Bulls Update - 5/12/17

It's been two weeks since my last blog, and a lot has happened since then. In my last blog, I discussed how the Bulls could pull out a win in Game 6 and push for a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics in their first round series. Unfortunately, when having the choice to sink or swim, the Bulls sank. They lost to the Celtics 105-83 leading to the Celtics emerging victorious from the series in Game 6. The Celtics moved on to the second round of the playoffs and are currently in the middle of their series against the Washington Wizards.

In the devastating loss,  All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler scored 23 points and the Bulls' starting center Robin Lopez contributed 10 points. However, no one else had a large enough contribution to take the weight off of Butler's shoulders, or knee. Butler was dealing with knee soreness towards the end of the series and was limping occasionally. All NBA players became exhausted and worn down at the end of the season and postseason, but Butler was visibly exhausted. Throughout the season and playoffs, he has had to play almost the entire game with only short breaks, since no other player could seem to become consistent and carry their team. Butler just could not carry the team to a win in Game 6 as all of the Celtics starters had huge games. The Celtics coasted to a win behind All-Star Isaiah Thomas' 12 points, Gerald Green's 16 points and the stellar performances of the starters.

The Bulls started off winning the series 2-0 and then ended up being eliminated from the playoffs by losing 4-2. One main reason for this sudden skid is the loss of Bulls point guard Rajon Rondo. He fractured his thumb in Game 2, and sat out the rest of the series. He also had a lingering wrist injury he was playing through as well, so as hard as he fought to return in the series, it was impossible for him to return within a couple weeks. The team clearly missed Rondo's ability to spark their offense with incredible passes, his ability to set up great plays, his leadership on and off the court, and his steady scoring. It's no coincidence that when Rondo got injured, the Bulls lost four straight games.

However, Rondo's absence was not the only reason the Bulls did not look like a playoff team toward the end of the series. The Bulls' young players needed to step up in the playoffs and they weren't able to. Also, Dwyane Wade, a veteran who won multiple championships in the past, did not elevate his performance like he should have in the playoffs. His lackluster performance in those final games could be attributed to the fact that he is 35 years old and doesn't have the energy he used to. Then, the Bulls' head coach, Fred Hoiberg should be fired after his coaching in this series. His fatal flaws, such as his inability to draw up offensives plays, call timeouts at the right times, and figure out rotations that work were evident throughout the regular season but highlighted even more in the postseason.

The Bulls' front office has a lot to consider during the off season, considering how the series ended. There are trade rumors surrounding Butler once again as his future on the Bulls is apparently unknown. Trading their star player would be a huge mistake, so hopefully the front office does not get rid of him. The Bulls must decide if they want to keep Rondo and Nikola Mirotic and  what free agents they want to try to acquire. I'll provide more updates on their moves as the off season progresses.

That's all for this week!