With the NBA schedule being recently released, there are many matchups that are intriguing at first glance. The Chicago Bulls are coming off of a loss in the Eastern Conference Semis to the Cleveland Cavaliers so let's examine how the their season and road back to the NBA Playoffs looks starting with October and November.
Within the first month of the season, the Chicago Bulls' schedule looks very promising based on strength of schedule alone with the club only playing five teams that played above .500 basketball last year. The main question regarding this good news is what Bulls team will step out onto the floor night-to-night? Last season, the team played down to it's competition far too often and did not have the championship mentality everyone expected. A vast majority of the below .500 clubs made steady improvements to their rosters (such as Indiana, Charlotte, and Orlando) meaning the Bulls shouldn't expect anything given to them.
Having a new voice in town with "The Mayor" Fred Hoiberg should erase this problem that possibly took away the Bulls' chances from having homecourt advantage against the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The hardest part of November begins in the middle of the month starting November 16th at home against Indiana which is never a gimme game. After that, it's off to the west with road games against Phoenix, Golden State, Portland where the Bulls routinely play poorly , and the trip caps off back in Indiana. The month ends off with the title favorite Spurs team. This month alone should show what this team is made of with a number of good measuring stick games.
The month of December looks like it could be an early Christmas for the Bulls with 11 of the 15 games at home. Six teams they play this month were playing in the spring last year. Heavyweight teams such as the Clippers, Grizzlies, and Thunder look to be the toughest games on paper. Special game of note would be hometown enigma Anthony Davis making a trip to the United Center on December 12th. Fun fact: This could be the first time Davis and Derrick Rose play against one another in their hometown. There happens to only be three back-to-backs for the whole month which is a good thing regarding the upcoming month.
January is a loaded month for the Bulls so they better be playing some of their best basketball in what could possibly be the most difficult month of the season. The Bulls play 16 games during this month and from the looks of it, 11 of the games should be against teams playing basketball when it matters. Playoff tested teams such as Atlanta, Washington, Golden State, Cleveland, and the Clippers will be tough games that the Bulls better be gearing up for as we speak. Improved teams such as Milwaukee, Miami, and Boston will be no pushovers with the Heat expected to be near the top of the Eastern Conference. Everyone get your popcorn ready for this month.
After a tough tough January, February brings the Bulls a much better month on paper with the All-Star break included. Young gun Western Conference teams load up this month with games against Sacramento, Denver, Minnesota, Utah, the Lakers, and Portland. Although these aren't going to be gimmes, they should expect to win these games. Last season the last game before the All-Star break was against Cleveland. This year it's the first game after the All-Star break so these Bulls will be excited as ever to get through with the break to face their archrival. A fantastic thing for everyone in Chicago would be seeing Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler on that All-Star team together.
Onto the month of March we go! The Bulls have 17 games on tap with this month being arguably being the hardest month along with January. Eight of the 17 games will be played at home, so there's a disadvantage there. The toughest games in this month are highlighted with Miami twice, Houston twice, San Antonio, Toronto, Washington, Atlanta, and Milwaukee. This writer does not consider a team coached by Scott Skiles as an easy matchup with two games against the Magic looming after that brutal stretch. The back-to-back against the Knicks looks as easy as it's going to get for the Bulls. Let's hope by the end of this month there is a lot left in the tank in this team for an expected deep playoff run.
The Bulls close off the season with a bang against Milwaukee, Memphis, Miami, Cleveland, and New Orleans in that order. Detroit and Philadelphia will be games we shouldn't expect big minutes or performances from the team's stars. A big goal for the Bulls by this time of the year is that there are no major injuries to star players Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler, veteran leaders Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol should have had more rest, and baby Bulls McDermott, Mirotic, and Snell are being looked upon for big improvements with the expected playing time they should receive with a new regime. With the playoffs approaching soon (should they qualify), based on this schedule, this team should be ready for everything coming their way. It should be an exciting season with plenty to be amped about.