Starting a conversation can be difficult, even intimidating, given the wiry and strong appearance, as well as the noble and elegant appearance. Instead, people usually ask me how I think the Bulls will do this season.
Chicago’s best pro team?
I know this is the ultimate condemnation with faint praise these days. But it also means that there is at least a veneer of respectability and perhaps a panorama of hope. I believe there’s more to come for the Bulls this coming season than most people can imagine.
As for the local sports hell…
It was always emphasized to us at The Tribune (yes, even when the Bulls were winning championships) that Chicago is a football town. I think this Bears saga is a test. Last week I was in Arizona listening to the local sports station. They were offended and got into a serious debate, at least in this case, about the power ranking that ranked the No. 32 Cardinals behind the Bears. The home team was confident that the Bears were the worst team in the league. You can almost imagine them holding foam fingers that say “We’re No. 31.” It turns out they were right.
I see the White Sox storyline becoming a race to not lose 100 games. From here you need to climb. The Cubs were probably great, with an energetic and resilient team and good leadership. I liked their team, but perhaps their two best players, at least in the first half of the season, will not be signed for next season. And Ohtani won’t be able to compete next year anyway. These Cubs look successful, even if this week goes poorly. But it’s still kind of the MLB version of the game.
The sky is no longer the limit and it seems to be starting again. I don’t know much about the men’s and women’s soccer teams, but I do know that no one is cooking for the holidays. The Blackhawks could end up again as they supposedly have a prodigy. But have you seen the child? It will be difficult for him to convince the guards on the road that he is old enough to be on the team. However, this takes time, as we have seen in restoration projects.
That’s why I’m a little more optimistic about the Bulls’ projects for the 2023-24 season, despite the offseason talk of the team needing to continue on what has at times been seen as adrift.
“Blow up and rebuild” are popular suggestions from fans and the media, and three months later they’re wondering why you’re not winning. Some of these projects operate like the Cubs did in the early 2010s; but most don’t. And it usually takes years to sort through the wreckage and recover.
This is why I generally prefer Pat Riley’s method, which evaluates drafts the same way as samples in a Wuhan laboratory.
Of course, Miami’s run to the finals last season was a fluke. But at least they could have been a fluke. You can’t be with kids waiting for a paycheck. That’s why I’m somewhat excited about the Bulls this season. I’ll go into more detail about some of my specific reasons before training camp starts, and then I’ll probably have to offer alternative explanations once they’ve played actual games.
But the Miami Heat are one reason for the Bulls’ optimism.
I’m not sure how much the Bulls will improve, although I believe they will. But I expect increasing instability in the composition of much of the Eastern Conference.
Miami is an example, although I’m starting there only because they ended where they left off and “expert” NBA analysis these days is usually meant to celebrate the last thing you saw. Miami played and won games, so they deserved to win the conference. It helped the Bucks’ first-round coaching was probably the worst in the league since Roy Rubin’s nine-win 76ers, who was hired after answering an ad in the Philadelphia Inquirer (I didn’t make that up) . Rubin later achieved much more when he didn’t hesitate as an IHOP franchisee.
In fact, sports are all about “maybes” and “could have beens.” So if Max Strus wasn’t there, maybe the Bulls… wouldn’t. But he beat the Bulls in that playoff game, and now he and Gabe Vincent are gone. So this is Lillard. And that’s a lot of staff to catch up on.
This is my story and I stick to it.
Not everyone may be talking about the Bulls championship, and neither am I. But it’s hard for me to name anyone in the East other than Dame’s Bucks.
The favorites are the Bucks, whose big NBA news on Wednesday acquired Damian Lillard largely for Jrue Holiday. Lost defense, but this NBA is an offensive league. That’s why they improve. But the Bulls also have a new head coach in former Bulls Adrian Griffin. They won the title with Budenholzer even though he fell off a lot last season. They have Giannis, but everyone will still be drawing up trade scenarios – even if Milwaukee doesn’t – until he returns. Lady is the obvious plan for this. Their big problem is that they are a really old team. Basically, everyone who matters except Giannis is at least 32 years old and on the other end of his prime.
Not much Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but the safety isn’t there anymore.
So who will get the most shots? Without Marcus Smart to keep score, it won’t work. I understand the Kristaps Porzingis trade. And I probably would, given their size issues as well as the loss of Grant Williams. But who expects Porzingis to be there enough? Hands please.
You also know that James Harden has yet to meet a franchise he doesn’t want to blow up. They hired a nurse and need a doctor again (just trying to get ahead of the Philadelphia papers; what! Already?). Either way, the 76ers face more challenges than the Kardashians.
Cavaliers? Donovan Mitchell spent his entire life in the NBA in Salt Lake City and Cleveland. You know, he thinks there’s more to life. Knicks? They lost to Lithuania, Germany and Canada. They’re going to wear Jalen Brunson down. Atlanta? Brooklyn? Orlando? Indiana? Toronto?
I know; they look at the Bulls the same way.
The point is that the conference no longer looks so formidable that you won’t be able to get some wins that you couldn’t get before. And when you look across the hall, the thought begins to flash that these guys are not so special. You know, compared to us.
So there are opportunities. Let the game begin. Or at least practice. Make Chicago proud. It hasn’t taken long lately.
Have a question for Sam?
Send your question to Sam at Asksam@bulls.com.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or its basketball operations staff, parent company, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Bulls, and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that come with his status as an accredited member of the NBA media.