The Chicago Bulls’ recent loss to the Detroit Pistons certainly should not have been headline-worthy news. After all, Detroit came into the matchup on a seven-game winning streak. However, this was nowhere near the same Pistons team responsible for that success. It was a roster so impacted by injuries that it barely even resembled an NBA rotation.
Detroit played without Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris, Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Stewart, Ausar Thompson, and Marcus Sasser. Seven significant rotation players sidelined due to injury. Despite that, their second and third units had no trouble running laps around Chicago from start to finish.
In the Bulls' defense, they were missing their best player this season in Josh Giddey. Outside of that, though, Chicago was completely healthy in terms of the roster that has actually competed so far this year.
Strong words from Billy Donovan
Following the loss, head coach Billy Donovan delivered a powerful statement that should continuously ring through the ears of the front office until they finally prove they can construct a roster capable of more than just fighting for a Play-In Tournament spot.
According to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network, Donovan emphasized: "We’re not talented enough not to play desperate… if we don’t play that way, we are not good enough to stay in games.”
In other words, Donovan is indirectly admitting that this roster built by Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley does not have the top-end talent necessary to overcome playing without a sense of desperation. And when a team missing seven rotational players, including an All-Star, beats you handily, it becomes impossible to ignore.
And Donovan’s right. This is finally the most direct acknowledgment of a problem that’s been obvious since AKME took over in April of 2020. They have put together a roster full of above-average NBA talent that looks solid on paper, but can't escape the reality of what they really are. Mediocre.
Even worse, this is exactly how Karnisovas wanted it. In the 2025 trade deadline press conference, Karnisovas said, “There’s different structures you can try to get to a championship. There’s 2-3 star players and then a lot of role players, or you can build it as 9-10 very good players. Now we’re leaning towards having a lot of solid, good players.” This mediocre roster is completely by design.
A change in philosophy is necessary
Karnisovas’ approach to roster construction sounds reasonable in theory, but it consistently fails in reality. Take a look at the past five champions for example. They all have clear superstars surrounded by capable role players. Oklahoma City had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. Boston had Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Denver had Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray. The Warriors had Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. The Bucks had Giannis Antetokounmpo. The list goes on. The concept shouldn't be this difficult to understand.
Until Arturas Karnisovas accepts that a team needs a superstar in order to compete, the Bulls will keep losing games they should easily win. Chicago doesn't need more "solid, good" players. They need a top talent in the league that they can rely on when everything else breaks down. If that doesn't happen anytime soon, quotes like "we're not talented enough not to play desperate" will continue to define this era of Chicago Bulls basketball.