NY Knicks: 3 teams who could pass them in the standings

NY Knicks: 3 teams who could surpass them — The Chicago Bulls

I tend to find myself right in the middle when it comes to projecting the Chicago Bulls for 2021-22.

No, I do not think this is a team that jumps into the top-3 in the East and goes on a huge run in the playoffs.

However, I do think this is a team that deserves to be talked about in the same way as the Knicks, Heat, Hawks, and Celtics (the honorable mention in this article).

The Chicago Bulls have gone all-in and I understand why. With Zach LaVine on the last year of his contract, you cannot just continue to stink and do nothing about the roster. “But we’re young!” “Coby White is really good just wait!” Enough.

The team already started the process by trading 2 first-round picks for Nikola Vucevic in the middle of last season. This offseason, they took it a step further by shelling out money for Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, and Alex Caruso.

Now there are some who believe the Bulls did “What the Knicks should”ve done” in free agency, but I strongly disagree. These are two teams in different situations.

The Bulls were not a good team last season. They have already started the process of going all in, and the only way to keep Zach LaVine around and not get stuck in the 11th-9th purgatory was to make win-now moves that can get them to where the Knicks or Hawks were last season.

The NY Knicks are already a whole season ahead of the Bulls in terms of establishing a winning culture and locking down their All-Star to a multi-year deal. The Knicks absolutely did not need to pay DeMar Derozan over 25 mil per year while giving up a first-round pick in the process. I’m not so sure Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan for 50+ million on long-term deals is a better outcome than Evan Fournier, Kemba Walker, Derrick Rose, and Alec Burks on flexible contracts.

However, I do like it for the Bulls. This was a team in desperate need of perimeter defense and they got some with Caruso and Ball.

Not only do the Bulls now have firepower in the starting lineup, they have a nice deep bench. A bench of young players like Lauri Markkanen, Coby White, and Patrick Williams.

Doesn’t Lonzo Ball, Williams, White, and Markkanen sound like a nice package for a star, should that opportunity arise? Anyways, that’s where the Bulls have positioned themselves.

This is a team that should be fighting for that 4-6 spot, exactly where the NY Knicks will be. Unlike the Heat and Hawks, we haven’t seen this Bulls roster on the court yet.

What do you think? Where do you project the Knicks, Heat, Hawks, and Bulls to finish in next year’s standings?