Bulls vs. Warriors roster snapshot and game preview: catching a free-falling team

Golden State is REELING, can Bulls take advantage?

I have nothing to say about the Bulls Ring of Honor ceremony tonight. I’m sure it’ll add a lot of time to the telecast, rudely interrupting the home call putting Zach LaVine on the all-defense team.

I do wish there was a BlogABull Ring of Honor. The 2010-11 team gets inducted, and the rest of the inductees would probably be ironic.

Interesting that the Bulls did this on a Friday against the Golden State Warriors. You’d think they wouldn’t need a gimmick for that home gate (though a snowstorm may change that).

The Warriors, like the Bulls, are a championship organization, right? Based on commitment to winning, they’re not even in the same league.

It’s remarkable that a salary cap league can have this kind of discrepancy, but taking salary, +/- tax, and the Lonzo Ball insurance reimbursement, the Bulls are spending 30% of what the Warriors are on the roster this season. Bulls at $120M and the Warriors over $393M. This can change by the end of the season, but currently the Bulls are slated to receive a $27M check from the luxury tax pot that the Warriors will be paying $186M into.

This is why a Warriors trade for LaVine doesn’t make much sense unless it actually could save Golden State some money too. And the Bulls refusal to spend now to better their future situation is hampering that trade market as much as LaVine’s contract or play.

The 'difficulty' in the Bulls trading LaVine isn't entirely on LaVine

Shameful, but...the Warriors have fewer victories and are 12th while the Bulls are now well clear at 9th in the JV conference. So who’s the dumb owner now, huh?

Injury Report: nobody for the Warriors besides the OUT

Bulls injury report totally clean outside of long term absences and GLeaguers.

Schedule factor: Warriors last played 2 nights ago like the Bulls, traveling from San Francisco. They were totally waxed in that game while the Bulls won in OT, so maybe better rested?

Betting line: Bulls favored (though will be cited by AK as a great win if it happens), -155 to win, Implied final score: CHI 116, GS 112

Game Time: 7 central. Come back tonight for the OPEN THREAD.