The Bulls welcomed in 2023 with a historic performance on Monday night in Cleveland. They couldn’t beat the shorthanded Cavs to end 2022 at the UC on Saturday night, and….. they couldn’t beat the shorthanded Cavs to start 2023 either. Not only did the Bulls lose, no, that wouldn’t be enough. They went down in spectacular fashion, blowing a 21 point lead, giving up the most points to an individual opponent EVER. This season has already had its share of gut punch losses; this one… was another.
Unfortunately, I called this one at halftime. I said Donovan Mitchell was going to try to lead them back. Little did I know how right I would be; here was one example of when I would have loved to be wrong. Mitchell would end up with 71 points. Why we fouled him at the end to give him those final 2 free throws I will never understand. It’s just stupid, kind of like how I feel about this entire team right about now. The coaching, the decision making, the take our foot off the gas pedal mentality with a big lead… Being a die hard fan of the Bulls right about now, is like walking that thin line between love and hate. I will always love the Bulls; I will always root for them. But man… there are games when I absolutely hate this team. This was one of them.
Sure, winning 5 out of 6 games heading into this pair of matchups with the Cavs was positive. Ayo’s buzzer beater against the Hawks followed by DD’s shot that gave us the W over the Knicks provided some really good feelings. The other 3 wins were all against short handed teams, and I’m not even including the win against Dallas without Luka. The Heat were down Butler and Lowry, the Bucks were down Middleton and Holliday, and the Pistons were down… a bunch of guys, as if that should matter, since they’re one of the worst teams in the NBA. Still, much better beating these teams than the alternative, like what happened the last 2 games against the Cavs. And oh yeah, they were short handed too without Mobley and Garland. Geez… can’t even beat a short handed Cleveland club. Where do the Bulls really sit this year in the NBA pecking order?
As I continue to spread the blame around, I look towards Alex Caruso; is he living on his previous reputation this year? Is it just me, or has he not been that great for us this year? Sure, that can be said about every single player on this roster, that’s for sure, but “Carushow”, as the t-shirt we just picked up for my son says, has been, lacking. When you talk about the big 3 for the Bulls, we know who we’re talking about. When you talk about our big 3 on defense, Caruso is one of them, along with Ayo and Patrick Williams; Ball would be part of that conversation as well if/when he’s ever healthy. 150 to the T-Wolves, 133 to the Rockets, 71 to Donovan Mitchell… it’s embarrassing; there’s no way around it.
With the NBA trade deadline about a month away, AKME has some serious decisions to make. Whether it’s trading one (or more) of the big 3, whether it’s moving some of our other underperforming guys, whether it’s bringing in some fresh blood, or all of the above frankly, this Bulls team needs a serious jolt. This “jolt” shouldn’t mean rebuild, but instead, should be done in a way where the playoffs are still in play. Although isn’t that NBA purgatory? 45 more games to go… Go Bulls…
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