coming off a six-game winning streak.
Since then, the Bulls have won just over 46 percent of their games. Beset by injuries and inconsistency, there have been some highlights for Chicago. But, more often than not they have experienced disappointment.
Even considering the many challenges he’s faced, head coach Billy Donovan is still on one of the hottest seats of any coach in the NBA, having reached the playoffs just once in four seasons.
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale thinks the blame for Chicago’s shortcomings should sit with the Bulls front office. In his assessment of the team’s offseason, he sees little reason for optimism in the Windy City.
The Bulls lost DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, getting back Josh Giddey. Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic’s futures are cloudy at best. Favale says that Bulls fans have no reason to “trust that this organization will actually commit to something more than a perennially pedestrian pedigree.”
He’s far less excited by the addition of Giddey.
“He's 21. He can pass. I get it,” Favale said. “He's also about to see his salary soar in 2025-26 and incredibly flawed.”
Worse still, in Favale’s opinion, is the failure of the Bulls to secure a first-round draft pick for either Caruso or DeRozan. All Chicago walked away with, besides Giddey, was a 2031 pick swap with the Sacramento Kings.
Favale believes two words sum up the Bulls’ offseason best: “generational incompetence.”
A harsh assessment indeed. But one that may be accurate for an organization that hasn’t won 50 games or a playoff series since the 2014-15 season.
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