Bulls may finally get a chance to see if their pieces fit together
Playing on Christmas Day is for the good NBA teams, so the Bulls are free to enjoy their holiday.
But there have been some interesting developments in the rebuilding project, so let's review the Bulls' post-holiday to-do list:
Put pieces together
Hard to believe that 18 months after the Jimmy Butler trade, the Bulls still don't know how their rebuilding blocks stack up together. Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen have had plenty of good moments, but not many when all three played in the same game.
Dunn was the catalyst of last season's 14-7 surge. Most of that happened while LaVine recovered from knee surgery and the victories ended when Dunn was sidelined by a concussion.
Dunn has finally found his old form. In the last five games, he's averaged 17.8 points, 6.0 assists and shot 53.4 percent from the field while the Bulls went 3-2. Asked to get Markkanen more involved, Dunn produced 14 assists and 3 turnovers in the past two games, while Markkanen scored a combined 63 points.
Here's the dilemma: These past five games, along with most of last season's surge, happened with LaVine on the sideline. LaVine should be back soon from a sprained ankle, so this may finally the a chance to see if the players from the Butler trade can work together. Dunn also needs to show he can keep up his solid play for then a few weeks at a time.
Trade Jabari Parker
The whole Jabari Parker acquisition has taken some odd turns. Most everyone agreed Parker was a poor fit in the Bulls' lineup, but he's being paid $20 million this season and former coach Fred Hoiberg was asked to try to make it work.
Hoiberg succeeded in a way, since Parker posted decent offensive numbers. But when Jim Boylen took over the coaching job, he was allowed to put Parker on the bench, which likely will end the former Simeon star's Bulls career less than two months into the regular season.
The best the Bulls can hope for, most likely, is getting a first-round pick by agreeing to take a bad two-year contract in exchange for Parker's one year with a team option. Portland, Miami and Utah seem to be the best candidates for trading partners.
The unknown is what happens if a trade doesn't happen right away and Parker's string of sitting out continues. Parker seems content with the idea of a trade, and appears to be well-liked by his teammates. It may not be a problem, but the potential is there is he stays on the roster.
Decide Robin Lopez' future
Boylen's focus on defense has led to more playing time for Lopez, Shaq Harrison and rookie Chandler Hutchison. This is a good time to give Harrison and Hutchison extended tryouts to see if they belong in the rotation permanently. But what about the 30-year-old Lopez?
It's easy to say the Bulls should trade him, since he doesn't fit with the rebuild. But they'll still need veterans and Lopez' quirky, cartoonish, wise man personality has worked well in the locker room. A more prudent move might be to put Lopez' locker closer to rookie Wendell Carter Jr.
If they can get something decent in return, then it probably makes sense to move Lopez. Maybe the Bulls will be in tank mode after the deadline or maybe they'll want Cristiano Felicio to get another chance. But they don't have to cut Lopez loose.
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls