The Chicago Bulls had a glimmer of hope. Friday’s win in Charlotte finally snapped a brutal seven-game losing streak, and for a brief moment, the city dared to dream again. Nikola Vucevic, the team’s center, echoed the cautious optimism in his postgame comments: “It just gives you a confidence boost. We’re all confident players… when you win a game, it kind of takes some weight off your shoulders.”
But hold on. That optimism lasted barely 48 hours. The Bulls then fell to the five-win New Orleans Pelicans—for the second time in less than three weeks—leaving fans, analysts, and anyone with a pulse wondering: are the Bulls actually trying to lose?
Let’s put it bluntly. Executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas once looked at a 15-5 sample from last season and thought, “Yeah, we can tweak this core slightly with Isaac Okoro, and we’re set.” Fast forward, and the results tell a very different story: the Bulls are 5-15 over their last 20 games. Twenty games, a sizable enough sample to consider whether this team is structured to compete—or collapse.
The numbers are damning. Losses piling up against sub-.500 teams like the Pacers, Hornets, and Pelicans, sprinkled with forgettable defeats to the Nets, Jazz, and Wizards, indicate that this isn’t a slump—it’s a pattern. Even the “easier” stretch of the schedule has yielded a paltry 2-8 record. The logical conclusion for any right-minded NBA executive is… tear it down. Start over. Rebuild. Tank.
But here’s the rub: the players won’t tank. Coach Billy Donovan won’t tank. Donovan has been clear—his focus is on competing, on winning, on maintaining what he calls “competitive integrity.” He refuses to sacrifice on-court development just for draft position. And yet, the results of the past 20 games suggest a single player may be deciding the fate of this franchise: Karnisovas.
Chicago is not a free-agent destination. Its market demands patience, understanding, and a realistic approach to roster construction—qualities the Bulls’ front office has repeatedly failed to demonstrate. Without a true All-Star, relying solely on collective effort is a recipe for mediocrity, and yet the organization persists, clinging to an illusion of stability while the losses pile up.
So what’s the play? The fix is simple in theory: tear down the current roster, rebuild with young talent, and embrace the harsh truth of a tanking season. But Karnisovas seems trapped by optimism, mistaking structural flaws for temporary setbacks, and the city watches in disbelief.
This isn’t just frustration—it’s embarrassment. Every defeat against low-tier teams intensifies the pressure on the front office. The clock is ticking, the Feb. 5 trade deadline looms, and fans are demanding accountability. The next move, or lack thereof, will speak louder than any press release or motivational soundbite.
Chicago deserves clarity. The Bulls’ recent 5-15 slide in their last 20 games isn’t just a losing streak—it’s a mirror reflecting organizational indecision, misplaced priorities, and a potential willingness to sacrifice competitiveness for comfort. The question hanging over the United Center is simple: will Karnisovas act decisively, or will fans be left watching yet another season dissolve into frustration and mediocrity?
If the Bulls are not tanking intentionally, the next few weeks must prove otherwise. The numbers, the schedule, and the repeated losses make one thing painfully clear: the time for excuses is over.
For Chicago, hope is a fragile thing. One win cannot erase the pattern. And until leadership faces reality, fans will keep asking the same question: are the Bulls really trying to win—or are they playing a very different game behind the scenes?
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