The Chicago Bulls aren’t likely to take home a title next year, but they’ll at least have a shot to win the second annual NBA Cup.
What was previously called the in-season tournament will again tip-off in mid-November with a group stage that will feature three five-team groups in each conference.
The NBA did get some much-needed pre-Christmas attention last season, and fans did get treated to some good games that had a little more buzz than normal regular-season games even if there wasn't much at stake.
The Bulls find themselves in East Group C, arguably the weakest in the Eastern Conference.
Chicago Bulls NBA Cup schedule
The Bulls were put with the Celtics, Cavaliers, Hawks and Wizards in the only group in the East without three legitimate playoff contenders.
The Wizards are rebuilding and could be among the worst teams in the league. The Hawks are in no man’s land and not likely to be better than mediocre and the same can be said of the Bulls.
The Celtics are obviously the favorite and the Cavaliers will again be good, but the Bulls could grab wins against the other two teams and make it interesting:
-11/15 @ Cleveland 6:30 PM CT
-11/22 vs. Hawks 7:00 PM CT
-11/26 @Washington 6:00 PM CT
-11/29 vs. Celtics 7:00 PM ET
You can see all of the groups and full NBA Cup schedule here.
If the Bulls can steal one in Cleveland, they’d have a chance to make some noise in their group, though the defending champs will be the heavy favorite.
The Bulls should at least have competitive games against the Hawks and Wizards.
Even a single win would be an improvement from last season when the Bulls were 0-4 in the in the inaugural in-season tournament.
Which Chicago Bulls team will we see?
The question is what the roster will look like by the time November rolls around, as the Bulls are still actively shopping Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.
If either or both of those players are traded, the Bulls could suddenly be one of the youngest (and worst) teams in the Eastern Conference.
If not, the Bulls could compete and even win this group if a few things broke their way, but that’s pretty much been the mantra in Chicago for the last several seasons. If, if, if...