At the end of this past season, the Chicago Bulls were sent packing in a state of disappointment as they got bounced in the Play-In Tournament by the Miami Heat. But rather than tearing down the roster and entering a rebuild, Arturas Karnisovas shut down that notion, instead choosing to push forward.
This decision was met with some criticism by fans and the media, as the Bulls roster didn’t seem good enough to compete for the playoffs, let alone a title, in a packed Eastern Conference. And while the additions of Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig should help, it still might not be enough to help the Bulls push through in the East.
But Chicago doesn’t care about the criticism. Keith Smith of Spotrac spoke with some team staffers while in Las Vegas for Summer League, and one told him that the Bulls are ignoring the critics and believe they’ll be a playoff team next season.
“We’re aware of the criticism about running it back,” they told Smith. “But we have good players. Are we supposed to throw in the towel? We’ll be a playoff team, barring another major injury.”
Chicago is set to roll out a starting lineup of Carter, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, and Nikola Vucevic next season. And with a bench unit of Coby White, Alex Caruso, Craig, and Andre Drummond, they’ll have a solid squad with some star power leading the way.
But will it be enough to lead them back to the postseason next year?
More Bulls!
Bulls Summer League: 3 top performers from win over Wizards
Bulls Summer League Notebook: Dalen Terry finally comes through
Bulls staffer drops hint at decision for starting point guard
Story originally appeared on Lonzo Wire