5. Which non-Butler Bull has best chance of being an All-Star next year?
Berry: Someone that isn’t currently on the team. I guess Nikola Mirotic is the pick here? With Taj Gibson possibly on the move he could be put into a starter’s role next season, giving him a chance to produce at a higher level in more minutes. He’s had several double-doubles this year and with more minutes he would have a chance to post more. Top that off with a return to his 3-point shooting percentage last year and he could post some impressive volume stats. That could possibly get him into the All-Star game, plus that beard looks pretty good. That’s gotta count for something.
Kuffel: If Wade says publicly that it’s his last season next year, I would expect him to get some sort of legacy pick. This is assuming of course that Wade is still a Bull next season. It’s hard for me to imagine that another player on the Bulls would be able to earn a selection based on merit, especially because All-Star nods often operate on a one-year delay.
Whitlow: For some odd reason, if Dwyane Wade does stay in Chicago, I could see him get a legacy vote into the All-Star Game next year. Hell, it almost happened this year, but with the voting format changes, he didn’t make this year’s game. Still, he’s probably the safe bet. It’s an interesting question because we have no real idea what the Bulls are going to look like around that time next year. It could be a totally new roster. (Ah, who am I kidding? It’s the Bulls. They’ll get knocked in the first round, try to keep Taj Gibson and fail, draft poorly again after not getting the Kings pick as a lotto pick, and win the Summer League to get people’s hopes up.)
Coughlin: It can’t be Zipser or Felicio, so I’m not really excited about the future. However, if you told me there was a way that Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard or DeMarcus Cousins made the ASG and were a Bull, I’d be totally hyped. To answer the question, of all current Bulls, the best bet to make the All-Star Game next season is Taj Gibson and he probably won’t be a Bull if/when that happens.