Chicago Bulls Rumors
2d
“I remember our first playoff series we lost to Chicago in the last game, Game 6, they beat us by 50 (actually 54),” Antetokounmpo said. “It was something insane, but where we were and where we are now, it’s been an unbelievable journey. I think the organization has done a great job just pushing us towards the right direction and we’re just going to keep enjoying the moment.” “We’re going to try to stay in the moment and as Eric (Bledsoe) said, ‘Enjoy it’ and hopefully we can get better each day and achieve our goals we’ve set all season.”
Suns an option for Jrue Holiday?
It will also frustrate teams looking for a versatile point guard in his prime, hoping that Holiday would be on the block. League sources say the Suns are considered a top contender should Holiday be made available, the ideal fit for a team badly in need of a multifaceted veteran at the point. But Orlando would have interest, too, as would Chicago – though Holiday’s brother, Justin, did not have a sterling experience with the Bulls this season before being traded to the Grizzlies.
5d
John Paxson believes there is a path out of the basement, and even beyond mediocrity for this roster. The Bulls vice president of basketball operations made that crystal clear last week in his end-of-the-season address with the media at the Advocate Center. And while the line of skeptics is a long one, this is a front office that often tunes out doubt and criticism better than most organizations around the league. So when Paxson was asked just how this roster would be capable of that – especially void of a true superstar – that front office optimism was again on full display.
“The first part of that is through the draft and to get relevant again,’’ Paxson said, in explaining how the Bulls plan to build an elite roster. “I’m not ruling out Zach LaVine or Lauri Markkanen being significant players in this league. Zach just turned 24 and I thought Zach had a really good year, a really good year. He grew in a lot of ways where I think he’s going to get better. Lauri’s just still a young guy. As I’ve mentioned many times, the internal growth of our guys is a key part of that.’’
If that doesn’t happen, however, Paxson still sees a path. “I do believe when we establish winning again, that this city is a draw, that this organization is a draw,’’ Paxson said. “But that’s down the road. That’s why we made the deal at the trade deadline for Otto [Porter]. We felt that was a significant piece to becoming a much better basketball team. Over that stretch where we had him and we healthy, we were playing at a level that I could see us playing at in the future. So we’re trying to build toward what you’re talking about.’’
