Who had “Bulls winning the East” on their preseason Bingo card? Not I. Honestly, not you either. Definitely not oddsmakers, which had Chicago’s win total set at 42.5.
The Bulls aren’t quite at the finish line but they hold a two-game lead over the second-place Brooklyn Nets, who recently surrendered the top spot to Chicago after falling to the LA Clippers on New Year’s Day. And while the Bulls’ ascent to the top of the East may seem surprising, it shouldn’t.
The groundwork for the turnaround was laid in the second half of the 2020-21 season with the front office shipping out Wendell Carter Jr. and others for Nikola Vucevic to get the ball rolling. But the 2021 offseason is when the plan started to come together. In came Alex Caruso, Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan, along with draft picks and other rotational players. Now, the plan is in motion and the results are beyond satisfying.
Good morning. Let’s keep going. pic.twitter.com/lCf3E1zGmr
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 4, 2022
What’s great about this roster is that it consists of guys who have a chip on both shoulders. Two teams have already given up on Lonzo, LaVine has been tabbed as an “empty stats” guy, and DeMar certainly has a lot to show after Toronto’s success without him. With the collective “something to prove” mentalities, combined with actual top-end talent, the Bulls are playing their way into elite territory.
But, how long can Chicago remain at the top? The Bulls have +1000 odds at Tipico Sportsbook to win the Eastern Conference Finals, however, it feels more likely that they finish as the East’s regular-season No. 1. They’ve got an MVP candidate (DeRozan, +3000) that is showing no signs of slowing down, one of the more well-rounded rosters in the league, along with a certain hunger and edge each time they take the court — something that can’t be said for veteran teams that mail-in the 82-game schedule.
Brooklyn could very well catch Chicago, but it’ll take time to figure out things as the team re-acclimates Kyrie Irving back into (and then out) of the rotation — although, that’s definitely a long-term play. Milwaukee and Miami are within striking distance, but it seems unlikely those teams can make up enough ground, especially with how banged up the Heat are.
DEMAR DELIVERS AGAIN 🤯
GAME. pic.twitter.com/UOMQhXKS8l
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 2, 2022
There are no guarantees that the already-crazy season won’t get crazier. But the Bulls have endured it, thus far, and are setting themselves up for one heck of a season. Let’s see how far they take it.
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