Losing to the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers is nothing to frown upon. On November 11, the Chicago Bulls went toe-to-toe with Cleveland, losing 119-113 following a minor second-half surge. The Bulls played well throughout and led the Cavs after the first period, 35-34.
The Cavaliers began to pull away in the second quarter, leading by ten at one point, before the Bulls fought back to regain the lead, 56-54. Chicago led by as many as nine points in the third quarter, perhaps playing its best game of the young season. Despite the adversity, Cleveland climbed ahead at the end of the third and never looked back. The Bulls tied the game with five minutes left but couldn't overcome the first-placed Cavs.
A win over the Cavaliers would have been monumental for the 4-7 Bulls. Nevertheless, a strong showing against the best team in the association is promising for Chicago's future endeavors. Potential trade pieces, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic combined for 46 points, while the backcourt of the future, Coby White and Josh Giddey totaled 38 points and 13 assists.
Many around the league have praised the Cavs thus far, ranking them first in their respective rankings. As for the Bulls, it's a different story, but that's to be expected for a team on the verge of a rebuild. Below, we've rounded up various power rankings from several sites to gauge experts' opinions on the Bulls' standing through four weeks of the 2024-25 season.
Where do all the experts rank the Bulls this week?
NBA.com
Power Ranking: 19th
In NBA.com's most recent power rankings, the Cavs have taken the first spot. Prior to this week, Cleveland had ranked second, trailing the now Chet Holmgren-less Oklahoma City Thunder. On the other hand, Chicago comes in at 19th, a slight uptick from being placed at 20th through three weeks of the season.
Of course, 19 of 30 isn't where the Bulls want to be, but if there's any silver lining, John Schuhmann of NBA.com pointed it out. First, LaVine returned following a brief hiatus. Second, which is what's more concerning than losing a team's best player is the continuous disadvantage Chicago plays with.
The Bulls have trailed in nine of their 11 games by at least 15 points and have been outscored by 19.6 points in the first quarter—a 29th-ranked mark in the association. If Chicago can figure out how to not fall behind so quickly, its win-loss total might even be above .500.
ClutchPoints
Power Ranking: 19th
No surprise here, Chicago's most recent opponent has seized the top spot in ClutchPoint's Week 3 Power rankings. Similar to NBA.com's power rankings, the Bulls rank 19th, although they've dropped following a 16th-placed spot a week prior.
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints discussed Vucevic's early season successes and how they could bode well for Chicago by the trade deadline. As for the Bulls' team play, he was far more mum, pointing out Chicago's 1-3 record in week two while looking ahead to the Bulls' tough stretch of games in week three.
The Athletic
Power Ranking: 22nd
A similar sentiment has echoed through various articles—Vucevic is reviving his value. Following an atrociously inefficient field goal and three-point percentage a season ago, the Bulls' center is shooting 58.6 percent from the field and 46.8 percent from beyond the arc. The Athletic's Law Murray lauded Vucevic's turnaround.
While seeing Vooch receive some praise is encouraging, it's important to note The Athletic's Power Rankings included, "something nice about all 30 teams" in the title. Murray grouped Chicago in his "Not the Tier to Fear" tier. There wasn't much reasoning provided as to why the Bulls ranked lower than in other rankings, but it's also worth noting a 1-3 record over this past week dropped Chicago from 20th.
Bleacher Report
Power Ranking: 25th
By far the lowest ranking of all outlets, Bleacher Report placed Chicago 25th out of 30 teams. While it's a few days older than NBA.com's, The Athletic's, and ClutchPoint's publishings, the Bulls' record was 3-6 at the time, not too much different than its current record of 4-7.
In Bleacher Report's previous power rankings, Chicago came in at 18th, higher than that of NBA.com, yet lower than ClutchPoint's. As has been the discussion for several years, Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey pointed to the Bulls' lack of self-awareness upon assessing its roster. Still clinging on to LaVine and Vucevic, a playoff appearance is unlikely, even in the Eastern Conference. On a positive note, Bailey did praise Giddey's recent play and zeroed in on his elite table-setting abilities.