The Chicago Bulls look to cook against the Spurs without toxic star

The Chicago Bulls are quickly proving that their kitchen is more cohesive and serves up much better meals when their disgruntled chef, Zach LaVine, isn’t available to cook.

After reeling off their third straight victory for the first time this season, the Chicago Bulls have demonstrated signs of life despite a start to the season on and off the court that had fans throwing in the towels alarmingly early.

The way the team has been playing without Zach LaVine has been a breath of fresh air. Further, with each day that passes, it becomes harder to argue that being without the two-time All-Star is a prime example of the phrase “addition by subtraction.”

Now that it has been reported that Zach LaVine will miss 3-4 more weeks due to right foot inflammation, the Chicago Bulls have a chance to cement that narrative, beginning with them looking to secure their first four-game winning streak since the 2021-22 NBA Season.

The Chicago Bulls will seek to continue their sizzling Zach LaVine-less play tonight against the San Antonio Spurs.

Instead of talking further about a man who no longer wants to be a Chicago Bull and seemingly doesn’t understand that the NBA is a business despite his max salary, I’d like to focus on the future of the Chicago Bulls.

Take a bow, Coby White. You’ve made Chicago Bulls history.

The consistency that Coby White has played with recently has been a joy to watch. He’s picked up his scoring to levels that may eventually merit the Most Improved Player conversation.

On top of that, he’s the primary ball handler during a period when the offense has shown a much better ability to move the ball and get everyone involved. He had zero turnovers against the Hornets on Wednesday in a victory, an area he’s struggled in throughout his career.

The best part about all of this is that Coby White is a recently resigned player who will not turn 24 years old until February. Not only does it seem like he has a long career ahead of him in the Windy City, but he’s also not even close to his prime. He has a chance to leave a legitimate legacy.

Speaking of young developing players, Patrick Williams has continued to play the best basketball of his career after an extremely disheartening start to the season. The tweet below is not hyperbole when it comes to Williams’ recent play.

Unlike Coby White, I am still a bit hesitant to go as far as to say that Patrick Williams is arriving. Although this has been some of his best basketball as a Chicago Bull, he’s had a habit of completely disappearing during his career. His next games will be very informative.

If Williams can continue to play this way, it will be much easier to stomach a potential new contract when the time comes. I don’t know if there’s any chance that he can perform at a level that will net him the money he desires, but potential matters and he does have it.

One man who is worth every single penny he’s being paid and likely more is the Chicago Bulls’ current MVP, Alex Caruso. It’s hard to believe that he is becoming even more beloved as a Chicago athlete than he already was, but Caruso is the heart and soul of this Bulls squad. As Caruso goes, we go.

He’s been involved in trade rumors this season, but thankfully a report recently emerged that put a damper on any hopes that opposing franchises had of acquiring him. The amount of capital or the level of player that we would have to acquire to make stomaching the loss of Caruso palatable would be staggering for Bulls Nation.

There’s no doubt Alex Caruso will lead the way tonight against the San Antonio Spurs, as usual. The Spurs enter tonight’s game on an NBA-worst 15-game losing streak despite rookie phenom Victor Wembamyama.

This is the kind of game where a Chicago Bulls victory should not only be likely (a rarity), but it should also feature a classic Caruso performance. If he and Coby White can spark the Bulls to an early lead, they should be able to seal the deal.

Let’s hope the Bulls are seeing red as much as the rest of us are right now so that we can lay claim to our first four-game winning streak in nearly two full NBA seasons. I speak for us all when I say that we are starving.

The Chicago Bulls haven’t been known for cooking during the 2023-24 NBA Season, but they have a chance to put a feast on the table for their fans tonight.