The Chicago Bulls May Already Be Collapsing

Published October 26, 2023 at 1:05 PM
BY MICHAEL PELCHAT

For their season opener, the Chicago Bulls strolled onto the court donning jerseys donning the slogan "See Red", which serves as the franchise's theme for the current season.

As the game concluded with a disappointing 124-104 defeat against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, eliciting boos from a portion of the United Center crowd, the Bulls' players found themselves deeply frustrated. They collectively decided to ask Coach Billy Donovan to remain outside the locker room, granting them a private, players-only meeting.

Billy Donovan's Thoughts on the Situation

At the very least, it's encouraging that the Bulls are engaged in dialogue. Here's Coach Billy Donovan's statement, as reported by K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

"That would've never happened last year. It would've been a quiet group,"

"So the confrontation piece is a sign that it's important to them. And they know we've got to be better."

What Happened During the Game?

Before the beginning of the season, the Chicago Bulls embarked on training camp with the objective of implementing a fresh offensive system, one that prioritized increased motion and ball distribution while reducing isolation plays. Unfortunately, on opening night, this transition encountered significant difficulties, leading to player frustration, particularly directed at center Nikola Vucevic in certain instances. Tensions between Donovan and Vucevic flared on the sideline during the game.

The Bulls concluded the evening with a lacklustre offensive rating of 106.3, shooting 41.5% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc. On top of that, the Bulls allowed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to score 31 points and dish out 10 assists.

Watch the Bulls and Thunder game highlights in the video below:

A Veteran's Perspective

Subsequently, Vucevic shared his perspective on the post-game conversation:

"I think it was really good for us that we had those. I think it was needed. It was just regular discussions of what needs to be done. A lot of guys said a lot of good things, things that needed to be said. I think we can really use this to learn and change some things that we need to change. It wasn't anything crazy, no fighting or none of that. It was really constructive. It was maybe one of the first times since I've been here that this was like this. And it was really needed..."

"I've been on teams in the past where we've had those, and it worked almost every time where we were able to really fix some things and move on."

Chicago Bulls Future

Many viewed the Chicago Bulls as a team that might fall out of playoff contention completely. Given the substantial trade rumours surrounding some of their star players, this situation is far from ideal. We can only hope that this team meeting has proven effective and that they are ready for their upcoming game against the Toronto Raptors this Friday, followed by three road games.

Credits:
NBC Sports

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October 26 \| 30 answers The Chicago Bulls May Already Be Collapsing Can the Chicago Bulls bounce back from this humiliating loss?
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