Chicago Bulls: Drafting LaMelo Ball would speed up the turnaround
By Ryan Fedrau
It is no secret the Chicago Bulls have struggled to find any success in the NBA since the early to mid 2010’s when Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler were their stars.
The Chicago Bulls since the 1990’s have had a historically successful team, winning six NBA championships in eight years, with maybe the best basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan as their top star. After Jordan left, the Bulls have been waiting to find their next star to lead them to victory. LaMelo Ball could be that guy, not to say he would be better than Michael Jordan though, but he could bring success back to the Bulls.
During the 2018 NBA Draft, the Bulls drafted Center Wendell Carter with the 7th pick. During the 2019 NBA Draft, the Bulls drafted Point Guard Coby White with the 7th pick. Those two draft picks alone could be the foundation of a new Bulls team that will see a lot of success in the future.
What’s needed from there is now a shooting guard and a power forward. The Bulls already have small forward Otto Porter to rely on, that position is set, they just need to re-sign him long-term before he hits the market.
It’s a solid bet to say the Bulls won’t make the playoffs this year, it’s early but them making the playoffs could actually delay the future success of the team, unless they go out and get star players to fill the role’s needed in next year’s free agency class. If the Bulls can rebuild by using the draft, they will have a successful basketball team for many years to come.
Now this all comes from luck but if the Bulls can somehow get a top-3 pick in the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft and LaMelo Ball is on the board, they have to draft him. Ball right now is slotted as a Point Guard for the Illawarra Hawks, an Australian basketball team, but he has played Shooting Guard before, and is very good at both.
Ball is 6-foot-7, and is a 5-star prospect, has an athletic background, and has the ability to impact the game in a big way. His brother Lonzo Ball was drafted 2nd overall by the L.A. Lakers back in 2017 and hasn’t found much success in the NBA due to many injuries.
With the struggles of his brother, Ball could fall in the draft, especially when NBA teams have seen how his father Lavar acts. NBA teams might not want that headache, even if Ball is a superstar. Lavar’s comments towards Michael Jordan could turn off the Bulls from even drafting his son, hopefully the front offense isn’t that petty and could move past those remarks.
The Bulls drafting Ball with their top pick in 2020 is a must. I would even go out and trade picks to get him at number one, if the Bulls don’t have that spot already. Ball, Carter, White, and Porter could be the future of the Bulls. A Bulls team that can win championships, if the team could get good depth behind them.
Ball could play either point guard or shooting guard, and the same with White. Carter has the potential to be an elite center in this league, something that is very hard to find. If the Bulls can get Ball, there’s a good chance a top free agent forward in 2020 like Montrezl Harrell would join the team. Setting up all five positions on the court to be filled with solid talent.
The Bulls have three pieces on their team already but drafting Ball would complete the puzzle and give them many years of much-needed success. If the Bulls want Chicago to be a basketball city again, they need to make moves fast.
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The goal is for Coach Jim Boylen to be as good as the front office hired him to be. If he pans out to be a good coach, the Bulls will have a chance to win many championships.