As if Chicago fans weren't despondent enough, the Bulls are now being tossed in the same basement bargain bin as the Charlotte Hornets as two teams projected to finish at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and franchises headed in the wrong direction.
Of all the 29 other NBA franchises, that's not one you want to be associated with.
Charlotte hasn't made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season, when it lost in seven games to the Miami Heat. Joe Johnson and Luol Deng started every game of that series for Miami, while Al Jefferson, Marvin Williams and Jeremy Lin appeared in all seven for the Hornets.
It's been a while.
And that's the last time the franchise has won a playoff game since 2001-02 when it beat the Orlando Magic in four games -- back when first-round series were best of five.
So, yeah, not the kind of company the Bulls want to find themselves in. Unfortunately, there are some eerie similarities between Chicago and Charlotte at the moment, which ESPN points out in an article predicting the conference standings for next season.
Bulls share uncomfortable similarities with Hornets heading into 2025-26
Chicago's last playoff berth came only four years ago, as opposed to 10, and the Bulls at least won a game in that series against the Milwaukee Bucks. Ask a Hornets fan if they would complain about making three straight play-in tournaments; chances are, they'll happily take them.
But as the folks at The Worldwide Leader point out, the two rosters, as currently constructed, aren't drastically different.
Both teams have young players heading toward their prime years. The Bulls have Josh Giddey and Coby White, while Charlotte has LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Matas Buzelis is the future in the Windy City, while the Hornets have rookie Kon Knueppel. Both franchises have extremely raw high-upside forwards: rookie Noa Essengue (Bulls) and sophomore Tidjane Salaun (Hornets).
And as much as Chicago fans may not want to hear it (especially before the season when hope springs eternal), the two teams will likely be fighting for a spot in the play-in or back half of the lottery. In fact, the Bulls are projected to finish 11th in the East and the Hornets 13th in these rankings.
Chicago is in a better spot. Giddey is coming off his best NBA season. Ball has missed significant time with injuries and seems to be the prototypical good-stats-bad-team guy. Buzelis is a better all-around prospect than Miller or Knueppel. Salaun was even more raw than Essengue is now when the Hornets made him the No. 6 overall pick two summers ago. White is the most polished player 25 or younger on either roster.
The comparisons are too close for comfort, though. The Bulls have to escape mediocrity and win a playoff game -- or make the playoffs, at least -- if they hope to shed these similarities.