Chicago Bulls: Three reasons not to tank in 2018-2019
Reason 2: A weakened Eastern Conference
The biggest NBA story of the summer was finding out where free agent LeBron James would end up. James made a spectacle of this process earlier in his career with the disastrous “The Decision” special where he announced he was “Taking his talents to South Beach.” After returning to the Cavs, LeBron decided to leave again this offseason and head to the Los Angeles Lakers.
More from Chicago Bulls
- Chicago Bulls’ winning ways proves Billy Donovan’s system works
- Chicago Bulls News: Coby White is that dude
- Chicago Bulls’ recent success means big trades make sense
- The Chicago Bulls seem to have a major Zach LaVine problem.
- No Zach, no DeMar, no problem? Chicago Bulls stun the Bucks in OT
While this decision was made with much less fanfare, it was still a blow to Cavs fans in Cleveland who hoped LeBron would stay for the rest of his career after leaving once already. However, this move definitely takes a bit of pressure off the Bulls. With LeBron not only out of the Eastern Conference but out of the Central Division the Bulls have a chance to move up in the standings a bit.
It still won’t be easy for the Bulls to succeed in the Eastern Conference. The Toronto Raptors acquired forward Kawhi Leonard in a trade with the Spurs. The Boston Celtics will be getting back forward Gordon Hayward, who broke his leg in the first game of the season last year. While the Bulls probably won’t compete with these top teams, they could sneak into the playoffs.
I know what you’re thinking: why do the Bulls need to get demolished by a team that could be headed to the NBA Finals? Yes, it would hurt their draft position. But I believe it would be a valuable experience for the young players I mentioned earlier. Intensity is ratcheted up in NBA playoff games. I’d like to see these guys tested against some of the best players in the league.