How Anthony Davis Can Change The Entire Landscape Of The NBA.

During this horrible time with COVID-19, one of the things that the basketball community is heavily leaning on for entertainment is “The Last Dance,” which is a documentary dedicated to unravelling the dynasty of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. With only just six episodes in, this documentary series has quickly become one of my favourites to watch despite not being a Bulls fan. This documentary is a testimony to Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen and commemorates how well these two phenoms played together. However, when looking at the Bulls today, they’re once upon stardom in the ’90s was their only moment of fame. Despite having Derrick Rose back in the early 2010s, that era was short-lived due to the nagging potential career-ending injuries that Rose had. Similar to Jordan, Rose was supposed to have been the next star in the NBA alongside Lebron James and Dwayne Wade. Rose, in his prime, was unlike no other as his athletism and motor for the game elevated him in heights (literally) that he always felt he could accomplish. Yet his injuries prevented him from being an all-time great and left the Bulls helpless ever since. From horrible management to Jim Boylen still employed as the current Chicago Bulls head coach, most people can understand why this Bulls team is as dysfunctional as it is. 

The Bulls roster consists of Zach Lavine (who is the star of the Bulls), Coby White (a future potential all-star calibre point guard), Wendell Carter Jr. (the focal point for the center position), and a displeased Lauri Markkanan who has rumoured turmoil with the Bulls organization. The rest of the roster is decent and has a fair amount of talent that should have been capable of making the playoffs. Lavine being a border-line all-star should, in theory, be enough to show even a glimpse of playoff potential, yet that hasn’t been the case. For the Bulls, its the management and coaching that prevent this team from doing anything. In the last few seasons, the Bulls would bounce from coach to coach and settled with arguably their worst coach in franchise history, Jim Boylen. Most people would argue that games are won with the players but, if the organization is at war or turmoil with the players, the drive of winning for that organization quickly diminishes. Zach Lavine, for instance, has shown his frustrations during the team’s huddles by merely refusing to respond to anything Jim Boylen has to offer. The Bulls need desperate help to be back on top and shouldn’t be a team at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. With a rich history and legacy this team possesses, it’s almost an insult to the previous Chicago greats like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen to be known as a horrible, dysfunctional organization. However, a spark of hope could be ignited once again for the city of Chicago. This off-season, they have an opportunity to transform their organization from being in the lottery to a contender in the Eastern Conference. 

Entering the 2019 off-season, one of the most anticipated discussions was, where would Anthony Davis go? Last season was Anthony Davis’s potential final moments of suiting up for the New Orleans Pelicans as he entered the arena with a shirt that quoted Porky Pig in Looney Tunes “That’s All Folks.” That quote would later reveal itself to be accurate as he would be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for an abundance of young players with all-star potential, including Brandon Ingram. At the time of this trade, this was a great deal for both parties; however, when looking at it from a long-term perspective, the Pelicans could have robbed the Lakers. Anthony Davis is the best player in this trade, yet the question remains, how long will the Lakers have him for? The one thing that was quickly pushed aside was his contract situation with the Lakers. Entering this season, Anthony Davis would be an unrestricted free agent, which implies that Davis can go wherever he wants. Even though the Lakers were the hottest team in the last month before the suspension of the season, no one could tell what Davis’s intention would be in returning to the Lakers. In my opinion, there were no signs of Davis revealing if he was or wasn’t going to return to Los Angeles and instead has hinted out that one day he would join the Chicago Bulls. With speculations going all over the place, no one can tell where Anthony Davis will play due to him either avoiding the question or focusing on this season and winning a championship alongside Lebron James. However, what if the Chicago Bulls sign Anthony Davis? What does this mean for the Eastern Conference?

Anthony Davis is a top 10 to 5 player in the entire league and will go down as one of the best players in this generation. From his athletism to his basketball IQ, Davis is the ideal big man for a team to have. If the Bulls manage to sign Anthony Davis this off-season, the first error that they need to fix is the termination of Jim Boylen. Boylen may be a very kind person and genuine individual of the court; however, when it comes to coaching a team to wins, he struggles. I believe that if this team can attain Anthony Davis, the duo of Lavine and Davis would be one of the best in the NBA if the Bulls fire Jim Boylen. Furthermore, Wendell Carter Jr. and Coby White would also excel and play substantial basketball alongside the two faces of Chicago. However, with Lauri Markkenan having some rumoured turmoil with the franchise, chances are that Lauri would be traded away alongside Otto Porter Jr. to free up cap space to bring in Anthony Davis. The starting 5 for this team would be Coby White, Zach Lavine, Chandler Hutchison, Anthony Davis and Wendell Carter Jr., with Thaddeus Young being the sixth man. With the exponential improvement of Wendell Carter Jr. and Coby White this season, I have confidence that this team would fix their previous problems and would look to bring back popularity and excitement for the city of Chicago and their fans. I also believe that Anthony Davis would win an MVP with the Bulls while having the biggest rivalry against the Milwaukee Bucks. With the Bucks having the best power forward in the NBA being Giannis Antetokounmpo, the duels between Anthony Davis and Giannis would go down in history as one of the most exciting contests in NBA history. Anthony Davis was known as the unanimous best big man in the NBA until Giannis developed and became an absolute star in the league. Over time, the Bulls would sign players that can help them win to compete with the Bucks and their incredible depth but would ultimately fall to Giannis. However, if the Bulls ever defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, the next team that would look to stop their chances of winning a title would be the Brooklyn Nets with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and the incredible depth that they have accumulated in previous seasons. 

Looking at the future, its safe to say that the Brooklyn Nets will be a top 5 team in the league! Signing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving automatically means that the Nets mean business as they look to win their first-ever NBA championship in their franchise history. This is a significant obstacle for Anthony Davis, and the Chicago Bulls as the one thing they lack is a consistent, reliable closer that can go up against the elite shooting of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Although Kyrie has his issues off the court, the one thing that no one can take away from him is his ability to close out a game. For many NBA fans, Kyrie is the best closer in the league and could match any offensive threats thrown at him. If Stephen Curry shot a deep three in a game with 30 seconds left on the clock, Kyrie could easily match that and silence the crowd and win the game. The Chicago Bulls would lack that and would most likely fall to the Nets almost every time in the playoffs as this team has everything except big man shooting, but that’s not even an issue for this Nets team. Although no one could stop Anthony Davis, Jarrett Allen would most likely slow him down, which would result in slowing down the rest of the team. Although Zach Lavine is a special player of his own, I don’t view him as a player that can bring a team back and instead is a player that can bring energy or momentum to his teammates and the fans. Lavine is an athletic monster that would ignite a spark of electricity in his teammates but isn’t a player that can take the load off of Anthony Davis in this specific fantasy. The Bulls would be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference; however, the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks would most likely beat the Bulls in the playoffs unless they bring in a second proven and reliable player. 

Although Anthony Davis would win an MVP in this fantasy world, a championship would never happen for this team simply due to other organizations having better talent, experience and chemistry. The fact is, Anthony Davis has only been to the second round of the playoffs while only having two playoff appearances since being drafted. His Bulls tenure would provide him with enough experience in the playoffs for his next contract after the Bulls. However, Anthony Davis would most likely not win a championship with the Bulls and could have gone as far as the conference finals where they would have fallen to the Brooklyn Nets or Milwaukee Bucks. History shows, for the most part, that the best player wins the series, and the reality is, Anthony Davis is not the best player in those series. 

Anthony Davis to the Chicago Bulls would reignite the spark that this city once had for basketball. With Derrick Rose being the last legit star the Bulls had, Anthony Davis’s presence in Chicago would flood the streets with people filled with joy and excitement. However, when it comes to the overall success of the team, the Bulls would show flashes of contention and talent and would most likely be in the media as a team that could win it all but lack a few things. With the lack of experience and an outside consistent scoring talent, the Bulls would be known as a piece or two away from being the face of the Eastern Conference. The Eastern Conference, the last three seasons, has become more elite, and with the addition of Anthony Davis in the East, the NBA, in my opinion, would be balanced for the most part. Anthony Davis and the Chicago Bulls would be an exciting team to watch, but that’s it. However, if this fantasy became a reality, would the Lakers trade away Lebron James?