Bulls' '09-'10 Schedule Released

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Aug 5, 2009 4:00PM

The NBA released the league's schedule for the upcoming season on Tuesday, and the Bulls (see Bulls schedule) face a series of challenges right away that could help clarify whether or not they can grab a seat among the NBA's elite.

Tipping off the season on October 29, the Bulls face the San Antonio Spurs at the United Center followed by rematch the next night in Boston with the Celtics, with whom the Bulls played an epic seven-game playoff series last spring. They pass through Miami, welcome Milwaukee to town and then head to Cleveland to play the Cavs, their Central Division foe -- who happened to add Shaquille O'Neal this off-season to play alongside LeBron James.

The Bulls conclude November, the first full month on the schedule, with their annual "Circus Trip," Which sends them out west, and home via Milwaukee from November 13 - 30. Seems like every year, the Bulls rough schedule out of the gate creates a hole the team has to dig themselves out of for the rest of the year. Can the Bulls overcome that disadvantage this time? As an additional note, the Bulls have moved all home game tip-offs to 7:00pm from their previous 7:30pm start. We're not sure what motivated the change: television coverage, cutting down on fans' happy hour driving before tip, travel time, or Derrick Rose's bed time.