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Can losing this season be fun for the Chicago Bulls?

By Luke Askew

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 8: Lauri Markkanen #24 of the Chicago Bulls stands on court in a game against the Dallas Mavericks on July 8, 2017 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 8: Lauri Markkanen #24 of the Chicago Bulls stands on court in a game against the Dallas Mavericks on July 8, 2017 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Chicago Bulls are about to embark on a journey chalked full of the one thing that sports teams across the world are trying to avoid: losing. 

This next season is going to bring a lot of losing for the Chicago Bulls. Losing is something that no competitor or fan likes to be apart of.

It’s crazy how as a fan, we feel crushed when we witness our team being on the wrong end of a final score. But why do we want our favorite team to win so bad?

In most cases, the outcome of NBA games doesn’t affect our real lives as fans. No matter who wins, we all have to carry on. Our hearts keep beating and the world treats us the same whether we watch our favorite teams win games, or lose them.

Again, I ask, why do we want our favorite team to win so bad?

For me, personally, I love following a team for years and seeing them go through the hard seasons. Those tough losses are what makes the thrilling victories that follow, so amazing.

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As a long-time Bulls fan, I am accustomed to watching victories on the court — not necessarily championships (as of late) — but playoff wins still mean something to me as a fan, even if they don’t end the season celebrating in the locker room with the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

But, unfortunately, this season will be different. In fact, the next few seasons will undoubtedly be different.

In a recent ESPN article, the Bulls were predicted to finish in last place in the Eastern Conference this season with a 26-56 record. If this prediction ends up being accurate, it would be the worst Bulls season since 2003-04 when the Bulls only managed to win 23 games.

I was 7 years old when that struggling Bulls team only won 23 games. I obviously wasn’t an avid fan at that point in my life so this very well could be the worst season I have ever witnessed as a Bulls fan.

But, this isn’t going to stop me from watching every Bulls game I can and trying my hardest to enjoy every moment I can. So how am I going to do the last part of that sentence? It will take a change of perspective.

In the past, I have gone into almost every Bulls game assuming they will win and then being disappointed if they didn’t get the job done. Luckily for me, this technique has come with some success as a fan. Any Bulls team led by players like Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Jimmy Butler should win more games than they lose.

Well, that, and I’ve always been an optimist as a fan – believing the Bulls can and should beat any team on any given night.

But like previously stated, this season will inevitably be different. If I approach each game with that familiar mindset, the season will be full of disappointment. Here’s where that aforementioned change of perspective will take place.

This year, losing will be fun.

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    • That’s right. The thing that every single competitor on every single level tries desperately to avoid, is what Bulls fans will be hoping for this year. Especially with the big decision from 5-star prospect and projected No. 1 overall pick, Marvin Bagley III, reclassifying so he can play collegiate ball this year and enter the 2018 NBA draft.

    Combine Bagley with other elite prospects such as Michael Porter Jr., DeAndre Ayton and Luka Doncic, and they make up a loaded 2018 NBA Draft.

    What’s the best way to pick up one of these young stars and hopefully change the future of the franchise for the better? Lose.

    This is something to be excited about as a Bulls fan. Let’s take a quick look at the Philadelphia 76ers for comparison…

    The 76ers have been one of the NBA’s worst teams over the past few years and while that has surely been a rough time period for Sixers fans, they now have elite, young talent on their team like Joel Embiid, Markelle Fultz and Ben Simmons to be excited about. The Sixers should soon be one of the NBA’s top teams for the next decade, as long as injuries don’t play too big of a role.

    Bulls fans should keep an eye on the Sixers over the next couple seasons as something to look forward to.

    It’s going to be hard to sit down and cheer for the opposing team. I won’t do that. Instead, I am hoping the Bulls youth gets as many minutes as they can possibly play without risking injury and I’m hoping that Dwyane Wade, who is surely still able to provide a few extra wins, gets bought out as soon as possible. Both for his sake and ours as fans.

    If the Bulls employ this strategy, they are sure to gain two extremely valuable things in the process: experience and losses.

    With each additional loss the Bulls add to their record, their chances of drafting one of the league’s future stars increases dramatically. The goal is that these upcoming tough losses, will make for a future of dominant winning, resulting in nobody remembering the losses.

    Next: Two trades that should happen during the rebuild

    So, can losing be fun?

    This year, for this team, the answer is absolutely.

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