Fans who missed out on watching the Bulls season opener in New Orleans because their cable provider or streaming service doesn’t carry Chicago Sports Network can relax.

You didn’t miss too much.

When Zach LaVine hit five straight 3-pointers in the first half and analyst Stacey King was in midseason, get-your-role-buttered form, it looked like the lack of urgency by CHSN to get a deal done was going to bite the new network, which risked starting the 2024-25 season without games being available on Comcast, YouTube, Fubo and other providers. How many Bulls fans would be complaining Thursday if LaVine went off for 50 points in a Bulls win?

But instead, the Bulls fell apart in the second half and committed 21 turnovers in a 123-111 loss to the Pelicans, looking a lot like the rebuilding team most expected.

Wednesday’s opener in New Orleans was the eighth Bulls or Blackhawks regular-season game so far that was lost to a large segment of viewers due to the ongoing carriage dispute. But more importantly, it was the first game for the Bulls, a more popular franchise than the Hawks — and one that plays in a more popular league, the NBA.

For a lot of Chicago fans, no Hawks is no problem. But no Bulls? Big problem.

The Bulls play again Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks, and barring a late agreement, the “partial blackout” will continue. Even knowing it can happen anywhere, it’s still hard to believe a team from a great sports town like Chicago, much less two, would not be available to hundreds of thousands of potential viewers in an era when so many viewing options are available.

Fortunately, the reintroduction of that vintage technological marvel, the TV antenna, has made CHSN a realistic option for those of us within antenna range who also have a compatible TV and the right device.

It would be nice for the Bulls and Hawks to give away free antennas, as the Portland Trail Blazers recently did with 5,000 fans. But don’t hold your breath.

In the meantime, here’s what you missed from CHSN’s opening night of the Bulls regular season.

Where’s Will?

The CHSN pregame show was back with host Jason Goff and analyst Kendall Gill, both dressed to the nines and discussing the opening game outfits of Bulls players. It was a good move to bring them back, but one 7-foot-tall person was conspicuously absent. It made you wonder whether Will Perdue’s on-target analysis of the Bulls’ problems the last two seasons was a bit too on the mark for some in upper management. Perdue will be back on CHSN on occasion, but Wednesday’s absence was noticeable.

Bug Exterminator

The score bug was correctly nestled in the lower right-hand corner of the screen after a larger and more intrusive bug — with a vertical layout — was used in the preaseason opener. All that fan criticism on social media apparently paid off. The score bug should be as unobtrusive and simple as possible.

Hair today …

Pelicans’ Dejounte Murray shoots over the Bulls’ Josh Giddey during the fourth quarter at Smoothie King Center on Oct. 23, 2024. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Josh Giddey’s hair did not appear to move at all over the course of the night. Giddey appeared to move only slightly more than his hair did.

Adding to the hair-raising night, 20-year-old rookie Matus Buzelis made his first NBA appearance with a dramatic new business cut that made him look like any Gen-Z graduate on the first day of a new job. His first shot was an air ball, so things can only go up from here, Matus.

Drone watch

A drone that moved back and forth over the court was distracting to see on TV, though not to the players. Some viewers thought it was a spider on their screen or a remote control toy speeding across the court. There was nothing CHSN could do about it, though the Pelicans obviously need to fix that.

Flashback

“Oh, shades of ‘20-21,” Bulls play-by-play man Adam Amin shouted as LaVine slammed home a perfect lob from Lonzo Ball.

The return of Ball was perhaps the highlight of the night for the Bulls — and a good omen for a more watchable team. Too bad a minutes limit on Ball will make plays like that a rarity, at least for the start of the season.

Sacré bleu

Amin at long last was able to cash in on his French 101 class at Addison Trail High. He perfectly pronounced a French phrase at the end of the half when CSHN showed a clip of the French Quarter. Now he needs to teach King how to say “hot sauce” in French.

Halftime snack

Halftime was a good time to check out the box score on the ESPN app and make a “sammich.” But according to the app, the game was 0-0 with 3:59 left in the first quarter. Without CHSN or a box score on ESPN, do the Bulls even exist at this point?

Roll call

Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu drives to the basket between the Pelicans’ Herbert Jones and Javonte Green in the second half on Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The first official plea from King to “get some butter with that roll, Ayo,” was made in the third quarter. Dosunmu came off the bench, though you wonder how long that will last if the Bulls intend to run more, as coach Billy Donovan has insisted they will.

Real talk

Amin and King both lamented the “silly” turnovers by the Bulls while not harping on it. King also highlighted some poor shot selections by LaVine when he could’ve passed to an open Nikola Vučević inside, using the slow-motion replay to show why. Hopefully White Sox broadcaster John Schriffen was watching since he could learn something from the Bulls broadcast. You earn more credibility in Chicago by honestly pointing out the team’s mistakes.

Web mystery

During the game, Amin promoted the CHSN.com website and insider K.C. Johnson. But when you click on the website, it’s just a series of short videos, with no written content from Johnson, who was a prolific writer at the Tribune and at the former station’s website. The Bulls and CHSN need all the eyeballs they can get. Johnson still tweets information, but it’s crazy not to take advantage of his ability to report Bulls news and write features and analysis on a platform other than X.

Swift boating

Taylor Swift and her roadshow took up some of the hotel rooms in New Orleans, we were informed by Amin, who also revealed Bulls TV producer Marc Brady as a “Swiftie.” That report was unconfirmed as of Thursday.

Last call

Checked the ESPN app before bedtime to see the final stats. It’s a final: Bulls 81, Pelicans 80. Maybe this was all just a dream?

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/10/24/chsn-chicago-bulls-opening-broadcast/