There should seemingly be very little intrigue left for most teams in the Bulls’ position.
The trade deadline has come and gone — and did so with a big thud around the Advocate Center.
The All-Star Weekend is near.
And there the 19-36 Bulls sit, once again on the outside of the playoff seedings looking in, with just 27 games left when the season resumes next week.
Most teams will be going through the motions. Good or bad, the Bulls aren’t most organizations.
Yes, the next few weeks are expected to have more painful-looking basketball, but then comes maybe the most important final six weeks in the three years of the rebuild.
Otto Porter Jr (left foot), Wendell Carter Jr. (right ankle) and Lauri Markkanen (right pelvis) are all expected back by the start of March.
Everything will be under the microscope, and that includes coach and front office.
“We need to get those guys back and play,’’ vice president of basketball operations John Paxson said last week, when discussing all the injuries. “Relevancy will depend on the growth of those guys, in particular Lauri, Wendell, Coby [White], Chandler [Hutchison]. There’s no quick solution to it when you’re trying to develop players. And that’s what we’re trying to do.’’
So what exactly is at stake the remainder of the season for the Bulls? Almost everything.
1. The end of Gar/Pax? — The Sun-Times first reported back in November that Gar Forman’s tenure as general manager was in trouble. That hasn’t changed, with a source saying that the Reinsdorfs — Jerry and Michael — are still in the early stages of figuring out how the front office will be restructured.
It’s more likely that Forman will be given a new position than outright fired, and the final 20-plus games could determine Paxson’s immediate job title, especially if the young core of Markkanen, Carter and White show some life down the stretch. The organization has needed a new chair brought to the table for years, and maybe that is finally being realized.
2. The “spirit” of coach Jim Boylen — As long as the undermanned, and on most nights under-talented, Bulls stay competitive in games, Boylen is safe. If the players are blown out the final few months and the players look disengaged, Boylen could see the ice underneath him crack.
But if the Bulls bring in a new voice with some say, Boylen could be out whether the team competes down the stretch or not, depending how much power is handed to this new position.
3. Off the Markk — Markkanen hasn’t been happy with the current structure of the franchise at all this season. Whether it’s his role in the offense or the make-up of the roster, the third-year big man isn’t the type of player to express that publicly.
If it doesn’t change soon, however, Markkaken’s patience will be tested.
What he needs to show when he returns next month is an aggressive attitude with the ball in his hands, and if that means defying the Bulls analytics and shooting mid-range, then defy away.
4. Otto-pilot — The last thing this rebuild can afford is Porter exercising his $28 million player option for next season — which he will — and again being unavailable because of a growing list of injuries. When the Bulls acquired him last season from the Wizards it was to be a veteran presence both on and off the court.
So far he’s only been able to provide the off-the-court aspect with any consistency. He’s expected back by the start of March, and needs to produce.
5. Getting defensive — With Kris Dunn (right MCL sprain) possibly gone for the season, Carter needs to show that he can live up to the hype of being considered the second-best defender on the roster.
Like Porter, the final six weeks are huge for him.
