What an eventful offseason for the Chicago Bulls. It feels as though it has been decades since Bulls fans could genuinely be excited about a team, although in reality it has been a solid 10 years.
General manager Marc Eversley has done a masterful job behind the scenes, along with Vice President Arturas Karnisovas. The two of them have gone above and beyond any expectations over the past few months, and now, the Bulls look like a real playoff team.
Not only do the Bulls look like a playoff team, but they look like a team built to last the next few years. This isn’t just a quick, win-now type of roster. It’s being built with a nice combination of young guys and veterans who still have some years left.
Speaking of those veterans, DeMar DeRozan certainly looks happy to be in Chicago if his recent workouts are any indication.
The Chicago Bulls are in the midst of voluntary workouts, and their key veterans look ready to go.
The one point I’ll make about DeRozan, and how genuinely excited he looks to be a Bull, is that he appeared ready to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers just hours before agreeing with Chicago.
Eversley flew all the way out to Los Angeles to meet with DeRozan after he spent some time with the Clippers, and somehow, he convinced the four-time All Star to sign with the Bulls instead.
DeRozan was a college teammate of Nikola Vucevic, which likely played a part in his decision in the end. As for the big man, he sure looks happy to be a Bull as well.
Chicago’s new-look roster, overall, is a fairly well-balanced attack. As opposed to recent years, these Bulls look like a playoff team. The Eastern Conference has some serious competition with teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks (among others). But, with the firepower the Bulls have added, there is no reason they can’t finish within the middle of the pack and push into the postseason.
The heart and soul of this team will end up being the relationship between LaVine and DeRozan. Both of these guys are hungry to win, with DeRozan never having won a championship and LaVine of course being in the same boat.
DeRozan has been around much longer than LaVine, though, but previously stated that he’s been a big fan of the former UCLA star since coming into the league.
