Chicago Bulls
Record: 29-26, 8th Seed
Remaining Schedule: 27 games remaining; 11 vs teams over .500
Since Jan 9, the Chicago Bulls have lost 14 of 21 games. During that stretch, the Bulls have the NBA’s 22nd ranked offensive rating and 25th ranked defensive rating. Their net rating is -5.5 during that stretch, the NBA’s sixth worst.
In short, they’ve been bad. And while a lot of that has to do because of the absence of Jimmy Butler, they were actually still struggling in the games he did play him prior to his injury. There’s a bigger problem in Chicago and it’s something that not even Derrick Rose’s recent play can’t atone for.
The Bulls’ playoff lives will probably come down to whether Butler returns sooner rather than later. The Bulls don’t have a definite timetable for Butler’s return, but the safe bet is that he’s still a couple weeks away, at the very least.
(Prediction): 43-39
Next: Detroit Pistons