Getty Arturas Karnisovas has turned around the Bulls quickly.
The Chicago Bulls racked up 38 wins during the first half of the season behind the stellar play of All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. Barring a major second-half collapse, the franchise Michael Jordan made famous will make the playoffs this season for the first time since 2017.
The Bulls being in second place in the Eastern Conference standings is remarkable considering Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso missed a plethora of games due to injury. Ball only played in 35 games in the first half of the season due to left knee surgery, while Caruso appeared in just 28 because of right wrist surgery.
Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu stepped up after Ball and Caruso went down. The former averaged 14.0 points while shooting 40.1% from beyond the arc in 39 games before the All-Star break. Meanwhile, the latter put up 8.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in 54 appearances.
Ball and Caruso are expected to return to the Bulls’ lineup before the regular season ends. However, one NBA reporter believes Chicago should sign a former All-Star point guard who is on the open market to bolster its guard depth.
SI’s Ben Stinar: Bulls Should Sign Jeff Teague
SI’s Ben Stinar believes the Bulls should sign Jeff Teague, who played for the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks last season and won the 2021 championship. The Wake Forest product is currently an unrestricted free agent and Stinar thinks Teague could help the Bulls.
“Teague not only has the ability to facilitate the offense, but can knock down three-pointers at a high clip,” Stinar wrote. “He is a career 36% shooter from the three-point range, and last season shot nearly 44% from deep. His mix of play-making and shooting could give the Bulls insurance for a playoff series if any of their key guards cannot play.”
Teague has career averages of 12.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 826 games with the Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Celtics and Bucks. He made the All-Star team in 2015 and has played in 87 playoff games.
DeRozan, Caruso and Tristan Thompson are the only players on the Bulls with valuable postseason experience. Nikola Vucevic has played in only 11 playoff games, while LaVine, Ball, White and Dosunmu have never participated in the playoffs.
With that said, it could be beneficial for the Bulls to sign Teague since he’s a veteran player who has played on the NBA’s biggest stage.
It Wouldn’t Hurt the Bulls Too Much if They Signed Teague
Teague has career playoff averages of 11.4 points and 4.1 assists while shooting 34.3% from beyond the arc. While he’s no longer quick and consistently capable of getting past defenders and driving to the hoop, he’s proven to be a reliable 3-point shooter.
When DeRozan and LaVine collapse the paint on their drives to the basketball, Teague could spot-up from beyond the arc and hit catch-and-shoot shots.
One thing to keep in mind is that the Bulls would have to waive a player to add Teague or anyone else. They waived Alfonzo McKinnie to create room for Thompson, who won the 2016 championship as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This kind of story is just silly.
AK knows exactly what the expectations are for Ball and Caruso to return in the next 2 or 3 weeks.
To do what is necessary to sign a 33 year old PG who is not even playing this year and who averaged far less points and a lower 3PT% than either Coby or Ayo, to sit on the bench behind them and to be totally unneeded when Caruso and Ball return is, as I said, just plain silly.
Furthermore, in Coby’s last 20 games with starter’s minutes – 29 or more – he has averaged just under 18 PPG and in his last 10 games, he has shot 38 for 74 on his 3s which is 51%.
Ayo in the past 20 games has averaged 11.5 PPG and 6.6 APG while shooting 3s at a 40% rate.
IF Zach can stay healthy, that trio can hold down the backcourt just fine until Alex and Lonzo return.