Bulls Will Be The Worst Team In The NBA This Season, Says ESPN Forecast

By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 20, 2017 10:44PM

Getty Images / Photo: Jonathan Daniel

It's beginning to look a lot like a rebuild.

Just in case you had any illusions about the Chicago Bulls' viability for contention this year, allow us to point out ESPN's newly released Basketball Power Index rankings. If you had to pick a number where the Bulls are projected to finish, what would it be? Keep in mind that there are 30 NBA teams. If you picked No. 30, congratulations! You win... a season of appropriately low expectations.

Yes, the Bulls were chosen by the BPI model to finish dead-last in the league, not surprising considering recent moves, most notably the trading away of Jimmy Butler.

And lest we be tempted to dismiss this ranking as take-season content filler, the index is considered legit. In ESPN's own words:

"BPI is a forward-looking model that predicts the strength of each team on offense, defense and altogether. In making its game predictions, the model takes into account factors such as the strength of the two teams, the game's location and rest differential between the two squads. BPI simulates the season 10,000 times to create its projections for both the season and the playoffs."

There is an upside, of course. We all know why teams try to tank, especially ahead of well-regarded drafts; and the Bulls indeed are given the best odds to win the No. 1 overall pick next draft, with a 20.9 percent chance. The next closest team, the Atlanta Hawks, have a 14.8 percent shot.

So it'll be a long season, folks, full of disappointment, plus off-the-court nonsense like this. But at least we'll be rewarded at the end, right? Right?

[H/T Tribune]