2017 was a roller coaster year for the Chicago Bulls organization, and fans alike. Here are the five moments that defined the 2017 Chicago Bulls.
What a crazy 2017 it was for the Chicago Bulls. Going from a playoff team with three players of all-star caliber, to being a team presumed to tank, with a young core. I thought it’d be nice (or maybe not so nice) to do a year-end review for Bulls fans, by choosing five moments that defined 2017 for the Bulls.
5. Cash Considerations
It was maybe a minute of excitement for Bulls’ fans, as the team took Oregon’s Jordan Bell, who many scouts compared to Golden State’s Draymond Green in the second round of the 2017 NBA draft. After that moment of excitement, it was reported a minute later that the team was trading Bell to the Warriors. In return, the Bulls received $3.5 million in cash considerations. Even though it has brought many good memes and other jokes to Bulls’ fans, Bell has gone on to make an impact for Golden State, while cash considerations hasn’t done much in Chicago.
4. Dwayne Wade gets waived
After the Chicago Bulls decided to pull the trigger and trade Jimmy Butler, it was apparent that it was a matter of time before Wade reaches a buyout with the Bulls organization. The Bulls trading Butler didn’t sit too well with the 12 time all-star and 3 time NBA champion Dwyane Wade. Wade opted into the second year of his contract days before the Jimmy Butler trade. With the rebuild in full effect, the two parties would eventually reach a buyout, and allow him to sign wherever he wanted. Things definitely worked in Wade’s favor, as he walked away with $38.5 million for just one season of hoops in Chicago. Wade would eventually go on to reunite with former teammate LeBron James in Cleveland.
3. Bobby Portis breaks Nikola Mirotic’s face
As if Bulls fans weren’t already stressed out enough at this point! Just days before the Bulls’ season opener Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic got into a fight during practice. Mirotic would end up with a fractured face and a concussion, while Portis would serve an eight game suspension. Portis has publicly apologized, but the dust has definitely not settled with these two.
2. Nikola Mirotic makes his return
After a miserable 3-20 start in Mirotic’s absence, the Bulls welcomed him back in game 24. Niko’s return sparked the Bulls into a seven game winning streak, that would eventually end in a very competitive loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mirotic has been playing very well off the bench, and weirdly enough, with Bobby Portis by his side. Even though the two may not be very close off the court, they’ve been awesome together. They even led the way to a win over Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics, where the duo combined for 47 points.
1. The Jimmy Butler trade
It seemed like it was time, right? They could never get passed LeBron James, and the Bulls never made it to that championship that a lot of fans felt was inevitable with Derrick Rose at the helm. Just a year removed from letting Joakim Noah walk and trading Rose to the Knicks, the organization felt like it was time for a total rebuild.
On draft night, the Bulls traded All-Star Jimmy Butler and the 16th pick in the draft to the Timberwolves for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the 7th pick, which would end up being Lauri Markkanen. That moment shifted the future of the organization from being a playoff team to being called the worst team in the NBA by a lot of people, including a lot of their own fans.
That said, the future looks bright for the “Baby Bulls” as Dunn is shaping into the point guard of the future. Markkanen has had flashes of greatness, and when LaVine comes back from his ACL injury, he will bring effort, scoring and hopefully tons of highlight dunks.
2018 likely won’t bring a lot of wins, but it will bring growth for this young team, and maybe even the top pick in the 2018 NBA draft.