The numbers are the numbers for the Bulls right now through 18 games.<\/p>\n
At 7-11, Billy Donovan\u2019s crew is on pace to post just under 32 victories. Bad, but not bad enough. Not with what\u2019s at stake come the May 12 draft lottery.<\/p>\n
Even last season when the bottom half of the NBA wasn\u2019t tanking as hard as they will this season, 32 wins would have put the Bulls barely in the bottom 10. As of Tuesday afternoon, it puts them as the No. 8 worse team, but in a crowded neighborhood with Brooklyn, Indiana and Portland.<\/p>\n
What the Bulls have on their side in keeping the top 10 protected first-round draft pick from San Antonio is one of the leakiest defenses in the Association. They are 28th<\/sup> in defensive efficiency rating (118.2), while allowing an NBA-worst 123.9 points per game on 49% from the field.<\/p>\n What makes them dangerous in getting hot and winning some games is a league-leading offensive pace of 104.78 and 42.6 three-point attempts (third highest) per game.<\/p>\n The bow wrapping up all of this is the Bulls do have the third-easiest schedule remaining.<\/p>\n So what path will executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas choose? The Sun-Times, as well as several other media outlets, have reported that Karnisovas was still going to actively try and trade Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.<\/p>\n Moving one or both would definitely drop the Bulls into an advantageous lottery spot. The current No. 8 position isn\u2019t exactly that.<\/p>\n The chance of landing No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg is currently 6.7% and the chances of landing in the top four is 29%. However, No. 8 doesn\u2019t keep the pick safe from the Spurs, either, with a 0.4% chance that they could draw No. 11 and be out of luck.<\/p>\n To make sure that the Spurs have no chance at all of hitting on the pick the Bulls would have to be at No. 6 or lower.<\/p>\n Considering the current state of Washington, New Orleans, Toronto, Utah, Charlotte and Detroit, that will be a tough get for the Bulls with the way they\u2019re currently playing.<\/p>\n As the top 8 in this draft class have been showing so far, there is a lot on the line for the Bulls to change the direction of the organization.<\/p>\n Flagg has been sensational on both ends of the floor so far, showing why he is one of the more coveted players in recent years. It\u2019s not just his skills on the court, either. He has the make-up and intangibles to become a game changer.<\/p>\n Slowed by an injury to start the year, Bailey has been as good as advertised, averaging 19 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.2% from three.<\/p>\n The Bulls aren\u2019t exactly in the point guard market, but Harper has been sensational and can play off the ball. The outside shooting hasn\u2019t been there, but Harper is definitely a top three talent.<\/p>\n The freshman has been a sniper from long range, shooting 56.5% from three-point range, while also handing out 7.2 assists per game. There is a drop from the top three at this spot, however.<\/p>\n A true off guard, Edgecombe has flashed, especially in a 20-point performance against Tennessee over the weekend.<\/p>\n There was a lot of hype with Johnson, and so far he\u2019s surpassing it. In his first six games he\u2019s averaged 21.2 points per game, while shooting 46.3% from three. There\u2019s another drop off in talent after Johnson.<\/p>\n Has the potential to be a flat-out outside scorer on the next level and has shown an ability to play-make from the wing.<\/p>\n At 7-2 there\u2019s a lot to like with the freshman, but it\u2019s a lot of raw ability that will have to be developed.<\/p>\n The Bulls entered November with a top-10 defense. That was a mirage as they exit the month 28th in the NBA. Coach Billy Donovan\u2019s solution is some good old-fashioned practice time.<\/p>\n By\u00a0Joe Cowley<\/p>\n For the third time in the last six games, the Bulls\u2019 defense gave up at least 140 points. On Saturday, it happened against a Memphis team missing two key players.<\/p>\n By\u00a0Joe Cowley<\/p>\n Coach Billy Donovan said Ball had his best shooting session Saturday since suffering the injury and, as long as there are no setbacks, might start taking part in full-contact scrimmages next week.<\/p>\n By\u00a0Joe Cowley<\/p>\n The Bulls’ defense is helping them stay in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, but can it remain bad enough to offset their strengths? It had better as the top eight of this draft class, with a pecking order, is starting to emerge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11345,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n1. Cooper Flagg \u2014 Forward, Duke<\/h3>\n
2. Ace Bailey \u2014 Forward, Rutgers<\/h3>\n
3. Dylan Harper \u2014 Guard, Rutgers<\/h3>\n
4. Egor Demin \u2014 Guard, BYU<\/h3>\n
5. V.J. Edgecombe \u2014 Guard, Baylor<\/h3>\n
6. Tre Johnson \u2014 Guard, Texas<\/h3>\n
7. Kon Knueppel \u2014 Guard\/Forward, Duke<\/h3>\n
8. Khaman Maluach \u2014 Center, Duke<\/h3>\n