It really isn’t about what the Bulls do at this point.
Even if the front office of executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley had a clear plan at the halfway point of the regular season, it’s almost too late to carry out.
Yes, the duo had the chance to watch the Bulls continue their four-game losing streak at the United Center on Friday, struggling against the hapless Hornets 125-123. But that was only half the bad news leading up to that game.
Philadelphia announced earlier in the day that star center Joel Embiid was again going to miss some time due to swelling in his knee. The same 76ers team that was sitting just below the Bulls in the standings, but seemed poised to eventually run the Bulls down and catch them.
Then there’s the dysfunction with Miami and Jimmy Butler, as the Heat got the former Bull back in the mix after a suspension, only to get blown out by Denver at home Friday night. If Miami continues spiraling, that’s another team in the Eastern Conference that could fall below the Bulls in the standings.
As mediocre and inconsistent as the Bulls have been this season, their direction could be chosen for them.
Obviously, the stakes have been pointed out time and time again, with the Bulls losing their 2025 first-round pick to the Spurs if they finish out of the top 10, and with the likes of Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic on the roster, the Bulls’ bad still might not be bad enough.
Bulls bad that was on full display against a 10-28 Hornets team in the fourth quarter.
After basically disappearing for the start of that final stanza and letting the visiting team take full control of the game with a 21-2 run, it was almost like embarrassment kicked in and enough was enough.
A Coby White three made it an eight-point deficit with 4:18 left in the game. Vucevic cut it to six, and after two more Vucevic baskets, as well as Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball splitting a pair from the free throw line, it was a one-point game with 1:47 left.
It stayed that way until 12.9 seconds left and Vasilije Micic splitting a pair of free throws to keep the Hornets lead at two.
Before the game, Bulls coach Billy Donovan discussed the idea of which one of his players would be able to put the cape on late in games and play hero, and of course he singled out LaVine.
LaVine got the ball in his hands off a dribble hand-off from Vucevic, drove to the hoop and then kicked it out to Vucevic after he was double-teamed, who was wide open behind the three-point line. The shot missed, but to LaVine’s credit he did run down the long rebound. His prayer at the horn was not answered.
“It felt good,” Vucevic said of his shot, especially since he had a 40-point night going up to that shot. “I thought it was a good look for us, felt good when it left my hand, and came up a bit short. It’s unfortunate. We put ourselves in a very difficult position and you shouldn’t be in that situation to have to rely on a last shot to win the game. We just didn’t do enough to deserve to win quite honestly.”
It’s hard to point the finger at Vucevic, however, considering he also finished with 13 rebounds and three assists.
Vucevic’s immediate hope is that this losing streak ends quickly.
“I think we’re resilient enough to fight through this,” Vucevic said. “But we’ve got to do the right things to get it done. It’s not going to be just because we want it. We’ve got to execute the little things that will get us the win.
“A lot of the things we’ve been talking about we haven’t done very well.”