The Chicago Bulls and the weak Eastern Conference

The Eastern Conference being weak is not new. But being in the lesser conference may allow the Chicago Bulls to reach their playoff goals.

Since about the time the Chicago Bulls dynasty ended, the common understanding in basketball circles is that the Eastern Conference is the Western Conference’s little brother. It has most recently been used to downplay the feats of LeBron James who terrorized the conference for up until last year. Well, it hasn’t gotten any better but its usefulness has for the 2019 Bulls.

We’ve discussed the disappointment that the start of the season has been ad nauseam. The Bulls sit at 12-19. That’s an improvement over last year’s start, sure, but it’s been a struggle to even get to this point. They’ve had four three-game skids and two win-streaks, both two games.

Questions about the direction of this team, the viability of its head coach, and the fit of its pieces have popped up at different points this year. There’s even been a hint of dissension.

Still Here

Yet and still, as of Dec. 23, the Bulls sit only two games back in the loss column of the Orlando Magic; whom they face Wednesday night. They’ll need to stack a win against the Magic and the Atlanta Hawks the following night. They’ll host the Milwaukee Bucks, Utah Jazz, and Boston Celtics before heading back on the road to face the resurgent Dallas Mavericks.

So how have the Bulls gotten to this point, where they have certainly been playing better but almost no one would say they’ve even begun to solve their issues? It’s because they have still done some important things well; such as taking the ball away.

Chicago leads the league in steals at nearly 10 per game and Kris Dunn is tied with Andre Drummond for third in steals, trailing only Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler.

On a Roll

What may be most important, is that they have improved their record month-to-month and taken advantage of their weakened conference. The Bulls went 1-4 in October but improved their winning percentage in September, going 5-10. This has particularly been true over their past month or so. December has seen them post a winning record of 6-5 so far.

A win on Monday would be the Bulls third straight and make them 3-1 on the current road trip. It would also be their fourth win in their last five games and fifth in their last seven.

There hasn’t been a sub-.500 team to make the playoffs since the Brooklyn Nets did it at 38-44 in the 2014-15 season. But there have been two .500 teams to be the eighth-seed in the past three seasons including the Bulls in 2016.

Brave the Storm

Coby White hasn’t been immune to the 2019 woes. The spark plug has struggled with efficiency. He averaged 9.7 points, 4.2 boards, and 3.7 assists and shot 39 percent from deep over the first six games in December. Those numbers have fallen to 5.8/3.8/2 and 33 percent from three. His minutes have subsequently dipped from 25 to just over 17 per game.

Thaddeus Young has also seen his minutes (and role) vary or diminish and rumors are he could seek a trade. Not what you want from a player brought in for leadership. Young is having an awful year, shooting a career-low field goal percentage (.399) and on two-point attempts (.449).

The Bulls fixed Lauri Markkanen’s scoring issues (he’s scored double digits in every game in this month) and have gotten more out of him on the glass as well. Maybe White and Young are next.

The Least

On a macro scale, yes, the Eastern Conference is still the weaker of the two NBA subsets. But for everybody associated with the Bulls, it’s an opportunity to deliver on a goal they set for themselves. Even if they aren’t close to the product we thought we would get this summer, making the playoffs would be a major step forward for this organization.

They’ll be jockeying for position with the Magic, Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons for that final playoff spot. They’re 1-2 versus Charlotte but are 3-0 against a disappointing Pistons team. Wednesday is their first against the Magic, who come in on a three-game losing streak.

There is still so much season left to be played. It’s still surprising this is even a discussion after watching this team for much of the season. Whether they deserve it is another thing entirely.