Bulls 2017-18 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions

After failing to build a roster capable of competing for championships, the Chicago Bulls are entering a new era in the 2017-18 season that they hope will be the beginning of big things to come for the franchise. 

General manager Gar Forman has done extensive work rebuilding the roster this offseason. The biggest move was trading All-Star Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a package of players that included Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen.   

With a youth movement taking over in Chicago, Dwyane Wade's presence on the roster certainly stands out. His homecoming last year didn't go as planned with a career-low 43.4 shooting percentage in 60 games, but he will at least offer the young players on the team a veteran they can look up to and learn from. 

Here are the notable items to take away from the just-released schedule the Bulls will face in the upcoming NBA season. 

2017-18 Details

Season Opener: October 19, at Toronto Raptors

Championship Odds: 500-1 (via OddsShark)

Full Schedule: NBA.com

Top Matchups

Minnesota Timberwolves: February 9

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The Timberwolves' visit to the United Center on February 9 will be a bittersweet affair for fans in Chicago. They already had to experience Tom Thibodeau returning as Minnesota's head coach last year, but now Butler will enter the arena as a visiting player for the first time in his career. 

After the trade that sent him to Minnesota, Butler offered a heartfelt goodbye to Chicago on Instagram:

The reaction to the trade was not particularly kind to the Bulls or Forman:

Even though the Bulls never got to the top of the NBA mountain with Thibodeau as head coach, they always had a strong identity that made them formidable in the Eastern Conference. 

In Thibodeau's five seasons with the team, the Bulls never won less than 45 games and won at least one playoff series three times, including an appearance in the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals. 

Under Fred Hoiberg, the Bulls lost what made them unique. Their offense has finished in the bottom 10 of the NBA in scoring, though they were able to finish sixth in defensive efficiency during the 2016-17 season. 

Hoiberg isn't the only reason why Chicago dropped off in the East over the past two seasons, but the front office underestimated Thibodeau's coaching talents. 

Now, Thibodeau will be bringing back the Bulls' best player of the past decade with him to remind fans in Chicago of what they used to have and how bright Minnesota's future looks with Butler playing alongside Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. 

Brooklyn Nets: February 26

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If the game against the Timberwolves contains an emotional component for Chicago, these games against the Brooklyn Nets are about franchise ineptitude. 

According to OddsShark's current over/under odds, the Bulls and Nets are the two worst teams in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls have an over/under of 29.5 wins, which puts them well ahead of the Nets' 21.5 wins. 

When these two teams met in the final game of the regular season last year, there was some controversy because the Nets decided to rest three of their best players, including Brook Lopez and Jeremy Lin, even though they were 20-61 and already clinched the NBA's worst record. 

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel had some fun with Brooklyn's decision to keep its few good players on the bench:

There won't be nearly as much heat or controversy during their matchups this season. The Nets have done little to improve their roster after their 20-win campaign, with their most notable acquisitions being D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. 

For all the suffering Bulls fans are anticipating this season after the Butler trade, at least they are better set up to turn things around quicker than the Nets. They still have their first-round draft pick in 2018, something the Nets can't say. 

Record Prediction

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It's going to be an ugly year in Chicago. LaVine is a terrific athlete who brings excitement with his dunking ability, but he's coming off a torn ACL and doesn't have a point guard as effective at setting him up as Ricky Rubio was in Minnesota. 

Dunn is just one year removed from being the fifth pick in the draft, so it's too early to throw in the towel on him after a disappointing rookie season. 

Markkanen has the highest ceiling among any player on the Bulls roster, due in large part to having never played in an NBA game. The former Arizona Wildcats star earns high marks for his shooting ability, as this scouting report from Sports Illustrated's Tanner Walters emphasizes:

"Markkanen is arguably the premier shooter in the draft. He drained 42.3% of his attempts from the outside at Arizona, hoisting 4.4 per game. The NBA three-point line also won’t pose a challenge for his fluid mechanics. He’s a good rebounder, although he won’t make a living on the offensive glass. Scouts who evaluated his European performances also rave about his ability to handle the ball, both in transition and in half-court isolation settings." 

Wade will be well-compensated for sticking around, but it would be in his best interest to try working toward a buyout and find a contender that needs another scorer. 

It will be a process for the Bulls to build an entire roster of talent that will even sniff a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. This will be an ugly year for the franchise, no matter how you look at it. 

Prediction: 24-58