With every loss, the Chicago Bulls take a step closer to their inevitable rebuild. Despite a talented core that was playing well just 10 months ago, the Bulls have looked like one of the worst teams in the East this season and there is a sense they are closer than ever to giving up and wiping the slate clean once again.
After reports of a rift between Zach Lavine and the Bulls’ front office, the attention has been turned to the locker room, where the influence of Billy Donovan is beginning to draw some questions.
As the saying goes, winning cures all. A year ago, DeRozan, LaVine and these Bulls were clicking on all cylinders while Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the Celtics were struggling to find their way. The roles appear reversed a year later, and it jumps out when you look at the standings.
In the third season of Billy Donovan’s tenure, there’s also been increased skepticism within the locker room about the head coach and the coaching staff. For Donovan, the challenge of optimizing DeRozan and LaVine together through a balance of execution, accountability and cooperation looms large. Donovan’s job is currently safe, however, as The Athletic reported that he signed a multiyear contract extension prior to the start of this season.
Donovan’s job is safe, for now, considering he just signed an extension. But the growing distrust in his leadership is another bad sign for a Bulls team that doesn’t have a whole lot going for them right now.
Will Lonzo Ball Return This Season?
Perhaps the biggest question mark of all for this Bulls team is the return of Lonzo Ball. After missing half of last season, and all of this one so far, the news on his recovery hasn’t been good and there is a growing belief that he may not come back at all.
It has been nearly a year since Ball initially injured his left knee in a Jan. 14 game. But coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls don’t know when — or if — their starting point guard will be available this season.
“It’s been really slow,” Donovan said Wednesday before the team’s 132-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns, who got 51 points in three quarters from Devin Booker. “It’s gotten better, but is he clearly without any pain? No, he’s not. He still has pain. We’re seeing the slow, gradual strides getting better, but I just don’t have any timetable of when he could even be back.”
Nine weeks after his second knee procedure, Ball is still unable to run, jump or cut. He has returned to the weight room at the Advocate Center for moderate weightlifting and core exercises, but he hasn’t played basketball or run at full speed since January.
“He was in that mindset last year when the injury happened,” Donovan said. “I just think that’s who he is. He has got his mind, his heart, everything set on getting himself back this year. There’s no timetable, but that’s where he’s at mentally.”
It remains to be seen how the Bulls will respond to the early adversity they have faced this season, but the front office has some big decisions to make. Even if the team can string together a good run, are they going to be a title-contending team when/if Lonzo ever gets healthy?
As constructed, this Bulls team just might not have enough to get the job done, and going all-in for Victor Wembanyama may be the best course of action for everyone involved.
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