Chicago Bulls: 3 goals following 2019 NBA All-Star break

The Chicago Bulls kick off the final 24 games of their 2018-19 campaign on Friday in Orlando. Here are three goals for the remaining two months of the season:

To illustrate how badly the Chicago Bulls‘ first half of the season went, here’s a quick rundown of their first 58 games, starting with the first week of training camp:

• Lauri Markkanen went down with an elbow injury that caused him to miss the first 23 games to start the season. His season debut was Fred Hoiberg’s last game as head coach as the Bulls fell to 5-19 on the season.
• Denzel Valentine underwent ankle reconstruction surgery and was declared out for the entire season.
• Kris Dunn missed the first two game of the season due to the birth of his child, only to return and injure his knee in his first game back. When he returned, the team was already 6-21 and floundering.
• Fred Hoiberg was fired after a 5-19 start, despite missing Markkanen, Dunn, Bobby Portis and Valentine for a majority of the schedule.
• The front office promptly promoted Jim Boylen to head coaching duties, without the interim title. Boylen promises toughness and physicality will be the defining themes of his tenure
• In Boylen’s first week, the team suffers the worst loss in franchise history, a 56-point drubbing to the Boston Celtics, pulling his starters early in the third quarter and sparking a near mutiny.
• During the offseason, the front office inexplicably signed power forward Jabari Parker to a 2-year, $40 million contract, with a team option on year two. Of course, the Bulls have Markkanen entrenched at the 4, and under Hoiberg, Parker doesn’t even become a starter.
• Even worse, under Boylen, Parker stacks up DNP-CD’s (did not play, coach’s decision) and is eventually traded before the trade deadline with Bobby Portis to the Washington Wizards for swingman Otto Porter Jr.
• The Bulls sport a record of 14-44 at the All-Star break, fourth worse in the league.

Not everything was bad for the Chicago Bulls in the first half. The team was able to dump Justin Holiday on the Memphis Grizzlies for Wayne Selden Jr. and two second-round draft picks. The front office also moved on from Cameron Payne and of course made the trade to acquire Otto Porter Jr.

With 24 games remaining in the 2018-19 season, Chicago still has goals to work toward, though they will be sliding toward the lottery this summer instead of pushing for a playoff berth. Here are three goals for the Bulls.