Chicago Bulls: Butler, Wade, Lopez make SI.com's Top 100

Throughout the course the week, SI.com has been releasing its fourth annual top 100 NBA players list. This year’s edition includes three representatives from the Chicago Bulls: Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade and Robin Lopez.

To the surprise of no one, the Bulls alpha-dog, Jimmy Butler, was the highest-ranked player for Chicago at 16. This is an improvement from last year where he was named the 18th-best player of 2016 by SI.com.

Not to mention, Butler is inching closer and closer toward that ever so elusive top-10 ranking. According to the SI.com rankings, the only players who are standing between Butler and the top-10 are Paul Millsap (15), Kyle Lowry (14), Draymond Green (13), DeMarcus Cousins (12) and LaMarcus Aldridge (11).

Coming in next for the Bulls was Dwyane Wade at No. 32. Opposite from Butler, Wade fell two spots from his 2016 ranking.

Honestly, being ranked at 32 should come as an enormous compliment to D-Wade. It would be quite an accomplishment to have hardly any sort of decline at the age of 34.

The lowest-ranked Bulls player on this list was Robin Lopez at No. 82 after not making the list a season ago. Obviously, SI.com believes that Bulls fans will be pleasantly surprised with Lopez this year.

Oddly enough, Lopez made SI.com’s top 100, but missing from the list was former Bulls point guard Derrick Rose. After the buzz-worthy offseason deal, there is an apparent link between Lopez and Rose.

Si.com writer Ben Golliver addresses a comparison between Lopez and Rose in his breakdown of Robin Lopez.

Golliver notes that, “[Lopez] fared better than Derrick Rose in PER, Win Shares and Real Plus Minus in 2015-16.”

Also, it is important to note that Taj Gibson fell out of the top 100 after being ranked 90th a season ago.

You can find the entire list here.