With a new era expected to commence in Chicago for this upcoming season and the foreseeable future, the Bulls aren’t expected to be a major threat in the Eastern Conference for now. They traded away their franchise centerpiece and all-around best player in wing Jimmy Butler and a full-blown rebuild is now underway.
Though the Bulls will need to add heaps of more talent to become relevant again in the playoff picture, Chicago got two solid foundational pieces that could be the keys to their future in return for Butler. Along with moving up in the draft, the Timberwolves also shipped over raw guards Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine, both with plenty of untapped potential.
However, with the season just weeks away now, the Bulls will likely have to be without one of the two at the beginning of the regular season. According to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune, Kris Dunn suffered a dislocated finger during the Bulls preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks and is expected to be sidelined for 2-4 weeks:
Dunn will miss at least two and possibly up to four weeks after suffering an “open dislocation” of his left index finger attempting to block Sterling Brown’s dunk with 8 minutes, 53 seconds left.
Dunn suffered the dislocation while going up for a block attempt against the Bucks’ Sterling Brown:
HELLO STERLING BROWN! pic.twitter.com/BkE9kmYB6e
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) October 7, 2017
The starting point guard spot was up for grabs, the primary competition being between Dunn and Jerian Grant with Zach LaVine expected to slide off the ball. Dunn had a disappointing rookie campaign with Minnesota after being labeled as a prospect with uncanny defensive prowess and major two-way potential.
With Dunn expected to be sidelined for the beginning of the season, expect Grant to get the bulk of the minutes at point guard with LaVine shouldering some ball-handling duties as well. The Bulls are set to start their season on October 19th with a Eastern Conference battle against the Raptors in Toronto.
