On paper, the Bulls
have become tougher
and more versatile.
Now the work begins.
The Bulls coach detailed his beliefs and vision to field a roster with versatile, tough-minded players and told them they’d be welcome additions in that pursuit.
No wonder Boylen and management feel they’re accomplishing their offseason goal of adding serious-minded players to become a more well-rounded team.
“Going into my 13th season, everybody knows that I’m a serious guy,” Young told reporters in Las Vegas late Monday. “Everyone knows I’m serious about my role. I take each and every possession seriously. Each game, I go out and give 110 percent. I think that’s the reason why they went out and came after me as hard as they did and got me to sign.”
Already, the Bulls coach is envisioning myriad lineup possibilities. They range from looks as versatile as Young, Otto Porter Jr. or Chandler Hutchison playing power forward with Lauri Markkanen at center if the Bulls go small to Markkanen or Wendell Carter Jr. playing alongside Kornet if they go big.
The projected starters are Dunn or Satoransky, Zach LaVine, Porter, Markkanen and Carter, who underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a core muscle injury that could be a sports hernia. Rookie point guard Coby White’s raw talent screams the need for at least 24 minutes. Young has averaged 30.7 overall his consistently solid 12-year career.
Boylen has options.
Executive vice president John Paxson spoke to this point when the Bulls sent Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis to the Wizards for Porter at the February trade deadline. But it has been somewhat forgotten in the sea of July transactions: Porter’s acquisition, in essence, began the Bulls’ free-agency pursuits.
“We’re not in the position to go after the big names, the franchise-changers. We’re looking at things realistically,” Paxson said in February. “We also looked ahead to this summer, and even the summer beyond, at available wings and versatile players. There are no guarantees of getting players like that.”
So the Bulls landed their starting small forward and the $55.7 million he’s owed for the next two seasons. They did so for Parker, a failed experiment who wouldn’t have returned, and Portis, who turned down an extension worth annually what the Bulls will pay Young.
Even with six years of NBA experience, Porter just turned 26. He fits with the timeline and commitment to Markkanen, LaVine and Carter, at least two of whom must become stars for this rebuild to work.
The moves this offseason are consistent with Paxson’s season-ending statement that the Bulls need to become relevant again. The hope is adding versatile players makes the Bulls more competitive as Markkanen, LaVine and Carter progress, thus making them an attractive free-agent destination or flush with enough assets to trade for the next disgruntled superstar.
That’s the plan, anyway. And as
“We’re just trying to move forward,” Boylen said over the weekend in Las Vegas. “We’re still talking about Bulls across the chest. We’re still talking about playing for the city. We still talk about playing the right way. We’re going to keep pounding those things as long as I’m here.”
Along those lines, several players from the NBA roster were scheduled to arrive in Las Vegas for a Tuesday night dinner and Wednesday team-bonding activity. Like his free-agency pitch, Boylen didn’t have to sell anything.