Training camp hope goes beyond just the Bulls and the Advocate Center

The Eastern Conference takes its share of criticism, but that perception might not be reality. The Bulls are looking to improve, but so are eight other teams with a better argument.

There are times when John Paxson seemingly hears ghostly whispers out of some Iowa cornfield.

The Bulls’ vice president of basketball operations has maintained for years that his organization is indeed a destination place for big-name free agents, despite recent history screaming otherwise.

In Paxson’s mind, if he builds it they will come.

“I do think that when you establish yourself, as we’re trying to do right now as a relevant team again and as we get better positioning ourselves to have money when guys come up in the future, I think this will be a destination place,’’ Paxson said yet again this offseason. “We have to get to a point where we are playing for important things.’’

Therein lies the rub.

To play for important things, that means Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen taking huge jumps in talent, and more importantly, a fragile roster staying healthy. It’s the second that has been a problem in recent years.

And even if it all goes their way this season, it took 41 wins to grab the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs last season, which means the Bulls making at least a 19-game improvement.

That’s no easy accomplishment.

But with training camp starting on Monday, hope flutters throughout the Advocate Center. Unfortunately, hope will be fluttering in a lot of training camps throughout the conference this week, especially for the eight teams likely sitting ahead of the Bulls.

1. Milwaukee Bucks – Losing Nikola Mirotic and Malcolm Brogdon will hurt, but Kyle Korver, Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez are key vets that can help the Bucks from a depth standpoint. The championship window is open now on the Bucks, and they need to climb through it.

WHY THERE’S CAMP HOPE: Giannis Antetokunmpo continues to add to his already MVP-type repertoire, and now if he finds an outside jumper he becomes truly unguardable.

2. Philadelphia 76ers – Jimmy Butler may have been the “adult in the gym’’ during the playoffs, but even with his departure to South Beach, the addition of veteran All-Star Al Horford keeps the Sixers a threat to win the East.

WHY THERE’S CAMP HOPE: Tobias Harris was given an extension, and now has an entire season to get comfortable with his highly-talented teammates.

3. Boston Celtics – Few teams have the wing depth of Boston, with Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown each a threat to lead them in scoring from night to night.

WHY THERE’S CAMP HOPE: The locker room killer that is Kyrie Irving is now gone. Is Kemba Walker a better player than Irving? Not really. Is he a better teammate? Not even close. A resounding yes.

4. Toronto Raptors – The loss of Kawhi Leonard in free agency instantly put an end to a second title run by Toronto. That doesn’t mean they won’t be a playoff team, however, as Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol are a formidable trio.

WHY THERE’S CAMP HOPE: Siakam’s rise last season served notice, and now it’s time to see if the talented forward can take the next step.

5. Indiana Pacers – Stealing Brogdon from Milwaukee was genius, while Myles Turner is on the fringe of becoming a perennial All-Star.

WHY THERE’S CAMP HOPE: A no-nonsense team that will eventually get Victor Oladipo back from injury at some point.

6. Brooklyn Nets – On paper, the Nets should challenge for Eastern Conference supremacy next season with a healthy Kevin Durant.

WHY THERE’S CAMP HOPE: Irving sounds like a guy that realizes his mistakes as a leader and is finally willing to work on them.

7. Miami Heat – Coach Erik Spoelstra can fall out of bed and win 40 games each year, and now with Butler on board with a hard-playing cast, well, expect South Beach to be back in the playoffs.

WHY THERE’S CAMP HOPE: Pat Riley is seemingly never done adding. Chris Paul, c’mon down!

8. Atlanta Hawks – Like the Bulls, the Hawks are knee-deep in a rebuild. However, the one in Atlanta feels a little bit ahead of where the Bulls are, thanks to the second-half emergence of Trae Young at the point guard spot.

WHY THERE’S CAMP HOPE: Putting up 22.9 points and 9.0 assists per game over the last 39 contests served notice that Young is legit. If he can do that over the entire season? Lookout.