The shocking losses are piling up. The listless performances keep on puzzling.
The Bulls were pursuing two goals when they made their daring acquisitions during last month’s trading deadline. Improve the positioning of this season’s playoffs. And make a statement to the rest of the league, and free players to be, about their commitment to winning and relevance.
But after the Bulls’ dismal showing in Cleveland Wednesday night, a 121-105 dud in which they were left with a whopping 33 points and had 20 sales, they dropped to 12th in the playoff photo of the Eastern Conference.
Do you remember that conversation about chasing a sixth seed to avoid the play-in tournament? That’s seven games away with 14 to play.
“IYou do worry a bit if you don’t get out and don’t impose your will on matches you need at this point in the season, ”said veteran forward Thad Young.
The day management has the trading deadline cannot be fully judged until the following off-season moves are made. But what selling point is it for management to chase down free agents if the Bulls don’t even qualify for the play-in tournament?
Admittedly, the Bulls are only half a game behind the Raptors, one game behind the Wizards, and own the tiebreaker over both teams. All it takes is a mini hot streak to straighten their playoff picture.
But after gigs like Wednesday, is there any strong confidence that will happen?
“We just didn’t have the energy and physicality it took to win an NBA game. I think we got into the game a little bit and they brought it to us, ”Nikola Vučević said. “We just couldn’t respond and we got a little frustrated with the referee; that touched us a bit.
“We just didn’t have the focus and energy it took to play an NBA game. Mainly because we played these guys a few games ago so we knew how to play them. We knew their strengths, but we just didn’t do well to take all of that away.“
Maybe management has a sign-and-trade plan to land Lonzo Ball. Because, remember: The Bulls sent two lightly protected first-round picks to the Magic in the deal before Vučević, whose career-best run of double-digit scoring games finished at 106 with his nine-point, one technical foul night.
So, aside from the second round, the only way to improve this off-season team is through free agencies or trades. Especially since only two of the deadline acquisitions that are in the rotation —Vučević and Troy Brown Jr., who missed the loss with a sprained ankle — are under contract next season. Re-signing Daniel Theis will take some maneuvering with the salary cap.
Certainly, the busy trading deadline was not just about this season. But part of the plan was to improve in the short term so they could improve in the long term too.
Instead, the Bulls dropped to 5-10 since the trade deadline and 2-2 since losing top scorer Zach LaVine to the competition’s health and safety protocols.
In the wake of LaVine’s loss for at least 10 days of absence, the Bulls spoke of the need to play with a sense of desperation. But those were the Bulls who worked their way into a 22-point deficit in the first quarter. And those were the Bulls watching guard Collin Sexton beat them to two consecutive offensive rebounds and a putback early in the second.
As a desperate team, the Cavaliers, not the Bulls, were 20 points behind them, chasing a playoff berth.
‘We talk about it all the time, so I think guys understand what’s at stake here, ”Young said. ‘But we sometimes come across games on cruise control. And we don’t have that type of team where we can walk out and say, ‘Oh, let me see how they play me today.’ We have to walk into games and say, “Oh, I’m about to go to this guy.” Be aggressive and understand that every possession counts. And every game counts from this point on. “
Thursday night against the Hornets would be a good time to prove they understand.
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