A detrimental loss to the playoff hopes of the Chicago Bulls on May 11 came at the hands of the star-studded Brooklyn Nets and head coach Steve Nash. The Bulls got a huge night out of star shooting guard Zach LaVine, but he didn’t get much help from the supporting cast. The Nets did a good job shutting down star center Nikola Vucevic and played solid defense most of the night.
In a night where LaVine put up a game-high more than 40 points, you would expect the Bulls to have a better shot at pulling off the upset of the Nets. And they did get close late in the fourth quarter. But when a team like the Bulls lets the Nets get ahead by double digits before halftime, that can be a killer down the stretch.
Falling behind by more than 12 points by halftime proved to be too much for the Bulls to overcome in the end. They fell short of the Nets in this one by the final score of 115-107. It was nice to see the Bulls hang tough with the Nets, but their postseason odds still look very bleak at this point.
Chicago Bulls about to miss out on the postseason again?
And with the divisional foe Indiana Pacers notching a win over the Philadelphia 76ers in upset fashion on May 11, the Bulls really don’t have good odds at this point to make it into the postseason. They will need the Pacers and/or Washington Wizards to lose out, while they win three straight against tough opposition.
Remaining for the Bulls this season are meetings with the Milwaukee Bucks, Nets again, and the Toronto Raptors.
Knowing that the Bulls’ chances to make the postseason aren’t looking good at all, let’s take a look at three possible ramifications of missing the playoffs.
Further constructive roster changes
Clearly, roster changes were on the horizon for the Bulls this offseason no matter what. Executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley proved that they are likely to stay very busy on the trade block and free agent market in the near future.
Landing the likes of rookie forward Patrick Williams, Vooch, center Daniel Theis, shooting guard/small forward Troy Brown Jr., etc. should be just the beginning of changes happening for the Bulls. And depending on what happens in the looming NBA Draft Lottery, the Bulls could get lucky enough to get another shot at a top pick in this rookie class. But those odds don’t look too great right now.
What does change with the Bulls missing the postseason is the fact that Karnisovas and Eversley might decide to make further roster alterations this offseason than they originally planned to. Players that are on contract years like fourth-year power forward Lauri Markkanen, veteran shooting guard Garrett Temple, shooting guard/wing Denzel Valentine, etc., might all be facing their final year in Chicago.
Markkanen is definitely the most significant of the Bulls looming free agents that sit on the current roster. He’s about to enter restricted free agency this offseason, and it really looks like Markkanen is playing his final games in a Bulls uniform. A hot stretch to round out the regular season, and a productive postseason, might’ve told a different story for Markkanen’s fate with the team this offseason.
Less viable star free agent targets
This is an obvious ramification that exists when almost any team with a building but largely unproven roster (at least in terms of postseason success) misses out on the playoffs. Less big-time free agents this offseason could find it appealing to want to play here and look to other teams that could put them in a place to contend quicker.
Good examples of that could be looming free agents like Atlanta Hawks power forward John Collins, Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry, and New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball, among others. Since the Bulls really do need to upgrade at the point guard position this offseason, this is a notable storyline worth following.
This is a much more fruitful cycle of free agency, despite top stars like Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Clippers forward Paul Geoge getting contract extensions last offseason. The first cycle of free agency that Karnisovas and Eversley had together was last year, and all it yielded for the Bulls was the signing of the former Nets veteran Temple.
This time around, expect significant changes by way of the free agent market. But the pickings might be slimmer for the Bulls at this point than originally anticipated.
A lot of the potential buy-in that big-time free agent targets have in coming to the Windy City will surround the promise of the star duo of LaVine and Vooch. LaVine still has yet to make it to the postseason in his seven years in the NBA, but this is nearly the closest he’s got so far.
Discussion concerning Billy Donovan
I will be the first to say that it is both a legitimate discussion surrounding how first-year head coach Billy Donovan fits with the Bulls this offseason is appropriate, but it is definitely not to put him on the hot seat this soon. It would be one thing if Donovan and the Bulls had just completely flatlined down the stretch and went into the offseason with no momentum.
But when this Bulls team is healthy, Donovan does look to have them headed in the right direction. They currently sport a record of 29-40, which isn’t great but is much improved compared to where this team was at last season under former head coach Jim Boylen. That has to be a real consideration when thinking about how the front office will build this roster moving forward.
Knowing that Donovan can do a lot to maximize the offensive potential of LaVine and Vooch should help his case in the Windy City moving forward.
Unless there is a situation where Nick Nurse for some reason comes available on the open market, the Bulls should be confident in where they are headed with Donovan. He did have a good bit of success with the Oklahoma City Thunder during his five years as their head coach.
However, it is not great that the Bulls missed out on the postseason given the way that Donovan rounded out his tenure with the Thunder last year. There will be adjustments to the viewpoint that both the Bulls fans, and potential free agent targets, view Donovan as the head coach of this team moving forward if they do in fact miss out on the postseason. That is inevitable.