Zach LaVine was trying to do his best to calm the moment.
After watching the Phoenix Suns come into the United Center on Monday night, and promptly give LaVine and his Bulls teammates a basketball clinic, the All-Star guard was asked about yet another poor showing against another upper-echelon NBA team from the Western Conference.
“Good thing we don’t have to play them until obviously at the end,” LaVine said with a quick snicker, referring to dealing with the West in the NBA Finals.
A good point. Just not exactly an accurate one.
The loss to the Suns dropped the Bulls to 1-11 against the top seven teams in the league record-wise, but only four of those losses have come against the Western Conference, and yes, not once were the Bulls at full strength.
The issue, however, is getting out of the Eastern Conference, full strength or not.
Ah yes, full strength.
The buzzword used throughout the Advocate Center and the Bulls fan base frequently the last month. It’s a fact that the Bulls haven’t been at full strength. That became the reality just five games into the season, when Patrick Williams was lost with torn ligaments in his wrist.
The issue is that reality has seemingly become too big of a crutch.
Few teams have been whole this season, and that includes some Hall of Fame players sitting around in street clothes. Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Golden State’s Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the Lakers’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis to name a few.
It’s been win by attrition in 2021-22, not hope for injured players to walk through that door and rescue a sinking ship.
That’s why this Bulls team is being a bit unrealistic about what 100% healthy will look like for them.
Take Williams out of it for a moment, especially since he had been absent most of the season, and they’ve shown an ability to dominate teams without him.
Of the 12 games against those elite seven, the Bulls were at full strength three times. Full strength for the Bulls means the three All-Stars in DeMar DeRozan, LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, as well as defensive standouts Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso.
The full-strength Bulls lost to Philadelphia in the first two meetings — they’ve lost to the 76ers in all three meetings so far — and then Miami in the first of two losses. An 0-3 record against potential second-round opponents by an average score of 5.7 points.
But here’s where the point falls a bit short for the Bulls: In the other nine games, they still had firepower on both ends of the floor.
In the second loss to Miami they had Vucevic, Ball, Caruso and LaVine. Same bodies in the first loss to the Cavaliers.
In the blowout loss to the Warriors they were without Vucevic, but had everyone else. In the rematch, they were without Caruso, and LaVine did leave early.
And that’s the real point. This group has suddenly become so fragile when one of their three All-Star-caliber players or one of their two better defenders sits. Contending teams shouldn’t need every single dish around them to be the perfect temperature.
That’s not realistic in the NBA.
And it’s not like they’ve been void of talent when facing the league’s elite. In five of the 11 losses, the Bulls have had their three All-Stars start the game. Not many teams in the Association are starting two current All-Stars and one former.
With Ball (knee surgery), Caruso (wrist surgery) and Williams expected back in late March, even then little will be promised.
So is the trade route a necessity before Thursday’s deadline? Maybe. Then again, trading a package that includes injury excuses and bad draft picks might not bring back a very strong return.
