Can the Bulls beat the Celtics?
Wait, make that the 76ers.
Wait, make that the Bucks.
No, sorry, the Heat.
The Bulls will face one of those teams in the first round of the playoffs. No question about it, they will be underdogs. Their shoddy play of late — and all season against the strongest opponents — has seen to that.
In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on Twitter, we asked if you’d bet on or against the Bulls to make it to the second round. In what shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, most who voted would not.
“You cannot win with a 6-5 power forward and no backup point guard,” @RonaldVoigt4 commented.
Hey, is it Javonte Green’s fault he isn’t a whole lot taller?
We also asked if the White Sox should pony up with a long-term contract extension for veteran righty Lucas Giolito — who hasn’t exactly loved his offseason dealings with the front office — and how new general manager Ryan Poles is faring on the rebuilding-the-Bears front. On to the polls:
Poll No. 1: If you had to bet right now, would you bet on or against the Bulls to reach the second round of the playoffs?
Time again for our weekly “Polling Place” questions. Let us hear from you! Selected comments will appear in Saturday's paper.
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) March 24, 2022
Q1: If you had to bet right now, would you bet on or against the Bulls to reach the second round of the playoffs?
Upshot: What the heck, let’s let the good-vibers have their say. From @JBIRD1268: “If they can get over their fear of beating quality teams, they can go far.” And from @DeyoSahler: “Crunch-time scoring is crucial in the playoffs, and the Bulls have two of the league’s best options. I’m optimistic they’ll win at least one round.” We’re sure DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine appreciate the vote of confidence.
Poll No. 2: Should the White Sox commit to pitcher Lucas Giolito, who will be eligible for free agency in 2023, with a long-term deal?
Q2: Should the White Sox commit to pitcher Lucas Giolito, who will be eligible for free agency in 2023, with a long-term deal?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) March 24, 2022
Upshot: “Pay the man!” @Marie_Manning demanded, capturing the essence of what a large majority of Sox fans seem to be feeling. Giolito has ascended dramatically since coming to the South Side, but eventually the Sox will have to decide if they regard him as an ace — in the truest, fullest sense of the term — or not quite.
Poll No. 3: What’s your impression of new Bears general manager Ryan Poles based on his personnel moves so far?
Q3: What’s your impression of new Bears general manager Ryan Poles based on his personnel moves so far?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) March 24, 2022
Upshot: A whole bunch of pretty big names — Khalil Mack, Allen Robinson (and that’s just getting started) — have left the building. A whole bunch more are entering the Bears picture. Poles and his team are doing a lot of tinkering, which one supposes was the whole idea. “A nice, measured approach,” @JeffreyCanalia wrote. But @doczzt is more skeptical: “Poles may not be as good as the Chicago sports media portrayed him.” Dang media!
