How Many Wins, 1st guess

[samwana]

At least I voted correct.

[Stratmaster]

I said:

"If the Bulls are not a .500 team this season, Billy Donovan should be fired by the trade deadline. There is absolutely no reason for this team not to be .500. Not that .500 is any big shakes, but anything less would be ridiculous for the level of talent on the roster."

I stand by that statement, although it won't happen.

The response to that statement by 1 poster was (paraphrased), "Billy just got an extension, he isn't going anywhere. If the Bulls falter, expect moves at the trade deadline". Which I 100% agreed with at the time and pointed out that I said "should", not "would". That posters prediction seemed spot on to me. Yet, here we sit, without any moves being made, and with our bumbling head coach sitting smugly in his position without any worries.

Where else can you be a head coach with 31 wins your first season... have your roster upgraded to a 50 win caliber team and win 46 despite a significant injury... then the next 2 seasons win 40 and 39... and still know your job is secure?

[drosestruts]

I've got us at 49 wins - where the winds up putting us in the standings I do not know.

We've seen what the team is capable with a 3&d point guard, which we'll once again have.

Zach started last season still recovering, hopefully he's able to come out of the gate firing on all cylinders.

And then continued improvement from Coby and Pat.

The ingredients, to me, are there for a more successful season.

Well the wish for Zach LaVine coming out of the game healthy and playing well didn't happen huh?

We won 39 games.

Last year Zach had a Win Share of 7. Williams had a Win Share of 3. I predicted 49 wins, we won 39 and it seems pretty easy to draw a straight line from my expected record for this team, the injuries that occurred, and where we ended up.

Very odd season.

We have 3 players that will be in contention for post-season honors:

Coby White for Most Improved

DeRozan for Clutch Player of the Year and maybe 3rd team all NBA

Caruso for DPOY and All-Defense team

There's some much individual success and strong individual play, but the team is not experiencing similar success.

Either the pieces don't fit and/or other players are too big a detriment and bring us down.

I imagine we'll spend plenty of time discussing all those options this offseason.

[League Circles]

I had guessed 39 wins but forgot to post it in this thread.

[GoBlue72391]

I think we project to be a bit above .500, maybe 45 wins or so.

We probably could have got to around that if we didn't have so many injuries, but then again we are the Bulls so I should have known, even though we were really healthy the year before.

[ChettheJet]

I'm looking for a steady year to 41. A 3 game winning streak might be optimistic.

But you've got to watch the start to maybe downsize that guess. If they come out slow and after 40 games they're 15-25, you can forget the 41 number because they're going to have to admit they made the wrong moves and trade DeRozan, Caruso, Drummond and maybe more at the deadline. Hope Lavine is motivated to become more of a team leader and defender, turn the team over to Williams and White.

I was Over, or they were under. I don't recall there being a 3 game winning streak

I have to think Zach and Patrick wold have been worth 3 wins. They did get off to a very poor start I think the Zach and PWill injuries forced their hand and there were no deadline deals.

Now the play in again. I'll think starting next year will be a failure if they don't see the lack of size, the lack of 3 point shooting, the lack of bench scoring and make the moves to change them all. Big moves. The only reaction to another play in with the same group next year would be front office housecleaning

[Ice Man]

Vegas had us at 37.5 wins. People mock the Vegas odds when they turn out to be far off the mark, as with the 2022 Lonzo version Bulls, but if truth be told, the Vegas consensus is usually pretty close.

[drosestruts]

I'm looking for a steady year to 41. A 3 game winning streak might be optimistic.

But you've got to watch the start to maybe downsize that guess. If they come out slow and after 40 games they're 15-25, you can forget the 41 number because they're going to have to admit they made the wrong moves and trade DeRozan, Caruso, Drummond and maybe more at the deadline. Hope Lavine is motivated to become more of a team leader and defender, turn the team over to Williams and White.

I was Over, or they were under. I don't recall there being a 3 game winning streak

I have to think Zach and Patrick wold have been worth 3 wins. They did get off to a very poor start I think the Zach and PWill injuries forced their hand and there were no deadline deals.

Now the play in again. I'll think starting next year will be a failure if they don't see the lack of size, the lack of 3 point shooting, the lack of bench scoring and make the moves to change them all. Big moves. The only reaction to another play in with the same group next year would be front office housecleaning

Bulls had 4 win streaks of 3 or more games this season.

[NZB2323]

I feel like we'll be in the play-in tournament next year, and the year after that, and the year after that...