After two rough years of basketball, the still-rebuilding Chicago Bulls need some luck tonight in the NBA Draft Lottery.
Eleven years ago, the ping pong balls aligned just right. With a swift breeze of luck, the Chicago Bulls jumped from the ninth to the first pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, allowing Derrick Rose to start his career in the white, red, and black he used to cheer for from his Englewood home. At the time, that pick changed everything for this franchise.
Tonight, Chicago needs that same simple twist of fate to go their way. Basically, they need Horace Grant’s presence on the lottery stage to bring some 1990’s Bulls magic into those ping pong balls… or at least a four-leaf clover in his back pocket for luck.
After selecting with the seventh pick in each of the last two drafts, the Bulls have the fourth-best odds in tonight’s lottery. They have a 48% chance to land a top-3 pick and a 12.5% chance to land
the coveted top spot
Zion Williamson.
Frankly, the Bulls need a star. As much as we all love Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine, and Wendell Carter Jr, the reality of the situation shows a team lacking their ‘guy’ for the time being. The Bulls are a Chicago Dog with the bun, mustard, pickle, onions, tomato, peppers, and relish, but no all-beef frank in the middle to bring it all together.
While Markkanen is beloved by fans, media members, and Victor Nordis, he still hasn’t shown he can be the number one guy on a playoff team. LaVine gets buckets but gets smoked on defense. Carter is a great fit as a modern NBA center but isn’t authoritative enough to be this team’s catalyst.
Adding Zion Williamson or Ja Morant changes everything. RJ Barrett could be pretty helpful as well. Something has to change for this team, who’ve gone a combined 49-115 for a 29.9% winning percentage in the last two seasons.
It’s hard to watch any sports club position themselves to lose. While they played good, hard basketball for stretches this season, the last push of the campaign sent all the starters to the bench. This lead to a 4-15 record and a lot of sloppy basketball through March and April.
Fans need something or someone to believe in, as this roster hasn’t answered a lot of tough questions about itself. Even the players expect more, a sentiment Zach LaVine addressed in his comments about the season; players and fans alike desire playoff basketball.
Without the interest or capital to add a superstar in free agency this offseason, the best method for this team to get a high-caliber player comes tonight.