Chicago Bulls fans need to relax when it comes to the team’s early struggles. Sure, the team has come out of the gates to a frustrating 8-11 start, but this should not have been too surprising.
Regardless, Bulls Twitter has been set ablaze by calls for changes up and down the roster: trade Nikola Vucević, fire head coach Billy Donovan, get rid of Patrick Williams, and ship out Zach LaVine. Essentially anything you can think of has been said after each loss.
When the Bulls win, all parties are typically thrown into mock trades and what-if discussions are praised and any feelings fans had before seem forgotten. Watching the rollercoaster of emotions from Bulls nation has become routine. It’s time to get a grip.
Don’t expect Artūras Karnišovas, the Bulls’ vice president of basketball operations, to make any major changes to the roster — at least until Lonzo Ball returns. The front office wants to see what they have with a healthy roster.
While for some it may feel like many years ago, the Bulls were considered a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference last season, even holding the first seed for stretches. Why was that? It’s because the Bulls were healthy.
The Bulls haven’t been healthy since Jan. 14 — the last game fans saw Ball in action. Ball gave the Bulls one of the best defensive backcourts in the league. His pairing in lineups with Alex Caruso gave opposing guards fits and created plenty of fastbreak and transition scoring opportunities. 
On the other end, Ball was the team’s best 3pt shooter, converting 42.3% of his 7.4 attempts per game. Outside shooting and perimeter defense have been weak points for the team since. For what the team had to give up to get him, expect the Bulls to take a wait-and-see approach.
Despite Ball’s absence this season, Chicago has excelled at kicking a trend that was a major talking point last season; beating good teams. Last week the Bulls defeated the league-best Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Celtics lost to the Bulls a second time in an Oct. 24 blowout loss in Chicago. They defeated last season’s first seed in the East, the Miami Heat, on opening night.
So until the time comes when Ball returns to the floor, I’m going to remain patient. DeMar DeRozan looks great again. Ayo Dosunmu continues to defy expectations. Goran Dragić and Andre Drummond have been surprisingly-effective editions. Williams has shown progress in his confidence and abilities.
There’s no reason to “see red.” Save your fingers the stress from furiously typing away your Twitter hot takes. No major moves are coming any time soon — and they shouldn’t. There’s plenty of season left.
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