With the NBA All-Star break over and the trade deadline having come and gone, the second half of the season begins as the Cleveland Cavaliers look to remain on top while the Chicago Bulls make a push for better positioning in the postseason. The Bulls failed to move any of their major pieces at the deadline while the Cavaliers acquired Channing Frye as they hope these roster changes are enough for postseason success.
The Bulls have an uphill battle ahead of them. The team was starting to hit their stride until injuries struck and now they face Cleveland missing several key players on the court. The Bulls ended January with a season-high six-game win streak. Since then they have dropped 13 of their last 18 games while losing Jimmy Butler to a knee injury and Nikola Mirotic to appendicitis. That was on top of the season-ending injury to Joakim Noah. Mirotic and Butler will not play against the Cavaliers and their returns to the court are uncertain right now.
Taj Gibson will play according to ESPN despite straining his foot against the Atlanta Hawks. The Bulls will lean heavily on Gibson along with Pau Gasol and Bobby Portis. Despite all of the rumors, Gasol stayed put at the trade deadline. There was heavy interest in the forward, but the Bulls could not afford to make a change after all of the injuries on the court. GAsol will still have the chance to depart in free agency.
Outside of acquiring Frye, the Cavaliers stayed quiet meaning Kevin Love stayed put. The team now enters the second half of the season with Tyronn Lue aiming to make an impact at the head coach position. When he came in, the team won eight of their last 10 games while averaging 111 points on 48.8 percent shooting. LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Love all played a big role in that and the Cavaliers need that to continue.
The Cavaliers should not struggle much against the Bulls considering Chicago has been giving up 110.7 points per game to opponents over their past seven matches. The team is slipping in the Eastern Conference thanks to the number of injuries hitting the roster. With depth an issue, the Bulls might lack what it takes to get past a full Cavaliers' roster.
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