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The Chicago Bulls finished up yet another mediocre season a couple weeks ago as they lost to the Miami Heat in the NBA play-in tournament. It was a disappointing season, so it was fitting for it to end in disappointing fashion. The Bulls got out to a good start in Miami as they hit a few threes early to go up 11-6, but it was all Heat after that. Miami won the game 112-91, and they are now headed to the playoffs to take on the Boston Celtics.
After going up 11-6, the Bulls surrendered a massive run and ended up going down by 20 in the second quarter. After they went down 20, the Bulls actually did a good job of weathering the storm. Chicago fought back and made it a seven point game in the third quarter, but the Heat turned things back on and ended up winning in blowout fashion.
The Bulls finished the regular season with a 39-43 record. They did get a win against the Atlanta Hawks in their first play-in tournament game, but they once again failed to make it into the playoffs. Chicago was just one win away and a victory in Miami on Friday night would’ve sent them to the playoffs, but they couldn’t get the job done.
So, another season is in the books for the Bulls. After starting 5-14, things went pretty well, but they are still far from satisfying this hungry fan base. No one really expected this team to make it to the postseason in the early stages of the year, so making it this far was exceeding expectations, but the fan base wants more. The Bulls are going to be making some moves this offseason, and the ultimate goal is for the team to end up making the playoffs next year. Here are three things they need to do in the offseason to make that happen.
Trade Zach LaVine
First thing’s first, Zach LaVine has to go. This is the beneficial move for both parties. LaVine doesn’t want to be in Chicago anymore and the Bulls have been wanting to trade him. It looked like he was going to be traded before the deadline last season, but LaVine opted for season-ending surgery right before it, and it didn’t happen. It would be surprising if the Bulls didn’t trade LaVine this offseason.
Improve three-point shooting
One thing that the team as a whole needs to focus on improving is their three-point shooting. The Bulls have some good shooters on the team, like Coby White for example, but they have been one of the worst three-point shooting teams in recent years. With White, we saw his shooting percentage from deep go down a bit after he emerged as a top scorer on the team. Teams started to guard him differently, and he had to adjust his game. He is certainly capable of being a big threat from beyond the arc, however.
The Bulls are eventually going to have to make some trade/free agency moves, and it has to be this offseason, right? It should be, and they should be looking at guys that can shoot the deep ball.
Bring in a star
The Bulls have some good young talent on this team and they have a veteran leader in DeMar DeRozan, but they need to try to bring in that star that brings them to the next level this offseason. Zach LaVine was supposed to be that big-name player in Chicago that helps the team take the next step, but it just didn’t pan out. The Bulls could be just one big move away from finding the perfect piece to the puzzle that compliments the rest of the team.
It’s going to be interesting to see what the Bulls do in the coming months, because there’s no doubt about it, this is a massive offseason for them.
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