Chicago is bogged down from the opening tip.
The Chicago Bulls lost 104-124 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first game of the 2023-2024 NBA regular season at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on Sunday (Jan. 26).
It was a blowout. The Bulls were unable to defend Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at all, and their defense collapsed against Josh Giddy (16 points, 6 assists), Jaylen Williams (16 points, 5 assists), and others.
Offense was also a problem. Chicago was led by Dermar Drojan with 20 points and five rebounds, but he shot just 45% from the field. Ace Zach LaVine had his worst game with 16 points and four rebounds on 25 percent shooting. Rabin was silenced by Lugentz Dot’s defense. Nikola Vucevic was also silent with just 11 points and nine rebounds. With the big three performing like this, the game was unwinnable. Chicago is not a team with a lot of bench resources. Without their big three scoring, they are a tough team to beat. This weakness was exposed in the first game of the 2023-2024 season.
After suffering a crushing defeat in front of their home fans, the Bulls reportedly called a team meeting immediately after the game. According to local Chicago reporter KC Johnson, the tone of the team’s postgame meeting was serious and intense. Head coach Billy Donovan walked into the locker room for the postgame talk, but the players were already talking intensely and Donovan made room for them to communicate with each other.
From the first game, the mood was serious in Chicago. It’s unlikely that the game was the reason for the Cubs’ behavior. The Bulls have been stuck in a rut since the 2022-2023 season. There is no synergy between the big three, and on the contrary, their weaknesses are evident on defense. Chicago finished 10th in the Eastern Conference in 2022-2023 and missed the playoffs. It’s a disappointing performance for Chicago.
The problem is that the 2023-2024 season doesn’t have any clear reinforcements over the 2022-2023 season. Other than re-signing Vucevic, there is no clear reinforcement. Re-signing Vucevic isn’t exactly a reinforcement either. Patrick Beverley’s departure was filled by the addition of Jevon Carter.
This has led to a lot of criticism of the front office among Chicago fans. Some say that the Cubs should have traded away key players and started 카지노사이트 rebuilding. The Cubs don’t have a core of prospects, which means that if they decide to rebuild, they’ll be tanking. It’s not an easy choice for the front office.
The Bulls face the Toronto Raptors at home on Nov. 28. It will be interesting to see if the Bulls can turn things around.