With plan approved, season officially done
Reinsdorf disappointed with NBA decision to exclude Bulls
The NBA’s board of governors officially approved the league’s plan to restart the 2019-20 season on Thursday, and while the Bulls were one of the 29 teams who voted in favor of the proposal, they also admitted disappointment with not being one of the 22 franchises invited to Orlando, Fla.
“It is disappointing that we will not return to play for the 2019-20 season, but ultimately this decision is about more than just one team,” team President Michael Reinsdorf said in a statement. “We are supportive of Commissioner Adam Silver and the outcome of the vote by the NBA Board of Governors.”
In order to limit the number of people invited to the NBA bubble in Orlando, the league invited the 16 teams holding playoff spots and teams within six games of a playoff spot to the
ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. The Bulls finished the season 22-43 and eight games behind the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but they reportedly were among the ownership groups that wanted to be included, according to the Athletic. Only the Trail Blazers voted against the proposal.
With the start of the 2020-21 season expected to begin Dec. 1, the eight teams that were not invited to the NBA’s restart could have about eight months between games. The Bulls have one of the youngest rosters in the NBA and just completed a front office overhaul for the first time in nearly two decades.
Extra games would have almost certainly benefited them, especially with executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley expected to make a decision on the future of coach Jim Boylen.
“To be included in the plan to restart the 2019-20 season would have been a positive for our players and their development,” Karnisovas
said in a statement. “But we understand the need to compromise and we support the decision made today by the NBA Board of Governors.
“We are disappointed that our season is over and there won’t be opportunities to see our team or players in game action, but we will be creative in discovering new opportunities to support their growth as we prepare for the next season.”
The NBA also announced a pair of important rescheduled dates to the calendar that will affect the Bulls. The draft lottery is scheduled for Aug. 25 and the draft for Oct. 15. The eight teams not participating in the restart will be seeded in the lottery based on their records through March 11.
The Bulls find themselves in the all too familiar No. 7 slot in the draft order.
“We will now shift our focus to continue to build our team under the new leadership of Karnisovas and our basketball operations department with a focus on the draft, free agency and offseason development,” Reinsdorf said.