The NBA preseason doesn’t mean anything. We know it’s true, but fans still look for clues as if they’re waving divining rods instead of big foam fingers. The Rose-free, Noah-free Chicago Bulls experiment has begun 0-2 in these meaningless games as they try to integrate new personnel like Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo into “Jimmy Butler’s Bulls” as everyone is supposed to call them now.
Against Indiana, which made big improvements over the summer, the Bulls came up short (115-108) in their second preseason try. For those waving divining rods, here’s more evidence the preseason isn’t reality: Jimmy Butler played just a quarter and made exactly zero shots from the floor. Hint: he only took one. Rondo’s play put the excitement into Bulls fans though — the mercurial hoops wizard made 6-of-7 shots in 22 minutes, an 85% clip that netted him 14 points.
