With the recent news of Kevin Durant rescinding his trade request, things have shaken up in the East, especially for the Chicago Bulls. With KD and Kyrie back in Brooklyn, the Greek Freak up in Wisconsin, the dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Boston, and the one-two punch of James Harden and Joel Embid in Philly. The Eastern Conference is looking like a battlefield, with the Larry O’Brien trophy in the middle of it.
Although the other teams in the East have reloaded, so have the Bulls, giving them a shot to contend for an NBA championship. They may not be on everyone’s radar as a potential threat to the throne but they very well should be. When it came to NBA executives placing preseason predictions on who will win the East, the Bulls were not even in the discussion.
Here’s what Pippen Aint Easy’s Austin Carroll had to say on the matter:
"Not a single member of the panel voted for Chicago to win the Eastern Conference in 2023. After losing in five games to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, it’s easy to see why they’d feel that way. Still, it feels like shallow analysis given that the Chicago Bulls were atop the East for the majority of the 2021-22 season."
Carroll is right, it was a shallow analysis to make considering the Bulls were one of the top seeds in the East before injuries plagued the team. Chicago was playing some of their best basketball at the beginning of the season and was arguably one of the best defensive teams in the league.
The Chicago Bulls have too many weapons to not be considered contenders for an NBA championship.
On the backs of the dynamic scoring tandem of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, the Bulls have enough star power to carry them when the lights shine bright, as well as the role players to take them over the top. The best two defenders on the Bulls — Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso — are returning from injury which should make a massive difference for this team in the long run.
Patrick Williams and Ayo Dosunmu also appear primed to make a big jump this upcoming season. Big Vooch is ready to silence all the critics and perform how we know he’s capable of performing and the rest of the supporting cast are ready to do their jobs.
Last season may not have given the Bulls much credibility due to their early exit in the postseason but that does not define who they are. With a renewed sense of motivation, the Bulls are ready to make a big impact in the Eastern Conference. So if you are wondering if the Chicago Bulls will be championship contenders this upcoming season, without a doubt in my mind they will be.