Getty Garrett Temple dribbles the ball during a May 15 game against the Brooklyn Nets.
Now that the regular season has come to a close, and the Chicago Bulls did indeed fall short of the playoffs, all eyes are turning to free agency in the Windy City.
Because in addition to their anticipated chase of Lonzo Ball and other available talents, they could lose a number of their own players to unrestricted and restricted free agency alike.
Among them: Daniel Theis, Garrett Temple, and Lauri Markkanen.
It’s unlikely that the Bulls can retain more than one of those names, given their own aspirations of chasing an All-Star caliber talent. But one of those guys is more likely to stick around than the others…
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An Underwhelming Finish
In what was slated for the next phase in their rebuild, the Chicago Bulls attempted to leapfrog multiple steps with a mid-season trade for two-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic at the deadline.
It raised their ceiling, and more importantly, made making the playoffs all the more critical.
As most should know by now, the NBA’s postseason is underway—without the Bulls as participants.
When asked about their shortcomings, veteran Garrett Temple was forward with his disbelief (via NBA.com) and disappointment with the outcome during his end of season interview:
That’s why it’s so disappointing. Because of the talent that we have. Even before the trade that made us better talent-wise, we had the talent to be a top-10 team. You look back at the games that we lost (narrowly), Oklahoma City, the Portland game, the Golden State game, the Atlanta game up nine, all of these games that we had and just literally gave away and let slip through our fingers. It’s a tough pill to swallow.
Chicago finished 31-41, and two games back of the 10th-seed Charlotte Hornets for the final play-in spot.
Temple refused to make excuses, but acknowledged an extended COVID-19 related absence for Zach LaVine as a detriment to the team’s progress after the trade deadline:
We’re a team that definitely should be in the top 10 by the talent, by the coaching, all of these things combined. Zach (LaVine) being out during that crucial push time (with Covid) didn’t help. But yeah, it’s tough to actually see the stats and see that 10 teams had a better record than us in the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls’ All-Star guard missed 11 consecutive games down the final stretch, a span where the team suffered a 4-7 record, and a complete slide out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
So, the playoffs will have to wait another year, or maybe more. But no matter when it is, expect Garrett Temple to be cheering on the Chicago Bulls. Whether as a member of the team or elsewhere.
MVP of the Locker Room
Few voices have been louder or more gushing of the Chicago Bulls’ progress as an organization this season than veteran wing Garrett Temple.
Long heralded as a top teammate around the league, and as a previous vice president of the player’s association, he’s helped to lead a young locker room in the Windy City.
But his one-year contract with the Bulls is up, and their future is as unclear as any team around the NBA.
What is clear, however, is Temple’s desire to remain in Chicago next season and beyond. The now 11-year veteran said as much when speaking with reporters (via NBA.com) during his end-of-season availability:
I can only say what I would like to happen: I really enjoyed Chicago. Even with the snow, even with the pandemic, the organization from what I’ve been hearing took a turn for the better. It was great while I was here. AK (Arturas Karnisovas) and Marc (Eversley) have done a great job of trying to build a culture here. Billy (Donovan), as well. I would love to be here and be that same veteran presence, that defender, a guy that the young guys can lean upon, coach can lean upon to impart things to the team. I feel like I’ve got a few more years to play, to really compete on the court.
Temple averaged 7.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game in 56 appearances with the team this season.
And he’s as hopeful as anyone about the organization’s direction, particularly in the short-term:
Once we get things together this is definitely a place I would love to come back to, and, as I said, finish what I think we started here in terms of being able to get to be a contender in the East. I think it’s definitely going in the right direction. I was pleasantly surprised by the organization, by the coaching. It was really good. It’s a bright future.
Few things hold more weight for a rebuilding team than a respected player outwardly and overzealously complimenting the culture and direction of the franchise.
Maybe keeping Garrett Temple around should be higher on the priority list.
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