Chicago Bulls 2016-17 NBA schedule

The NBA season is almost here, and the Chicago Bulls learned who they will be playing when the schedule dropped this afternoon

We are right around the corner from the NBA season starting, and while there are still a handful of months left before action gets underway, Thursday’s schedule release was a much needed treat for basketball fans everywhere.

To be fair, the Olympics are going on right now and that means Team USA basketball is giving us the fix that we usually don’t get this time of year. The last time we had summer basketball that everyone was this excited about was 2012, and you could argue that the 2014 FIBA qualifying was exciting as well.

Derrick Rose was on that team and he actually flourished in his first stretch of games back from his devastating knee injuries. But Rose is in New York now, and Chicago Bulls fans  flipping through the schedule today are likely looking for the date when he returns to the United Center.

Rose will probably be welcomed back with cheers as it wasn’t as though he was released and refused to sign with the Bulls. He was traded and fans blame the front office more so than they blame Rose.

That being said, the Bulls are trying to bounce back from a dismal season last year where they missed the playoffs and were a lottery team for the first time in a handful of years. They added Robin Lopez in a trade with the Knicks — to replace Joakim Noah — and signed Dwyane Wade to help be the veteran leader of the team.

The pieces are in place for the Bulls to have a bounce back season this year, but they had the tools to win last year and fell flat on their faces. You can check out the complete Chicago Bulls 2016-17 schedule here.

The Bulls season will tip-off at the end of October.