Former Chicago Bulls Heading to Playoffs a Tough Pill to Swallow

Jimmy Butler, Patrick Williams, Chicago Bulls (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

As the 2021 NBA regular season winds down, the Chicago Bulls face quite the uphill battle to even make the play-in tournament. The mid-season trades havenā€™t worked as planned and it will be a bitter pill seeing former Bulls players reach the second season. Especially when the things they are providing for their new team are exactly what the current Bulls could use right about now.

Itā€™s not even just players dealt away this season; though those do add a certain extra layer of salt to the wound.

Former players, and even coaches from the not-too-distant past, are proving their worth for contenders time and time again. These are the types of things you have the time to think about when your team is trending downward.

So much so that even the return of Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic isnā€™t enough to encourage.

Going 7-15 since the trade deadline will do that to you. Itā€™s enough to have some questioning the trades the Bulls made and, in some extreme instances, the hiring of Billy Donovan.

Itā€™s too early to judge either of those things though. Remember, the Bulls couldnā€™t pull off all of the deals they wanted so this roster isnā€™t finished being made over. And the early ROI on Donovan was encouraging as the Bulls had one of the best offenses in the league for a bit there.

If those are the types of questions being asked now, just wait until the playoffs start and these guys are doing their thing while the Bulls are at home watching just like their fans.