The Bulls are the Cavs’ biggest rival for the next 5 years

Who will be better over the next 5 years, the Cavs or Bulls?

Ahhh…..here comes the drum roll. Who has the brightest five-year outlook, the Cavaliers or Bulls?

To me, I do lean the Cavs here. Garland, Mobley, Allen, Sexton and/or LeVert and Okoro would seem to be a hell of a young core to build with for Cleveland going forward, and while we’ll have to see if a significant trade is made at some point, the Cavaliers could be a force in the East for the foreseeable future.

This group for the Wine and Gold, if they can avoid serious injury for the most part, would seem to be just getting started, and whether Garland or Mobley become “the” guy, per se, Cleveland should be in great shape.

In five years from now, Garland will be potentially at his career peak and 27, and the same goes for Mobley, who could maybe not be there *quite yet at then 25, and of the aforementioned players we hit on, LeVert would be the only one over 30. It’s tough to say if he’ll be around then, though, given the injuries he’s had, and it’s difficult to know what his 32-year-old prospects will be.

Granted, in terms of the Bulls’ perspective in this instance, I foresee them still being a factor in the East in coming years themselves, if they can be reasonably healthy.

Now, as we touched on, DeRozan is not exactly a spring chicken, but he looks to have plenty in the tank. He’ll be 37 in five years, though, and LaVine, who has had some key injuries in his career, will be getting up there then at 32, and can Caruso and Ball be healthy, for the most part, in the near future? That will be crucial for Chicago’s defense, I’d imagine, and the same goes for Williams, who has missed of this season due to a wrist injury.

Looking onward, does Dosunmu potentially take over long term as Chicago’s starting 1 for Ball, as an aside? Maybe so, and his chemistry with DeRozan and others has gotten progressively better as the season has worn on.

Projecting what’s to come from here, while these two Central Division foes are likely just getting started in their return to contention, I do believe the Cavaliers will eventually overtake the Bulls in the East’s landscape. But the perimeter talent of Chicago can’t be overlooked, and there is still some uncertainty regarding Cleveland’s wing situation to come.

However, no matter what plays out, I personally believe the Bulls’ could very well be the Cavs’ biggest rival for the next five years to come, and that’s also partly due to the history between these two clubs. Michael Jordan haunted the Cavaliers back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and LeBron James flipped the script during his two stints with Cleveland.