Most of the NBA is Florida bound, trying to end the 2019-20 season with some kind of playoff/play-in tournament hybrid thingy. Sadly, the Chicago Bulls are not one of the teams who have been asked to participate. Even in an expanded playoff setting, their woeful 22-43 record wasn’t enough to get them an invite into the Orlando “Bubble.” This means we might not see meaningful Bulls basketball until sometime in December, the assumed starting period for the 2020-21 Season. While it’s tough to think of the next few months devoid of Bulls basketball, in reality, this lay-off may be a blessing in disguise.
With the new front office (henceforth known as the “Round Table”) settling in, time can only be advantageous for Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley. Steps are already being taken by the Round Table to change the direction of the franchise. Player development coach Shawn Respert is moving on to greener pastures, as is head athletic trainer, Jeff Tanaka. The word on the street is that Coach Jim Boylen’s days are numbered, and that several possible replacements are already percolating in the minds of the Round Table. Time is also a luxury Karnisovas and Eversley can use to complete player evaluations and prepare for the upcoming draft and free agency.
You might be wondering when the lottery, draft and free agency are all taking place this year. With Covid displacing so many of our sports related rituals, it’s easy to lose track of what’s happening when. Here’s a helpful list of dates the average Bulls fan would probably like to know:
NBA Draft Lottery – Tuesday, August 25th, 2020
The day the Bulls get confirmation that they will pick 7th in the draft for the fourth year in a row.
NBA Draft – Friday, October 16th, 2020
The day Bulls fans start finding out if the Round Table know how to acquire talent.
NBA Free Agency – Sunday, October 18th, 2020
The day the Bulls can start talking to free agents, and the day we find out if the reputation of the franchise has been repaired with the simple replacement of GarPax.
NBA Moratorium – Noon, Monday, October 19th – Noon, Friday, October 23rd
The period of time in which free agent and trade deals can be agreed upon, but nothing can be made official until the moratorium ends. Also, the time when Bulls fans find out just how much influence on the purse strings the Round Table has.
2020-21 Season Begins – December, 1st, 2020
This is the target date that the NBA has set for the start of next season. It has yet to be declared as the official day. It is also the day that most Bulls fans have looked forward to, some of us for over a decade; it’s the day we see how a fresh vision can guide the franchise forward.
Coming up on the RokDeez Bulls Blog…
…with the Bulls season over there will be grades to pass out, the draft to look forward to, Free Agency to discuss, crow to be eaten (a lot of it!), and I want to revisit the idea of my guy, Kris Dunn, sticking around for another season. All that and more in the weeks/months ahead. Thanks for reading and GO BULLS!
RokDeez Bulls Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.