Chicago Bulls: 3 reasons not to tank after All-Star break

The Chicago Bulls will miss the playoffs for the second time under Fred Hoiberg‘s watch. However, if you think that tanking the rest of the season is the answer, think again.

The Chicago Bulls went into the All-Star break with just three victories in their last 12 contests, putting them at 20-37 overall. Despite the fact they’ve posted three separate losing streaks of at least five games during the first half of the season, the Bulls are not the worst team in the league as some of the experts had predicted.

In fact, the Bulls are 3.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns, who share the dubious honor of having the worst record in the NBA. Coming into the season, the front office emphasized the fact that the 2017-18 campaign would not be judged based on the team’s win-loss record, but rather the effort each player brings to the court each night.

In other words, the Bulls were hoping to put themselves in position to acquire a top-five pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. As far as that sentiment is concerned, the ship has probably already sailed.

Some of you may be tempted to think that the best way to turn the season around in that regard is for the team to do whatever it can to lose as many of the remaining 25 games as possible. Instead of looking at the situation from that single-minded perspective, here are a few reasons why the Bulls should not look to tank the rest of the season away.