The big news coming out of the All-Star break was that the Bulls were pulling veterans Robin Lopez and Justin Holiday out of the rotation and moving Jerian Grant down as the third point guard behind Cameron Payne. Although management will continue to beat the drum of player development, these moves were clearly made with losing games in mind.



The Bulls did lose their next two games, but they were way more competitive than one would expect. They were entertaining, spirited, and there were some solid performances from young players. That’s basically all that you can ask for at this point.



Games



Thursday, Feb. 22: Bobby Portis scored 38 points but missed a go-ahead basket, Denzel Valentine missed on the rebound attempt, and the Bulls lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 116-115.



Saturday, Feb. 24: The Bulls held a 62-60 lead at halftime but were waxed in the second half, falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves 122-104.



Bobby Portis, learning how...