The 2022-23 NBA season is on the horizon and the Chicago Bulls will be put up to the test.
The Eastern Conference got a lot deeper this offseason as contenders such as the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks stayed intact and added pieces while the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks added All-Star’s to their already playoff-made rosters.
For the Bulls, they bring back their core from last season, which claimed the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, losing to the Bucks in the first-round.
On Monday at media day, Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas touched on his thoughts and expectations regarding the Bulls current core group, which was hindered by injuries last season.
“It doesn’t change because I don’t think we saw our group with any kind of consistency. We had 29 different starting lineups last year. We didn’t have Lonzo since January…I think we need time to see this group play together longer to have any kind of conclusion because we liked what we saw in the first 20 games but this group needs a lot more time,” Karnisovas said.
And AK is right — this Bulls group need more time. Before Lonzo’s injury, Chicago was atop of the Eastern Conference and looking like a real threat. With a healthy roster this season, we could see Chicago’s potential really blossom.
But, how much time is too much time? The East is a gauntlet and currently, Chicago is looking up at a number of contenders that they don’t stand much chance against. Having talent just isn’t enough — you need relationships, which Karnisovas harped on.
“It’s a lot of talent with this team. The things that we’re going to focus on is chemistry, team cohesion, and relationships because we all understand the talent wins games and relationships win championships. With winning in mind, everything we do in our building is thinking about winning.”
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