{"id":12867,"date":"2023-02-01T05:45:44","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T05:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/can-the-bulls-afford-to-face-the-nba-trade-deadline\/"},"modified":"2023-02-01T05:45:44","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T05:45:44","slug":"can-the-bulls-afford-to-face-the-nba-trade-deadline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atswins.ai\/blog\/can-the-bulls-afford-to-face-the-nba-trade-deadline\/","title":{"rendered":"Can the Bulls afford to face the NBA trade deadline?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Before the game, Billy Donovan was asked if the Bulls’ goals for the season had changed.<\/p>\n

“No,” the Bulls coach said firmly. “I don’t think anything necessarily changed.”<\/p>\n

If that’s true, the Bulls won’t be on this roster past the Feb. 9 trading deadline.<\/p>\n

The Bulls’ double-digit lead and botched inbound pass in Tuesday night’s 108-103 loss to the LA Clippers is the latest evidence that Chicago can’t correct its course for the long haul. became.<\/p>\n

Just a week ago, the Bulls squandered a 21-point first-half lead before losing to Indiana. They wanted to wash the taste of defeat out of their mouths next time, but they went outside and got hit with Charlotte.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, the Bulls allowed their 19-point first-half lead to disappear at 5:03 of game time. Unlike their game against the Pacers a week ago, they didn’t even get to the second half before the spiral started in earnest.<\/p>\n

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It’s the fourth game this season that the Bulls have lost by at least 15 points, according to ESPN Stats & Info, the second-most in the NBA behind Houston.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Bulls’ 20 turnovers gave the Clippers 24 points and LA a 13-point advantage in that category. The culprit was the same one that allowed the Pacers to turn back and steal the win the Bulls needed.<\/p>\n

“When we got up, they were really pressuring and very aggressive,” said Donovan.<\/p>\n

And the Bulls were as sloppy as ever, starting with two All-Stars.<\/p>\n

DeMar DeRozan had a career-high eight turnovers. Zach LaVine turned it over six times. Ayo Dosunmu was the only other Bulls player to win multiple prizes.<\/p>\n

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DeMar DeRozan very disappointed about the Bulls’ loss to the Clippers tonight: pic.twitter.com\/kVZEqceQv7<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) February 1, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

“I owe a lot to myself,” said DeRozan. “It was too uncharacteristic of me to flip the ball over. Just careless. I didn’t even give them all that credit (and say it was them.”) I was careless with the ball, I was loose with the ball, I was just rushing something.It killed us too, every turnover we had.”<\/p>\n

The biggest came in the last seconds.<\/p>\n

Alex Caruso threw an inbound bounce pass to LaVine as the Bulls trailed by three with 10.8 seconds remaining. But DeRozan had a flash near the play, allowing Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard to steal the ball from LaVine.<\/p>\n

It was all too reminiscent of last week in Indiana, when the Bulls failed to get the ball inbounds on two attempts within the last 30 seconds.<\/p>\n

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Alex Caruso’s final inbounds pass and the Bulls’ loss to the Clippers tonight pic.twitter.com\/QMhGs1bC3p<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) February 1, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cZach was a little angled, so I tried to guide him to the spot,\u201d Caruso said. “I think there was probably a bit of a misunderstanding on our part as to who the ball was aimed at.”<\/p>\n

LaVine acknowledged the mix-up.<\/p>\n

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Zach LaVine on the game-deciding final play and the Bulls’ loss to the Clippers tonight. pic.twitter.com\/yxsQZooeaH<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) February 1, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

“Alex was trying to throw it into an open spot,” Lavigne said. “I had to take the ball to the inbounds. It was the pin[screen]going up, but it was switching. So I just cut it open and tried it. Me and Demar cut into the same area and[Alex]tried to play and Kawhi got it and we fought for it.”<\/p>\n

Most worryingly for the Bulls, those mistakes are still happening in Game 50 of the season. He has only 32 remaining, and he has only 4 remaining before the trading deadline.<\/p>\n

It’s beyond doubt that the Bulls are who they are\u2014a volatile bunch that hasn’t mastered the basics yet.<\/p>\n

If they don’t make a deal by the deadline, one has to wonder what the Bulls are doing and why. Still, they’re having trouble getting it back to .500. This is a record that has not been held for nearly three months.<\/p>\n

And do they want us to believe this is a roster they’re comfortable with?<\/p>\n

“I think there’s obviously a lot of basketball to play,” Donovan said.<\/p>\n

(Photo by Ivica Zubac and Nikola Vu\u010devi\u0107: Melissa Tamez \/ Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n