How Do the Chicago Bulls Stack Up in the Eastern Conference?

The Chicago Bulls did not simply watch the NBA pass them by at the start of free agency. They were still surpassed, but they did not merely watch.

The Chicago Bulls dipped their toes in the shallow end, even as teams like the Brooklyn Nets made huge splashes, and came away with a pair of solid contributors.

Thaddeus Young and Tomas Satoransky will undoubtedly be of use this season and they were quality additions.

However, as mentioned, the rest of the Eastern Conference was largely active. One need not look far to see what should be an improved Indiana Pacers squad that added TJ Warren, Jeremy Lamb, and traded for Malcolm Brogdon. That trade hurts the Milwaukee Bucks, but not enough.

As it stands, the only playoff team from last year the Bulls could usurp is the Orlando Magic, whose only move so far has been re-upping center Nikola Vucevic. Even they can lay claim to having that postseason experience though, so they should not be completely dismissed as a faller this year.

The Detroit Pistons, last year’s eighth-seed, added former Bull Derrick Rose to their group, so who knows how that will affect their ceiling. Regression does not look to be on the docket.

One outside-of-the-box possibility is the demise of the short-lived Toronto Raptors dynasty. If Kawhi Leonard does indeed join the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto will have a tough time resembling anything close to their 2018 selves. But even they cannot be counted out with the promising likes of 2018 Most Improved Player, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet still around.

Same goes for what will be vastly different, but still highly-potent, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics squads. Philly should look (and operate) a lot smoother with Josh Richardson swapping jerseys with Jimmy Butler, assuming the deal actually gets done.

Boston might slide, but they are just as likely to thrive without the ego of on Kyrie Irving lording over their team-first environment.

If you are not at least a little worried, consider this: the Atlanta Hawks loom large as a 2019 breakout team. And the Miami Heat were the recipients of Jimmy Buckets (which may get Dwyane Wade to return) and made other moves.

The Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards did stuff too, but neither acquiring Terry Rozier (Hornets) nor Isaiah Thomas (Wizards) is going to do much for their respective team’s postseason hopes.

Back in the division, the Cleveland Cavaliers are breaking in a rookie Head Coach and rookie point guard (again). They are in the prenatal stages of a rebuild. And lastly, the New York Knicks are the New York Knicks. They probably will not be relevant for quite some time, and this is coming from someone who likes Julius Randle and their young guys.

A glass-half-full outlook is the Bulls are following in the footsteps of the Nets: they have an intriguing young nucleus that can all shoot. All that is missing is a superstar, though the front office and fans alike hope that star emerges from either Zach LaVine or Lauri Markkanen.

But the flip-side is that Chicago has done enough to raise their win total and that that, in addition to better health, will have them (back) in basketball hell. A playoff team with an early-round cap and little to no direct paths to contention. Remember, this front office group does not have the best reputation around the league.

Hopefully, the solid handling of the roster, starting with the Butler trade and continuing this offseason, is enough to alter those opinions. They will reportedly have their sights set very high in a couple of years. But for right now, an eight-seed (maybe 7th) and likely second-round exit seem like very real possibilities.

Yay?