Exit Survey: 3 offseason goals for the reeling Chicago Bulls

Milwaukee Bucks. There is no shame in this, as the Bulls held their own for brief, fleeting moments, but it felt like the issues we had all thought to be there for the franchise were made public at the same time.</p> <h2>Exit Survey: 3 offseason goals for the reeling Chicago Bulls</h2> <p>DeRozan was incredible, but how far can he take you as your best player in the postseason? If Nikola Vucevic is one of your stars, is your ceiling obvious?</p> <p>All of this and so much more were brought up by the time exit interviews for the group took place, but it was not all bad. Alex Caruso truly is<a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1459303479063764994" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> one of those guys</a>, and he will be back next year to have a bigger impact on proceedings. Lonzo Ball, who flirts with All-Star potential from time to time, was out for basically the whole season.</p> <p>DeRozan is still an excellent player, one of the 20 best in the league, and as long as they have him playing at this level, they will be competitive and win games. It will also keep fans of one of the most famous franchises in all of sports excited about this team. Here are three key areas the Bulls need to address and remind themselves of this offseason.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Goal #1 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_444932" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-444932 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1388856719.jpeg" alt="Chicago Bulls" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1388856719.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1388856719-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 29: Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls looks on during a NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on March 29, 2022 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>3 offseason goals for the reeling Chicago Bulls: 1. Bring back Zach LaVine</h2> <p>All-Star Zach LaVine is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and in theory, he should return for the long-term. He has already been a part of a dysfunctional franchise in the Minnesota Timberwolves, so the idea of starting over with another organization probably doesn’t have a lot of appeal to him.</p> <p>Regardless of how this season went, if LaVine is playing with DeRozan, Ball, Vucevic, and Patrick Williams, he is going to be part of a competitive team. They have the chance to get better, and LaVine himself looks like he has another level that he can get to in order to help the Bulls aim higher.</p> <p><a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"https://nba.nbcsports.com/2022/05/10/rumor-zach-lavine-could-be-poached-from-bulls-in-free-agency/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">But there is still the chance</a> that LaVine leaves. He is still 27, so he has some time on his side to wait for an up-and-coming group to get better. Teams like the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/oklahoma-city-thunder/">Oklahoma City</a> Thunder, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/houston-rockets/">Houston Rockets, and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/orlando-magic/">Orlando Magic have the potential to be very good in the next couple of years. Would LaVine take a step back now in order to take a massive one forward in the coming years?</p> <p>Bringing him back is hugely important to the Bulls, as what they hope to do going forward is built around him. DeRozan might be their best player right now, but he is not a long-term solution. LaVine most certainly is, and his 24.4 points on nearly 39 percent shooting from deep would not be easy to replace.</p> <p>We know from the numbers he put up that he is capable of more than this, but he had to take a step back once DeRozan joined. Ball is a two-way point guard and Caruso’s defensive skills are hugely important to this group. Vucevic may be flawed, but <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/04/27/nikola-vucevic-moment-chicago-bulls/" rel="">offensively, he is excellent</a>.</p> <p>LaVine leading this group just makes sense, and although it is unlikely, the Bulls need to make sure he doesn’t leave by locking him up to a new deal as soon as possible.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Goal #2 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_444933" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-444933 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1066,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1362636059.jpeg" alt="Chicago Bulls" width="1600" height="1066" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1362636059.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1362636059-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 03: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Chicago Bulls drives with the basketball in the first half against Gary Harris #14 of the Orlando Magic at United Center on January 03, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>3 offseason goals for the reeling Chicago Bulls: 2. Don’t get trapped on the treadmill</h2> <p>There comes a day of reckoning for all good NBA teams. A day when they have to make the decision to keep on chasing a championship or blow it up and start again. The Bulls are not there yet, but one look at their roster and it is worrying to think that they might reach that moment sooner than they think.</p> <p>The majority of their best players are veterans, and if you had to answer now if you think this group could ever win a championship together, what would you say? The simple fact is that the Bucks, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/boston-celtics/">Boston Celtics, and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/miami-heat/">Miami Heat are better than them. What is even scarier for the Bulls is how some of their best players have become poster boys for hitting that invisible ceiling on prior teams.</p> <p>DeRozan was a part of a <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/miami-heat/">Toronto Raptors team that was even better than this Bulls group. Year after year, they came up against LeBron James in the postseason and were sent home. It was only when DeRozan was moved for Kawhi Leonard that they got over the hump, making DeRozan look like the reason they couldn’t win it all before.</p> <p>That wasn’t strictly true, but what was true was that Leonard was just a better superstar than DeRozan. A level above. Vucevic was the best player on the Magic, but after two years of making the playoffs, it was clear that all they would ever be was a team that made the first round and then got sent home. So, they traded Vucevic to the Bulls and blew it up.</p> <p>Right now we’re seeing this very thing happen to the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/utah-jazz/">Utah Jazz. Both Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell individually may be better than any player the Bulls have. Yet, after years of coming up short, it has become apparent that the Jazz (as they are currently constructed) will not be winning a championship.</p> <p>It is a tough choice to make, but they will be involved in some big trades this summer. They might just start again and hit reset. This sounds very negative, especially with the Bulls only in their first year with this group, but life comes at you fast, and it already feels like the ceiling here is conference semi-finals at best. Let’s see how long it takes the front office to react to that fact.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Goal #3 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_444934" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-444934 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1239910207.jpeg" alt="Chicago Bulls" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1239910207.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1239910207-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">MINNEAPOLIS, MN – APRIL 10: Patrick Williams #44 of the Chicago Bulls goes up for a shot against Leandro Bolmaro #9 of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter at Target Center on April 10, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Bulls defeated the Timberwolves 124-120. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>3 offseason goals for the reeling Chicago Bulls: 3. Take solace in their depth</h2> <p>Despite seeing Ball and Caruso, in particular, spend extended time on the treatment table, one real positive to come out of the season was the sneaky depth the Bulls have managed to amass quite quickly.</p> <p>We have already spoken at length about the key players they will be hoping can lead them to glory in the future, but behind them, there is Coby White, who has played 195 regular-season games for the franchise and is still only 22. Right now, he is an ideal backup to Ball, and the belief is that he will only get better.</p> <p>The team has high hopes for Williams, too, who also missed a lot of time through injury but could be their big man of the future. He does a little bit of everything and has looked comfortable and assured when healthy and on the court.</p> <p>Tony Bradley might end up elsewhere, but both he and Williams are also viable trade options at the moment as well. Talking about that treadmill of mediocrity, hoping these young players get better or just trading them for new guys are two ways out of that predicament.</p> <p>Then there is Ayo Dosunmu, a rookie who is clearly already trusted by the coaching staff in Chicago. He is raw offensively and definitely prone to making mistakes or rushing in certain moments, but defensively, he could be the most ideal fit next to DeRozan and LaVine because of his size and ability to annoy opposing guards and forwards.</p> <p>If a rebuilding team had those four guys, they would think they were onto something good. None of them look like they’re going to blossom into a superstar (although the potential of Williams really is intriguing), but the Bulls don’t need them to be. If this is the bulk of their second unit next year, they are going to be a problem and will have the ability to absorb some injuries.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="3 offseason goals for the underachieving Atlanta Hawks" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/04/exit-survey-atlanta-hawks/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/14/exit-survey-chicago-bulls/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/04/exit-survey-atlanta-hawks/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> 3 offseason goals for the underachieving Atlanta Hawks </a> </div> </div><!—pageview_candidate—>">