CBS Chicago – The Chicago Bulls meet the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night in the meet-In Tournament in hopes of earning the two victories they need to advance to the NBA Playoffs.
Chicago Tribune beat writer Julia Poe, who covers the Bulls, dropped on CBS 2 to discuss the Bulls’ postseason strategy with Sports Director Marshall Harris.
Harris: “They’re going up against a Hawks squad that has dropped six straight games. Julia, how do you feel about their chances?”
Poe: “The injuries alone make me think this is an intriguing contest. There are a lot of unanswered questions for both the Hawks and the Bulls going into this game. Being at the United Center will undoubtedly benefit, in my opinion, because of homecourt advantage. Although it’s the first play-in game, I do believe that the Bulls’ play this season has been so inconsistent that it’s difficult to predict how they’ll perform. What iteration of them will emerge on any given evening?”
Harris: “Andre Drummond has missed the last three games due to a sprained ankle injury. In the meantime.” What are the odds that he will be available for the Hawks game? Or, should they win that game and he is sidelined, perhaps against the opponent they will play on Friday?”
Poe: “It appears that Drummond missed the previous two games. It’s never a good sight to see someone like him start out on a scooter and in a walking boot, and because of their size, ankle injuries can occasionally be challenging to recover from for any of these large athletes. But [on Sunday], he was a little bit out of that walking boot. Therefore, I believe the Bulls have hope that he will be able to return by Wednesday. Not only will Wednesday be very important, but if they play on Friday, it will be even more important to determine how well they can compete if he is unable to return in time.
Harris: “Even if they defeated the Hawks, they would still need to defeat the winner of the [Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat] game in order to secure the eighth seed in the playoffs.” Given that [76ers center] Joel Embiid is healthy and, of course, we all recall their game against Miami in which they had an opportunity to defeat the ninth seed last year, it appears to be a daunting job.”
Poe: “The 76ers game is the one that worries me the most if Drummond isn’t playing since the Bulls aren’t as good without him. That seems like a major worry there. However, the Bulls should be aware that these are only two highly skilled playoff teams, and that is my main worry with the club as a whole. They’ve been running in place kind of here. Many of their stars lack postseason experience, which raises the question, “Okay, what can they do down the stretch?” when you get into these single-elimination games. Particularly for a guy like Ayo Dosunmu or Coby White, what
Harris replied, “So absent a first-round upset of the [Boston] Celtics, you would think still, something has to change for the Bulls and their roster makeup this offseason, right?”
Poe: “Unquestionably. I don’t really care about the postseason; two consecutive seasons below.500 are a sign of a squad that struggles to be consistent. Yes, it is possible that they will advance past the Play-In Tournament this year. Yes, they might advance to the postseason’s first round, but where is the action? Where is this team’s aim, its purpose? I recognize that a lot of things have gone wrong that are beyond your control, but that is a question that this front office simply has not been able to respond to. Injury control is unachievable.
Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball, and other high-caliber players leaving is beyond your control, but how you respond to their departure is. We haven’t seen the front office attempt to do that lately, so I believe they need to examine themselves in the mirror and decide whether to make that decision this summer regardless of how the postseason plays out.”
