BULLS MAILBAG
The Bulls are in the midst of one of their most challenging stretches of the season. They swapped out five players at the trade deadline 10 days ago, reworking their roster and adding two-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic. Zach LaVine (ankle), Coby White (neck) and Garrett Temple (hamstring) have missed games with injuries at a time when the schedule is particularly unforgiving. The Bulls (19-28) have dropped a season-high six consecutive games after Friday’s 113-106 road loss to the Utah Jazz, the No. 1 team in the Western Conference. Next up: the Brooklyn Nets, the No. 1 team in the East, on Sunday at the United Center. So things might get uglier before they start to get better.
Is Nikola Vucevic not working or just taking time to build chemistry? — Brandon P.
I’m willing to give them time. The Bulls are incorporating new players on the fly without much practice time, remaking their starting lineup and doing it while LaVine has limited by an ankle injury. It wouldn’t be ideal at any point, but especially not considering the schedule lately, which has been full of playoff teams in the Western Conference. The criticism of the Bulls not being able to beat good teams is valid, but these would be uphill battles even if the roster weren’t in such flux. I like the fit for Vucevic, especially next to LaVine. They should complement each other well, be able to thrive in pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop situations and turn into a dynamic duo offensively. The growing pains have been clear — passes delivered to the wrong spot, players out of position defensively and mistakes that seem correctable with time and familiarity. Defensively the Bulls are going to need some work, but that was true before the trade. Surrounding the pair of All-Stars with capable-to-good defenders should help smooth over their issues.
Based on impending free agents, the Bulls’ cap space and team needs, who should be their top targets in the summer? — Robert M.
This one is pretty obvious: The Bulls need a point guard. They don’t have a ton of cap flexibility after the trades, but they will have some room to operate this summer if they can execute a sign-and-trade, especially if they decide to move on from Lauri Markkanen and perhaps waive a veteran such as Tomas Satoransky or Thad Young to clear space. I like Lonzo Ball and think he would fit nicely. He’s a big guard, thinks about setting up his teammates first, plays defense and is having a secondstraight strong 3-point-shooting season. Another option is to acquire guard Spencer Dinwiddie from the Nets. He’s coming off a partially torn ACL and has a player option for next season that he seems likely to decline.
Should the Bulls sign a vet such as Kyle Lowry or Mike Conley for a two-year deal next year or look younger for that position? — Dominick T.
There was a moment on tradedeadline day when it was clear the Bulls weren’t going to pull off a deal for Lonzo Ball, and all the Lowry suitors were dropping out, and I was like ... wait a minute ???? But alas. Realistically, I’m not sure Lowry would be moving anywhere unless he felt he had a chance to win a championship. Conley probably is in the same boat, but I like the idea of the Bulls going the veteran route for a point guard. Without a draft pick this summer, I’m not sure the path to a young player is there right now, and I’m not ready to give up on White yet. Even if his future doesn’t project well toward a traditional “walk the ball up and get everyone involved” point guard, putting White in a lineup next to playmakers and ballhandlers such