Previewing Cavs opponents: Bulls
Cavs news and links for Friday, September 20.
We’re 28 days away from Cleveland Cavaliers (preseason) basketball returning. Here’s your news and links for the day.
The first sip
Fielding a perennial 40-win NBA team might be the easiest thing to accomplish in all professional sports as long as you’re willing to spend the money. The Chicago Bulls have been stuck in the cycle of mediocrity for three years and could be dipping a step below that this upcoming season although not enough to put them in pole position for the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes.
DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso were the faces of the revamped Bulls that were slightly more relevant in the 2021-22 season. They performed well in Chicago but didn’t have the surrounding pieces to make them a threat to get out of the first round. The Bulls held onto both for too long before trading them away for a combined package of Josh Giddy, Chris Duarte, and two second-round picks. That isn’t enough for two guys who are top-70-level NBA talents.
Now, Chicago enters the season with no promising players on rookie deals and not having enough to compete. Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball’s contracts are likely keeping the Bulls from tearing it down to the studs. LaVine’s stock is currently at an all-time low while Ball hasn’t been able to get onto the court for two years.
Hopefully, for the sake of Bulls fans, this is the year they can finally gut the roster. You can always sell hope. You can’t sell aimlessness.
How the Cavs played the Bulls last season
The Cavs won three out of their four meetings last season. However, their one loss was probably the most costly one of the season.
The Cavaliers were up two with 14 seconds left in the first overtime when Donovan Mitchell was fouled. He had a chance to ice the game at the line but split his free throws. Jarrett Allen proceeded to foul DeRozan on a three-point shot the next possession giving him a chance to tie the game at the line. Cleveland went on to lose the second overtime 17-8.
Most importantly, this was the night that Mitchell’s knee issues first popped up after playing 44 minutes. He missed the next two weeks and then took two more weeks off before returning at the end of the regular season. Mitchell would then miss the last two games of Cleveland’s second-round series against the Boston Celtics. All of those issues stem back to this one game.
Cavs vs. Bulls this season
- at Chicago - Nov. 11
- Home - Nov. 15, NBA Cup Group Stage
- at Chicago - March 4
- Home - April 8
Notable players who played for both franchises
- Ron Harper played on the Bulls during their second three-peat from 1996-98. Before that, he went against Michael Jordan’s team with the Cavs. Harper’s final playoff run in Cleveland ended when his team was on the wrong end of “The Shot.”
- Dwyane Wade spent one and a half of his 16 NBA seasons away from Miami. This included a 60-game stint with Chicago in 2017-18 and a 46-game tour in Cleveland the following season.
- Carlos Boozer could’ve been an ideal running mate for LeBron James after being drafted in 2002. Unfortunately for Cleveland, he left for the Utah Jazz in 2004. Chicago was his third stop in the league as he played there from 2010-14.
WNBA playoff schedule this weekend
- Atlanta Dream vs. New York Liberty, Sunday 1 PM, ESPN
- Indiana Fever vs. Connecticut Sun, Sunday 3 PM, ABC
- Phoenix Mercury vs. Minnesota Lynx, Sunday 5 PM, ESPN
- Seattle Storm vs. Las Vegas Aces, Sunday 10 PM, ESPN