Bulls ‘Big Three’ era hits rock bottom

Chicago lost their fifth straight game and went winless in the NBA’s in-season tournament after a 124-97 loss to Boston that wasn’t even as close as the lopsided final score. You know it’s a blowout when the opposing coach apologizes for scoring so much after the game.

The Bulls dropped to 5-14, putting them in 13th place in the Eastern Conference. They have the fifth-worst offensive rating and the ninth-worst defensive rating in the league, and they play at the NBA’s slowest pace. Chicago has beaten only two teams with winning records, the 9-7 Indiana Pacers and the 10-8 Miami Heat.

That’s far from what the Bulls envisioned when they traded for Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan to play alongside All-Star Zach LaVine. They had a good half-season together, but the team has been thoroughly mediocre since Lonzo Ball’s knee injury.

What makes the season more depressing is that Chicago doubled down on the roster in the summer, re-signing Vucevic and guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. With DeRozan in the final year of his contract, a trade seems imminent. And LaVine is acting like a player who wants out, ignoring team officials on the sidelines.

To make matters worse, the Orlando Magic started the season 12-5, thanks in part to 22-year-old Franz Wagner. The Magic selected Wagner with one of Chicago’s first-round picks from the Vucevic trade, where they also obtained young center Wendell Carter Jr. and another lottery pick they used to select rookie Jett Howard.

It’s time for Chicago to admit the Not-So-Big Three is a failure, and look at offers for DeRozan, LaVine and defensive ace Alex Caruso. This is their chance to clear the decks and embrace the tank. Because next year, thanks to the DeRozan trade, the San Antonio Spurs own another one of the Bulls’ first-round picks.