More than half way through the season I have yet to share thoughts on how the Bulls have been playing. That is mostly a result of the fact that back in October I was hopeful that the Bulls would get Lonzo Ball back my Christmas. As the season started and we got closer to Christmas it became very clear Ball would be out dealing with his knee injury until at least the All Star break, ten days from now. Then a few weeks ago the Bulls management made it quite obvious that Ball would be out the rest of the season with the season when they publicly said he has not done any exercises on the court yet and wouldn’t until at least the All Star break. This would mean the best case scenario would have Ball back by the second round of the playoffs if the Bulls are able to get that far.
As a fan I am not happy with Bulls GM Marc Eversley. He should have been very serious about looking for a trade to give the team the boost they need to make the playoffs and take a step forward after the success they had last season. Especially considering Zach LaVine has also had knee injuries and been unreliable this year.
On top of his knee issues I heard one report on the ESPN Radio morning show back in January that Zach’s team mates weren’t happy with him for taking a COVID test when the league is not requiring players to take them anymore unless they are unvaccinated. According to the report Zach’s test came back positive when he had been cleared to play and because it came back positive he stated in the Injured List. Sadly, this is an example of Zach not being a team player and I am upset with him as a fan because there is no i in team. The Bulls need to trade him.
On that note, there have been many rumors surrounding the Bulls and trades that involved sending LaVine fishing. A few of the trade rumors I heard over the last few weeks also had the Bulls talking trades of Caruso and/or DeRozan to the LA Lakers. If they trade either of those guys then they are essentially saying they do not think Ball will ever make it back to the level he was at last season before his knee injury and they are rebuilding again.
There were also a few rumors in the last ten days that involving LaVine staying in the eastern conference. The one that I have heard the most in the last ten days and I do not want to see at the eleventh hour tomorrow is LaVine for Rose straight up.
Don’t get me wrong, before Rose had his injury issues he was a great player. That said, if this was 2018 when he was not riding the bench and acting as nothing more than a leader in the locker room I would be okay with the Bulls brining him back as a rental player to buy time until Ball came back next season. He has not played in six weeks and the Bulls need someone who will get on the court with regularity. Unfortunately, I do not think the answer to that would be Rose.
With that it is time for tipoff.
If you cannot play with them, root for them!