Post-Mortem: 2021-22 Chicago Bulls

[ElectricMayhem]

We shall now cut them open and see what's inside...

Here is the data from last year's Post-Mortems:
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

Team Name: Chicago Bulls
Record at Time of Death: 46-36 (.561)
GM: Mark Eversly (2020-) (Arturas Karnisovas POBO)
Coach: Billy Donovan (2020-)

Offensive Rating: 13th
Defensive Rating: 23rd
Rebound %: 17th
Turnover %: 6th

GM: 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:
Demar DeRozan ($27m)
Nikola Vucevic ($22m)
Lonzo Ball ($20m)
Alex Caruso ($9m)
Patrick Williams ($8m)
Coby White ($7m)
Javonte Green ($2m)
Marko Simonovic ($2m)
Ayo Dosunmu ($2m) (Partially Guaranteed)

Team Options:

Player Options:
Tony Bradley ($2m)

Free Agents:
Zach Lavine
Derrick Jones Jr.
Tony Brown Jr.
Matt Thomas
Tristan Thompson
Malcom Hill
Tyler Cook

Dead Money:

Previous Post-Mortems:
30. Orlando Magic
29. Detroit Pistons
28. Houston Rockets
27. Indiana Pacers
26. Oklahoma City Thunder
25. Washington Wizards
24. New York Knicks
23. Portland Trailblazers
22. Sacramento Kings
21. Los Angeles Lakers
20. Charlotte Hornets
19. San Antonio Spurs
18. Cleveland Cavaliers
17. Los Angeles Clippers
16. Brooklyn Nets
15. Atlanta Hawks
14. Chicago Bulls

[FreeThrowLine]

The players with talent, lack heart & the the players with heart lack talent.

Take a player like Vucevic, out there clanking countless 3’s every game and compare it to a guy from previous teams like Noah who was less talented offensively but at least gave you maximum effort on both ends and found ways to fire up his team

They need more Butler/Noah type players who may not be the most talented but play with an edge and less Vucevic types that just go through the motions and are useless on defense

The Bulls showed no fight and no heart from the 2nd half of the season, management may have improved the overall talent but there’s still a long way to go

[GoBobs]

Bunch of nice Robins. No Batman. They met a team with Batman.

[RoxSteady]

I had to take down the embedded video because of language. Sorry about that.
- Harry

[Plossum]

Very meh team. I suspect they’ll max Lavine and largely run it back next year. But this team has a second round at best ceiling. They just don’t have the talent to contend.

[meekrab]

Injuries and COVID completely derailed the season. Add some bench talent, a fully healthy training camp and run it back.

[KGtabake]

Get at least two defensive bigs.
In this conference you are going against Giannis and Embiid for the foreseeable future.
If you want to have any chance against them you must have bodies and toughness.
Every team in the playoffs in the East except the Hawks and the Bulls, follows this route.
Even the Cavs who stayed out due to injuries and rehabs have solid frontcourt (Allen, Mobley, Love).
The Bulls need toughness, strength, defensive awareness.
And one of lavine or DeRozan, not both.

[bearadonisdna]

Bulls need Ricky Rubio .
Maybe quinn Snyder.

[TokeBulls]

Bulls need Ricky Rubio .
Maybe quinn Snyder.

Bulls aren't signing a PG when they have Lonzo starting and Ayo as a perfectly fine backup. They paid Lonzo 20m per year. They need to hope he stays healthy.

Just LOL at thinking PG was the problem. PF, lack of shooters, lack of size are wayyyy higher on the list.

[KnicksGadfly]

Team was built like their GM was named Isiah Thomas. Enough said.

[JordansBulls]

Trade Zach for Lebron and make a run.

[NZB2323]

Anthony Davis said playing in Chicago would be a dream come true and that Chicago is the Mecca of basketball.

Kevin Durant has praised Derozan, Lavine, Vuc, and Coby White.

AD is surrounded by senior citizens and KD is surrounded by headcases. Add either one to the Bulls and we’re a contender.

[NZB2323]

Team was built like their GM was named Isiah Thomas. Enough said.

When did Isiah Thomas build a playoff team? Our GM built the Nuggets, who may win it all next year.

[The Explorer]

They made the playoffs after a brutal 5 years stretch that rivaled only bottom dweller teams like the Kings. They were #1 for a large portion of the season behind stellar play from Ball, DeRozan, and Lavine. Injuries derailed them into a shell of their pre-All star break form. Donovan didn't help much this season either.

Overall the 2022 campaign was a positive step in the right direction, but Karnisovas will have to be creative in acquiring top level talent, that is the next step.

[bearadonisdna]

Bulls need Ricky Rubio .
Maybe quinn Snyder.

Bulls aren't signing a PG when they have Lonzo starting and Ayo as a perfectly fine backup. They paid Lonzo 20m per year. They need to hope he stays healthy.

Just LOL at thinking PG was the problem. PF, lack of shooters, lack of size are wayyyy higher on the list.

No way I would pencil a 2nd round rookie as the backup pointguard . Even Caruso would take that spot and AC is no pointguard .
If they keep Donovan the guards play SF too so there is still minutes for guards in the rotation .

The maintained the top seed started javonte green at pf.
The wheels fell off when the pointguard play went from average to below average

[HoopsterJones]

Bulls were not a full strength for a single game this season.

Coby White missed the first 13 games coming off shoulder injury.

Patrick Williams was injured in the 5th game of the RS and missed 65 games.

Lonzo Ball tore a meniscus / bone bruise and missed a total of 47 RS and all playoff games.

Caruso broke his wrist and missed 41 RS games.

Zach LaVine was dealing with a troublesome knee since mid January that hampered his ability to burst and lift kn his jump shot.

Overall disappointing end to the season. They’ll likely run it back and add some pieces.

[PlayerUp]

Bulls were not a full strength for a single game this season.

Coby White missed the first 13 games coming off shoulder injury.

Patrick Williams was injured in the 5th game of the RS and missed 65 games.

Lonzo Ball tore a meniscus / bone bruise and missed a total of 47 RS and all playoff games.

Caruso broke his wrist and missed 41 RS games.

Zach LaVine was dealing with a troublesome knee since mid January that hampered his ability to burst and lift kn his jump shot.

Overall disappointing end to the season. They’ll likely run it back and add some pieces.

The correct answer can be found here.

Also worth noting Joe Cowley at Bulls Sun Times today reported that Lavine injury is much more serious than being told. He is playing at about 50% capacity on good days instead of the 70% to 80% originally reported. He will need surgery to clean that up In May.

[KnicksGadfly]

Team was built like their GM was named Isiah Thomas. Enough said.

When did Isiah Thomas build a playoff team? Our GM built the Nuggets, who may win it all next year.

He got a me-first "star" with a habit of choking when the lights were brightest and brought the team to the playoffs, where they got rocked in the first round by a much better team. He also liked trading for centers that didn't like defense and focused on offense only, since you know, protecting the basket is optional. He also had a habit of signing guys who only liked to score the basketball and play iso-ball, and pair guys like that together. His teams were also hard-capped, and he also liked trading picks for these "stars."

If you read the paragraph above, you actually have no idea if I'm talking about your GM or Isiah Thomas.

[bearadonisdna]

Bulls were not a full strength for a single game this season.

Coby White missed the first 13 games coming off shoulder injury.

Patrick Williams was injured in the 5th game of the RS and missed 65 games.

Lonzo Ball tore a meniscus / bone bruise and missed a total of 47 RS and all playoff games.

Caruso broke his wrist and missed 41 RS games.

Zach LaVine was dealing with a troublesome knee since mid January that hampered his ability to burst and lift kn his jump shot.

Overall disappointing end to the season. They’ll likely run it back and add some pieces.

To me this sounds like excuses .
The bulls have been without their 4th or 5th best guy. Or bench pieces.
The bucks lost their 2nd best player and still completely outplayed them .

Their are huge competitive issues on this team .their big 3 has been largely available all season I can’t give them the injury excuse

[MrBigShot]

Hate to say it because he had such an amazing year, and the bulls dealt with injuries, but a team can't really win a championship with DeMar their best player.