After a trade deadline that felt more like a wet willy than it did a high-five, Chicago Bulls fans need the All-Star break.
The team suffered their fourth consecutive loss on Wednesday night and second in a row to the Pistons. When they pick things back up on Thursday, February 20, they will sit 22-33 with only 28 more games to go. That is, of course, if they don’t end up in the Play-In Tournament.
Despite a 7-15 record since the calendar flipped to 2025, the Bulls remain 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 2.5-game cushion over the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. While swapping spots with Philly is still more than possible, there is no doubt my optimism has waned in recent days. Philadelphia is fresh off back-to-back losses to the Raptors and Nets, who both sit below them on the East totem pole. If they can’t even make the most out of those games … how can we be sure they will string together enough W’s to surpass the Bulls?
To be sure, at this rate, the Bulls will keep their first-round pick no matter what happens throughout the remainder of the regular season. That was part of why they did the Zach LaVine trade. Regardless, the goal right now should be to improve lottery odds – not to stumble out of a third-straight Play-In Tournament.
© Petre Thomas-Imagn Images We are only two days away from Matas Buzelis’ appearance at All-Star Weekend! While the rookie was bizarrely snubbed from the NBA’s Rising Stars tournament on Friday, he will serve as one of four competitors in arguably the most anticipated event of the weekend. The 20-year-old will matchup with Stephon Castle, Andre Jackson Jr., and reigning champ Mac McClung in the iconic Slam Dunk Contest. Asked about what he has up his sleeve in an interview with 670 The Score on Wednesday, all Buzelis shared was that he MAY pull out a jersey. Could it be one from his former teammate Zach LaVine?Wheels up to the Bay ✈️ pic.twitter.com/tg2vEI96fP
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 13, 2025 Buzelis also shared some details on how he plans to approach his first full NBA offseason. The forward made clear that the Bulls have a plan in place for conditioning his body, but he wants to be careful about how much muscle he puts on over the next couple of years:“We definitely have a plan moving forward,” Buzelis said on the Bernstein & Harris show. “For me, it’s just going into the weight room. It’s hard to gain weight during the season, but I’m definitely going to gain some more weight. I definitely want to be a little bigger. I don’t want to be huge because it takes away from my game and how fast I move, the way I dribble the ball, but I want to add at least 10 pounds this summer for sure.”
If one thing is for sure, Buzelis HAS to get stronger. The six-foot-ten forward has great instincts on both sides of the ball, but there is no question he struggles with physicality at times. Especially if the goal is to have him guarding opposing frontcourt players, he needs to bulk up. I also think it would only open up more of his game offensively, as he already possesses great body control around the rim. The bigger he gets, the easier it will be for him to add a post-up game and back-down mismatches. With that said … Buzelis is absolutely right. What makes him such a tantalizing prospect is what he can do off the dribble and in transition. There aren’t many players his size who can put the ball on the floor and out-hustle defenses in the open court. The rookie has a special combination of length and athleticism and there is little question that adding too much weight can actually become a detriment. This is particularly true in a modern NBA dominated by space and pace. Now, does this mean I agree with those who are saying Buzelis should be a three instead of a four? I’m certainly open to the discussion, but I certainly don’t hate to see him clocking the majority of his minutes as a power forward. He is a fantastic help-side rim protector, solid rebounder, and bouncy lob threat. There are plenty of reasons to want him closer to the rim, and this doesn’t mean the Bulls can’t still run offense through him. At the same time, I am open to the argument that having him along the perimeter is the best way to use his versatility as a scorer. It will certainly be interesting to watch how the Bulls use him moving forward. Kevin Huerter’s start to his Bulls career has left a lot to be desired. The change of scenery has yet to help the former Sacramento wing snap out of his season-long shooting slump. He is now a combined 4-22 from the field over his first three games with the Bulls. This includes a 1-12 from downtown, which is supposedly his bread-and-butter. We even saw him airball a dunk during last night’s second-straight battle against the Pistons. And, to be honest, I didn’t really know that was possible!Adam and Stacey are mystified at how Kevin Huerter whiffed on a dunk. pic.twitter.com/ecMlYOzpMz
— jon greenberg (@jon_greenberg) February 13, 2025 In all fairness, three games isn’t a lot of time for someone to get acclimated. Huerter may find a better rhythm post-All-Star break. However, I do wonder if Donovan will continue to play him as much as he has over the last several games. He is averaging nearly 20.0 minutes per game, taking possible minutes away from other youngsters like Dalen Terry or Julian Phillips. I know it’s in the Bulls’ best interest to revive Huerter’s value in hopes of dealing him this offseason, but player development is an equally important factor over the last two months of the season. Billy Donovan has his work cut out for him! Nikola Vucevic looked more like his early-season self last night against the Pistons, recording 22 points and 13 rebounds 7-12 shooting from the field. He now joins Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only player with 35+ double-doubles in seven straight seasons, per Chicago Sports Network. Let’s hope Arturas Karnisovas bookmarks that stat for negotiations this summer!Nikola Vucevic is one of three NBA players with 35+ double-doubles in seven or more straight seasons, joining Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo ? pic.twitter.com/f8TXFcSN7M
— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) February 13, 2025 CAPTURE THE FLAGG!COOPER FLAGG TAKE FLIGHT ✈️? pic.twitter.com/XepJ3YGzAG
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 13, 2025 Speaking of the former No. 1 overall pick, Kendall Gill declared earlier this week on 670 The Score the Buzelis will have a better career than Flagg. First of all, why do we ALREADY have to be comparing the two? Second of all … Por qué no los dos?.@KendallG13 believes Matas Buzelis is better than Cooper Flagg now and will be better than Flagg in the years to come."Three years from now, you're going to be saying Kendall was right," Gill says.Listen to his full explanation: t.co/MRsmxKLQiI pic.twitter.com/uu3hEzvaFZ
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) February 11, 2025 The Chicago Bears have A LOT of work to do on the offensive line this offseason, but they do at least have one piece worth building around. After speaking with some prospects in recent weeks, Tab has a brand new prospect rankings out for this month.ELSEWHERE AT BN: Check Out BN Fantasy | Subscribe to The BN Newsletter
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