Lonzo Ball 'Perfect Complement' to Bulls Roster, President Michael Reinsdorf Says

After spending aggressively in the offseason, the Chicago Bulls have vaulted to the top of the Eastern Conference standings with a 27-12 record. 

One of their key additions was Lonzo Ball, who Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf believes has been an ideal fit for their roster. 

"As we built out our roster, we turned the focus to defense, too," Reinsdorf told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. "Alex Caruso has been instrumental. Lonzo Ball has been a great addition, pushing the pace for us. He's the perfect complement."

There was a lot of skepticism about the Bulls' decision to spend big on Ball, Caruso and DeMar DeRozan as they tried to put themselves into the East hierarchy. 

In an August survey of NBA scouts and executives by ESPN's Tim Bontemps, the DeRozan sign-and-trade was tied as the worst move of the offseason. 

"Giving up another first-rounder to overpay [DeRozan] was the worst over-the-top move to get behind," one Western Conference executive told Bontemps.

The 32-year-old DeRozan instead has put himself in the MVP conversation this season. The four-time All-Star is averaging 26.0 points per game and is shooting a career-high 35.2 percent from three-point range. 

Ball was also acquired in a sign-and-trade agreement with the New Orleans Pelicans. The deal came at an additional price, as the NBA took away the Bulls' next available second-round pick when the league found they violated tampering rules for contacting his representatives before the start of the legal tampering period. 

Despite the punishment, things have worked out perfectly for Ball and the Bulls. The 24-year-old isn't a superstar, but he's been a fantastic high-end role player for the team. He is averaging 12.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists per game and is shooting a career-high 42.4 percent from behind the arc.

After missing the playoffs in each of the past four seasons, the Bulls look like a potential NBA Finals contender in the East because of how players like Ball and DeRozan have fit in with Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.