The Bulls schedule for the 2009-2010 campaign was released last week, and lets just say things don’t look too pretty.  The Bulls open at home against the Spurs on October 29th, followed by a game the next night in Boston against the Celtics.  The Bulls have the most back-to-back games in the entire NBA at 23.  I mean I guess they are a young team but that can drain any squad.  Even though the schedule-makers are trying to make things difficult for the young Bulls, they also seem to think the Bulls are a watchable team, as TNT will be airing 9 of the Bulls games, only one less than the Cavs, and the same amount as LA and Boston.  Here’s a quick breakdown by month of the Bulls season schedule:

October/November: Not only do the Bulls play the Spurs, C’s, Heat, Cavs and Nuggets, those games don’t even include the wonderful 6-game road trip lovingly known as the Circus Trip.  With 9 of 13 on the road in November, and 10 of the first 15 against playoff teams, if the Bulls win 6-7 games out of these first 15 they will be in good shape.  Yeah, its that tough.

December: There are some winnable games here, with 11 of 15 being at home.  While teams like the Knicks (twice), the Kings, and the Warriors are teams the Bulls should beat, there are some tough tests like the Cavs, Celtics, Lakers, Hawks, and Hornets.  Oh and circle December 2 on your calendar, because that’s the first time Ben Gordon and the Pistons come to town.

January: Off the bat, this month looks doable.  Very few really tough opponents and a lot of bottom-feeders (Bobcats, Bucks, Timberwolves, Warriors, Clippers and Thunder).  Then I noticed the 7-game west coast swing to end the month.  Yikes, the Bulls don’t usually do too well with those.

February: 7 games at home and 7 on the road, with a few decent opponents but overall a very easy month.  Besides Philly, Orlando, Atlanta, Miami and Portland (which are all winnable, by the way), the rest of the teams are not really playoff teams, so the Bulls should be able to gain some ground.

March: Besides 2 games against the Grizzlies, the rest of 15 games are all against playoff opponents (or close to it, the Suns and Nets are possible playoff teams this coming season).  It will be a rough month for the Bulls, although the one saving grace is 9 of the 15 will be at the United Center.

April: Out of the 8 games this months, the Cavs and Celtics at home are the two toughest.  If the Bulls can come into April in solid position to make a run on the playoffs or jump a few seeds in the East, this April schedule should allow them to do just that.

Overall, the schedule is road-heavy during the first few months.  If the Bulls get off to a slow start, it will be understandable, but as long as they win the games they should, they have the talent to be a legitimate playoff team in the East.  Also, something to think about: if the Bulls struggle early-on (which seems possible given the schedule), will Vinny survive the winter?  Only time will tell, but my guess is that he cannot afford to lose too many games in 2009.

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Tags: Circus Trip, National Television, Schedule, Vinny Del Negro