Anyone who has followed the Chicago sports over the past decade knows that if it weren't for the White Sox setting MLB records for losses in a season, the Bulls would own the spotlight for the worst franchise in the city. With only two playoff appearances in the last nine years, with neither one seeing the team advance beyond the first round, things haven't been this bleak in the Windy City since before Michael Jordan. Since the departure of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Tom Thibodeau after the 2016 season, the Bulls have only surpassed the .500 mark twice in the regular season and have posted a 310-401 record or a 43.6% winning rate. How can the Bulls turn the franchise around, and what notes can they take from fellow Chicago franchises?
Generational Talent With First Overall Pick
After finishing with the league's third-worst record and an 11.5% chance at the top selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks won the draft lottery and were awarded the first overall pick. They would select one of the best prospects in the history of the sport, 18-year-old Connor Bedard. Although they finished with the second-worst record in his rookie campaign, Bedard took home the Calder Memorial Trophy, representing the league's best rookie.
The Chicago Bears shortly followed suit, being awarded the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft thanks to dealing away their top pick to the Carolina Panthers in the 2023 NFL Draft. This would come at the same time as the expiring contract of Justin Fields, with one year left, and the best quarterback prospect the league had seen in several seasons. After a brief debate of the aging Fields versus the newcomer Caleb Williams, the Bears drafted their new face of the franchise with the first overall pick. The hype and buzz surrounding the franchise was reinvigorated to levels that hadn't been reached since their last postseason appearance following the 2019-20 campaign.
Tank For Cooper Flagg
The slowly growing hashtag on social media has been #tankforflagg. Cooper Flagg, who will be 18 years old when the 2025 NBA Draft takes place, holds the early odds of being the top pick next summer without playing a game beyond the high school stage. He was most recently seen scrimmaging the gold-winning Team USA the last few months to sharpen the United States squad before their Olympic Games run. He stands 6'9" and is considered the best prospect in the sport in several years if not decades, excluding the alien that was Victor Wembanyama. Flagg's frame, scoring ability, defensive versatility, and killer instinct have set his game apart. During the runs against the NBA's biggest stars at the pre-Olympic Games camp, he played a significant role for the scout team, scoring at will and defending at the highest level.
Chicago is projected to finish with the eighth-worst record after the 2024-25 season. They owe the San Antonio Spurs their first-round selection, but it is top-ten protected. Trading away Zach LaVine or Nikola Vucevic would fast-track the Bulls to a much lower standing. Having already lost their top-scoring option and best defender in DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, expecting them to make a postseason run is unrealistic. They won't openly tank for the best talent in next year's draft, but they stand a few moves away from significantly improving their odds in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery.
Should Chicago tank for Cooper Flagg and restore hope in a franchise that hasn't had any since the Derrick Rose era?
