Post-Mortem: 2022-23 Chicago Bulls

[ElectricMayhem]

Sold a tiny farm for Vucevic. Has it paid off?

Here is the data from previous years' Post-Mortems:
2020-21:

Spoiler:

Post-Mortem Results I: GM Confidence Meter
Post-Mortem Results II: Coaching Confidence Meter
Post-Mortem Results III: Performance Compared to Expectations
Post-Mortem Results IV: Rising/Treadmill/Waning

2021-22:
2021-22 Post Mortem Final Summary

Team Name: Chicago Bulls
Record at Time of Death: 40-42(.488) (Play-in Loss)
Head of Front Office: Marc Eversley (2020-)
Coach: Billy Donovan (2020-)

Offensive Rating: 24th
Defensive Rating: 5th
Rebound %: 22nd
Turnover %: 8th

Front Office: Change or keep?
Coach: Change or keep?
Relative to expectations, how did they fare this year?
Rising, falling, or treadmill?
If you were in charge, what would you do this offseason?

Notes:
Players under contract next year:
Zach LaVine ($40m)
DeMar DeRozan ($29m)
Lonzo Ball ($20m)
Patrick Williams ($10m)
Alex Caruso ($9m)
Andre Drummond ($3m)
Dalen Terry ($3m)
Marko Simonovic ($2m) (Partially Guaranteed)
Carlik Jones ($2m) (Partially Guaranteed)

Team Options:

Player Options:
Derrick Jones Jr. ($3m)

Free Agents:
Nikola Vucevic
Coby White
Javonte Green
Ayo Dosunmu
Patrick Beverly
Terry Taylor
Justin Lewis

Dead Money:

Previous Post-Mortems:
30. Houston Rockets
29. San Antonio Spurs
28. Detroit Pistons
27. Charlotte Hornets
26. Portland Trail Blazers
25. Indiana Pacers
24. Washington Wizards
23. Orlando Magic
22. Utah Jazz
21. Dallas Mavericks
20. Toronto Raptors
19. New Orleans Pelicans
18. Chicago Bulls

[meekrab]

Weird absence of Lonzo Ball from the Dead Money category.

Anyway this is pretty much what was expected without Lonzo. The team needs 3 point shooting and playmaking and general basketball IQ, and Lonzo has 90's in all those stats. Let's not forget the team was on a 59 win pace last season with him before the injuries started.

Anyway, I'm higher than most on the front office, they had a great vision and executed it well, it just collapsed because the key player doesn't have knees. But at this point you have to cut the losses, recoup some draft assets and try again.

[thelead]

Vuc is a FA. Do they resign him?

If they don't get a top 4 pick, they give it to the Magic this year and can blow everything up afterward. IMO, that's the path they should take.

Trade LaVine and DeRozan for picks, and tank for 2 years. Do what OKC did... they don't have Sam Presti though.

[DusterBuster]

Feels like a team that’s reached it’s end.

[Marvin Martian]

They need to blow it up. Lavine and Derozan was healthy all year, and this was the best that they could do. The team has peaked and it is time for a change.

[celticfan42487]

Every team in the play in meets reality win or lose.

They should have blown it up instead.

Heat have reached their end. Raptors have reached their end. Bulls have reached their end. Wolves core looks broken.

OKC hasn't but they're supposed to be rebuilding, I guess they're the only one it doesn't fully matter if they throw away a chance at the lottery to get swept.

Expect to see teams adjust to this as they wise up and we get hardcore tanking in the coming season for teams that don't want to get caught in the 9/10 trap. Same way for the past 20-30 years we've seen it for teams avoiding being trapped in the 7/8th seed trap and losing a chance at a good pick.

Might just take a few years before it becomes the norm once again.

[ElectricMayhem]

Wendell Carter, Franz Wagner, and this year's first was the cost for Vucevic. They had a vision, but unfortunately for them, the vision included a healthy Ball. Now Vucevic is a free agent. They could resign Vuc and hope Ball is healthy next year, but Ball takes them from a play-in loser to where? 4th or 5th seed at highest? I think they need to start again from near scratch. Give Ball the time he needs to get better, see if you can develop Patterson, and try to get assets from the veterans. They just don't have a high enough ceiling to justify running it back.

Also, I'd move on from Donovan. He's not the worst, but he's also not going to help your team overachieve.

[Dr Aki]

[KnicksGadfly]

Bulls gotta blow it up, starting from their front office. The failure of this big 3 was entirely foreseeable.

[Murray_17]

It's easy to say they need to blow it up but that Lavine contract is just gross.... I don't see what team bites.

[ChiTownHero1992]

They were always a treadmill team, I said back in August that with Lonzo they'd be a 6-8 seed, without Lonzo they'd be a 9-11 seed.

Now DeRozan is a year older and showing glimpses of slowing down, Vuc does not fit this team whatsoever and we either live with him and sign him long-term or lose him for nothing, Lonzo may never play again and isn't really the answer anyway. Lavine's contract is huge and he is not a 1A guy on a championship-caliber team (I've said for years he is best your 3rd best player on a contender). The future is bleak with no pick, no young assets that have lived up to potential and the supporting cast is mediocre at best and the FO has overpriced them.

They need to implode and blow it all up, sell everyone and try again because the best this current team will ever do again is maybe an 8-10 spot next year as well and that is unlikely.

[giberish]

If Ball's reasonably expected back then there's a solid case for looking to compete - resign Vuc at $15M or something, add another guy with MLE money and try for 50ish wins. The core isn't that old that the tank is the only option (as much as many posters want 10+ teams to hard tank every season).

If Ball's just dead money then it's tougher to make that interesting. If they keep their pick in the top-4 then they really have to keep trying for another season (even though that's kind of awkward to do while also breaking in a high-lotto pick kid). Maybe there's some star who's enough of a difference-maker to justify dealing a #2-4 pick to push this to a title contender. Otherwise the tank brigade is probably correct.

Should look to resign White either way, assuming someone else doesn't throw stupid money at him. Vuc really only makes sense if they keep trying.

[Ni Da Ye]

Bulls should have tanked like the Mavs.

[ChiCitySPORTS#1]

Billy donovon needs to go. They win that game against the heat if it weren’t for his stupid lineups and subs.

[vxmike]

They need to blow it up. Lavine and Derozan was healthy all year, and this was the best that they could do. The team has peaked and it is time for a change.

Exactly. They had some of the best health in the league outside of Lonzo (who is finished) and this was it. Trade LaVine+DDR and start over. Treadmilling at #10 will just lead to them bottoming our organically anyways once DDR expires and Vuc leaves or declines after re-signing. None of their youth have much upside to speak of and they owe two FRPs.

[GrindCityHustle]

I would just run the team back and not resign vucevic. Can prob find a stretch center in fa

If kings can do good when healthy so can bulls.

[GusFring]

They need to blow it up. Lavine and Derozan was healthy all year, and this was the best that they could do. The team has peaked and it is time for a change.

[John Murdoch]

[dockingsched]

Treadmill team, as bad as it gets

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[Dr Aki]