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Gottlieb: The Chicago Bulls are not who I thought they were

October 31, 2024

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Oct 30, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) defends Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) during the first quarter at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bulls are not who I thought they were.
Before the season, I predicted 27 wins for a group that lost its best offensive player, DeMar DeRozan, and its best defensive player, Alex Caruso.
The calculus was simple: those two combined to generate at least 10 wins through clutch heroics, offensive stability and a defensive trump card. Without them, and with a little extra motivation in the form of keeping a top-10 protected pick owed to the San Antonio Spurs, the Bulls would easily lose more than 50 games.
I even predicted they would start 0-5 against what seemed like a threatening opening series against New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies ...

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