The Chicago Bulls upcoming offseason is crucial for both the short and long-term success of the franchise. Not only are they coming off of a disappointing season in which they missed the playoffs, but they’re also officially on the clock to convince Zach LaVine he should sign a long-term extension.
He is coming off the best season of his career after once again taking a step forward from one year to the next. As the years wear on he can only be growing more and more frustrated with the losing taking place.
A step forward was taken in that regard at the trade deadline, at least in theory. The addition of Nikola Vucevic gave LaVine an all-star teammate to help him offensively. Things did not play out how anyone had hoped after the trade deadline and the results were the Bulls completely missing out on the postseason.
A number of things were working against them down the stretch, though. The poor win-loss record to close the year isn’t a fair evaluation of what the team is capable of doing behind the one-two punch of LaVine and Vooch.
A tough schedule, essentially no practice time and the eventually extended absence of LaVine late in the season prevented the Bulls from being able to start piecing things together. That also means they couldn’t gain the most possible film on their group or take the time to experiment with what worked or what didn’t.
Does that make the job of Arturas Karnisivas and Marc Eversley a bit more difficult this offseason? Without a doubt. Does it mean the expectations should be lowered in any way? Absolutely not.
The front office needs to provide answers this offseason. As we approach the official start of the offseason, these are the five biggest questions that need to be answered.