The Chicago Bulls are off to a 2-3 start to the 2023-24 NBA season, a record that typically isn’t a cause for much concern. But there have been plenty of eyes on the Bulls and their current situation, and there are already signs that the current core of players may not be together for very long.
Bulls Players Voice Opinions About 2-3 Start To The Season
“We have three All-Star players. We gotta make this work, from top to bottom. It’s not just the players. We gotta make this click.”
– Zach LaVine on the Chicago Bulls
(Via @VinceGoodwill ) pic.twitter.com/5Y7cbFplMh
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 2, 2023
Reports of the players calling a “Players Only” meeting after the very first game of the season have been refuted. An opening night, 20-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder was enough for the team to have what Zach LaVine has described as a “basketball conversation”, but has reiterated that there was no Players Only gathering of any sort.
That doesn’t mean that the team is not concerned. On paper, the Bulls should have one of the more talented starting lineups in the Eastern Conference. They have three players who are former all-stars in LaVine, DeMar DeRozen, and Nikola Vucevic, but the trio has never gelled in any way in order to turn them into contenders.
LaVine recently spoke to Yahoo Sports, and had the following to say about the situation:
“You know, we’re on our third year now, and I’ve been saying since training camp: It’s time to put pen to paper. If it don’t work, we understand the business of basketball. We have three All-Star players. We gotta make this work, from top to bottom. It’s not just the players. We gotta make this click.”
Is Missing Lonzo Ball A Major Factor?
“LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic have each said that the feeling in the locker room was that at least one of them would go if this season wasn’t a promising one by February.” 😬
– @JCowleyHoops pic.twitter.com/uPA8a4dv26
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 2, 2023
One of the easy targets to place blame on would be the absence of Lonzo Ball, whose future in the league is in question due to his leg injuries. The team’s core was at its best when Ball was on the floor, and they showed plenty of promise during the 2021-22 season, when they spent 37 of 56 days in first place in the Eastern Conference between January 1st and February 25th.
Things haven’t been the same without the point guard, and there have been reported discussions among the three former all-stars about one or more of them being shipped off before the trade deadline is the season doesn’t take a positive turn.
Chicago has a tough game coming up this weekend as they travel to play against the defending champion Denver Nuggets, but play 7 of their next 8 games at home, with the only road contest being a short trip up to Milwaukee.
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