Bulls 2022-23 schedule released, and it all starts on South Beach

The Bulls have shown that they’re still not Christmas Day-worthy in the eyes of the NBA schedule makers, but that doesn’t mean they won’t see more of a national stage during the 2022-23 campaign.

With the league releasing the regular-season schedule on Wednesday, ending a playoff drought of four years earned coach Billy Donovan and his squad 14 nationally televised games.

Maybe not a great bit of news considering how poorly the Bulls played on that national stage last season, but definitely a continual climb for the organization’s brand.

What remained to be seen, however, was will expectations meet the reality in the standings?

For several weeks last season, the Bulls sat atop the Eastern Conference, playing like a team that could make some noise in April and May. But the only noise heard was a thud, finishing sixth in the East and escorted out of the playoff door by Milwaukee in the first round.

Injuries played a part, but so did a brutal second-half schedule. Either way, the Bulls couldn’t escape what was a 2-21 combined record against the top four teams from each conference.

And the offseason response to that?

“Continuity’’ with a splash of veterans Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic, and then the addition of first-round pick Dalen Terry in the June draft.

Yes, vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley felt that the sample size of this core group wasn’t enough, and they wanted to give it one more look, hoping to stay healthy this time around.

A gamble? No doubt, but one that the front office was willing to take considering the contract situations of their version of the “Big Three’’ in Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic. While LaVine signed a max extension, DeRozan comes off the books after the 2023-24 season, while Vucevic could be an unrestricted free agent following this year.

If it doesn’t work it’s an easy wipe. If it does then there is flexibility to add.

Either way, here is a look at the five most intriguing games to keep an eye on:

At Miami – Oct. 19 – Welcome to the opening game of the 2022-23 campaign, and doing so on South Beach. Oh by the way, Mr. Jimmy Butler will be testing that Bulls mettle quickly, with the Heat finding out just how physical and grinding this Bulls group can be. A great early obstacle for this roster to run head-on into.

At Milwaukee – Nov. 23 – The Bucks ended the dream for the Bulls last season – as faint as that dream really was – beating them in five games during the first-round playoff series. Expect Milwaukee to remain one of the Eastern Conference favorites, and if the Bulls want to be the men, they need to beat the men.

New York – Dec. 14 and Dec. 16 – It’s the weird two-game series against the same team, as the Bulls host Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks on a Wednesday and then Friday at the United Center. Thibodeau has made life very difficult for his former franchise since he was fired, and expect the same. On paper, the Bulls are more talented, but Thibodeau seldom cares about paper championships.

Philadelphia – Mar. 22 – This could be a crucial time in the standings, as the Bulls actually play in Philadelphia two days earlier, come home for yet another showdown with Bull-killer Joel Embiid, and then have to head out west for a three-game series in Portland and then against both Los Angeles teams.

Memphis – April 2 – A Sunday afternoon showdown with Ja Morant could be just what the doctor ordered to get the Bulls playoff ready – if they are even in that situation. Morant will be an MVP candidate this season, and could be looking to dot the i in Chicago that day.