On March 25, the Chicago Bulls put a lot of folks on notice. No, they aren’t likely to win a championship this season. But they did announce their return to relevance. Trading for Nikola Vucevic legitimized this front office in a way that had eluded the previous for nearly two decades. What’s more, they added quality depth that should only serve to further those efforts.
Perimeter defense has been a problem so they added Al-Farouq Aminu and Troy Brown. Both were afterthoughts but should contribute heavily. Interior defense has been just as bad so the hope is Daniel Theis will be able to settle some of that down.
Coby White and, in particular, Lauri Markkanen survived the deadline more than anything. In fact, the Bulls offered Lauri Markkanen to the Pelicans for Lonzo Ball but were rejected.
It’s not crazy to see a scenario where this deal is revisited in the offseason and we could even see both White and Markkanen included. If they continue to be as inconsistent to ineffective as they’ve been, while Lonzo continues his offensive breakout, there’s a scenario where they aren’t enough combined to get the deal done.
Billy Donovan isn't viewing the Nikola Vucevic addition as changing the standards/expectations for #Bulls, as is the view from many outsiders. He isn't changing how he approaches anything.
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) March 29, 2021
"I think the expectation has always been high," Donovan says.
Patrick Williams finishing out his rookie contract elsewhere, should the right vet come available, is also not outside of the realm of possibility.
Chicago Bulls troubles immediately after the deadline
The first game with the new additions, a rematch against the San Antonio Spurs, was a disaster early on for the entire team. Some of the troubles were expected as this was a pretty big shift to the roster dynamic. The new guys not knowing where to rotate on defense and the incumbents not finding them when they got open.
But it was 65-39 at the half and the Bulls looked lost. Not a single Bulls player was in double figures.
Those are the moments when White, who was benched in an effort to simplify his role to focus on scoring, and Markkanen needed to shine. Instead, they gave you 23 total points. White had his customary four assists and was efficient this time shooting over 40 percent from the floor and from deep. But the Bulls needed more.
Markkanen shot 40-plus percent as well but was 1-of-6 from outside.
The Bulls face the Warriors on Monday and need to get a win if they are serious about pushing for the playoffs. Eight of their next nine games come on the road with six of those coming against teams who would at least qualify for the play-in games if the playoffs started today.
Stephen Curry went off for 36 points in the first meeting at the beginning of the season. But he is questionable with a bruised tailbone but even with him, the Warriors haven’t exactly been world beaters this season.
LIVE: Head Coach Billy Donovan takes questions from the media after tonight's game against the Spurs https://t.co/Uutqv7o0cv
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 28, 2021
This would be a good night for Coby and Lauri to regain their confidence. The duo combined for 43 in that first matchup and the Bulls scored their third-highest point total of the season. But they left five seconds on the clock following Zach LaVine’s go-ahead bucket and Damion Lee hit the game-winning three.
It was a tough loss that sent the Bulls to 0-3.
With Theis scheduled to make his Bulls debut on Monday, though, the players can get a little revenge and work out some of the kinks we saw on Saturday. None more than White and Markkanen, who might be better served coming off of the bench for the new-look Bulls.