Things are looking bleak in Chicago.
The Chicago Bulls lost 109-118 against the Brooklyn Nets in the 2023-2024 NBA regular season at the Barclays Center in New York City, New York, United States, on Sunday. It was a shocking loss. The Bulls started the game on a high note, leading 36-19 in the first quarter, but a shocking 19-44 second quarter resulted in the loss.
Fans and players alike were emotional about the loss. “I’m very disappointed with our performance. We didn’t expect this at all. It’s our fault, and we have to find a way to fix it,” he said. Rabin did his part with 20 points and six rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the team from losing.
Nikola Vucevic said, “I’m not enjoying my recent slump. Nobody likes to lose. It’s our fault. We need to find a solution,” he said in a similar interview to Rabin. Vucevic was the biggest culprit in the loss, finishing with just six points and nine rebounds. Brooklyn was without their starting center, Nick Clexton, due to injury. Vucevic was completely out of sorts in this situation.
Chicago’s current record is 5 wins and 13 losses, good for 13th place in the Eastern Conference. The only teams below the Bulls are the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards, who are both rated as the worst teams in the conference. Washington and Detroit are two teams that have been in the bottom half of the standings in recent years and are looking to rebuild. That’s not the case for Chicago, which declared a winnow and has been actively pursuing trades. But the shocking thing is that the Cubs aren’t that different from those two teams right now.
A big reason for the Cubs’ struggles this season is that the players who are supposed to be contributing are not. The Cubs have a big three in Rabin, Vucevic, and Dermar Drojan. However, all three players have struggled together. This season, the trio is having its worst season since joining the team.
This makes it hard to stack the odds. Even worse, Chicago is a team with a weak roster depth. Outside of the big three, it’s just Kobe White, Alex Caruso, and Patrick Williams. Of those three, Caruso is the only Chicago player who is playing the best ball of his career. And White is doing his part. But they’re not enough to change the structure of the team.
In other words, if the big three rebound, the Cubs will be much better off. But even if the Big Three rebound, there’s still the question of whether the Cubs are championship caliber. While the Big 3 played well last season, Chicago’s final result was a play-in tournament exit. The Cubs didn’t even make the playoffs.
They kept the same roster in light of last season‘s failure. Chicago didn’t even have a pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. It’s safe to say that little has changed on the roster.
In this frustrating situation, Chicago fans want a rebuild. Many are calling for a rebuild from the bottom up, trading away everyone from Rabin to Vucevic and DeRozan, including Rabin, who recently had a falling out with the front office.
In fact, Rabin and Caruso are two of the hottest names on the trade market right now. Both players have been heavily linked to other teams in trade rumors. If they leave, it’s only a matter of time before Vucevic and DeRozan are traded as well.
Although Rabin has struggled this season, he’s still a solid 20-point scorer. If he’s headed to a championship team, this could be a game changer. Caruso is one of the best defenders in the NBA right now, and he’s a sharpshooter. He’s also the type of player who becomes more valuable on a stronger team. He could be the difference in the championship.
The question is, will Chicago continue to struggle, and if so, will the front office be willing to make the rebuilding decision?
