Why Didn't We Rebuild?

[pipfan]

I know that we will have an entertaining team this year. I REALLY wanted us to blow it up, but we are must-see TV now at least. I understand the idea of using Wade and Butler to draw a top FA next summer. CP3 would make a pretender, at least.

But, other than the obvious financial reasons not to rebuild (ticket sales, local ratings)-is their League pressure on JR to keep us good. We are the #2 draw in the East still. With most top teams being out West, the league needs marquee teams in the East to put on TV. I figure, the League couldn't force JR to do something, but JR must be a company guy, and want to keep the League's $ train rolling.
The Bulls would still make good $ with a rebuilding team, but it would hurt the league.

Do you think that is a factor?

[greenl]

But, other than the obvious financial reasons not to rebuild

End it there. There are no other reasons. Much as we all might sometimes wish otherwise- it's a business. The NBA: "We keep you plastered to a chair for a few hours watching giant men throw a ball through a hoop so we can bombard you with advertisements and collect your money."

[TheEndIsNigh]

Basketball reasons. /s

[kulaz3000]

Some think building through the draft is easy and considering that we are Bulls fans we should know better. That's not to say it isn't a bad way to build a team but it involves a lot of luck, getting a high pick, but also in the right draft. On top of that does the actual play have the mental and emotional capacity to fulfill his potential, can he stay healthy etc. There are so many variables.

People may say that we built the team just to keep the team afloat and to continue to put butts in seats, this may be true, but only to a degree. We have the youth on our team, we also have draft picks which we haven't given away and cap flexibity to make moves on the fly due to our bigger contracts being short.

So essentially I think we are rebuilding but while being competitive, while also continuing to build the teams reputations as a place where big free agents can be happy and want to join.

[MrSparkle]

IMO this roster is still a rebuild, in a sense.

There are no big long-term contracts, so we're still in play for summer free agency the next 2 summers.

There are 6 rookie-salary players that the Bulls are trying to provide minutes for development. Getting an older guy like Wade actually helps in that regard, because there's no way he's playing 82 games and averaging more than 30 mpg, so Valentine/McDermott/Grant are going to get opportunities, unless they completely suck.

Lopez, Taj (at this point), Wade are solid vets, but they're not going to make a fuss about splitting their minutes with younger players.

Total opposite of last year's team, where you had 9 guys unhappy with their minutes and roles.

[JordansBulls]

We didn't need to because we now have a championship team the equivalent of the 1998 Bulls.

Rondo - Harper
Wade - MJ
Butler - Pippen
Taj/Niko - Rodman/Kukoc
Lopez - Longley

McDermott- Kerr
MCW - Brown/Burrell

[fleet]

#WhiteSoxplanReinsdorf

[DuckIII]

Shoulda. Didn't. Spent all summer complaining about it. Time for me to move on.

But I will say this, greenl. While on draft night I would have absolutely agreed with your finances is everything, position. The manner in which they've executed this ill-conceived "retool" suggests to me that it is based on a legitimate basketball plan, and not purely money.

Now, I still think its the wrong plan. But I see the basketball sense to it even though I consider it a mistake.

[Hangtime84]

#WhiteSoxplanReinsdorf

You know seeing what the Cubs did. I think that's why we went and got NBAdl team. I expect us to use it a lot

[kyrv]

I know that we will have an entertaining team this year. I REALLY wanted us to blow it up, but we are must-see TV now at least. I understand the idea of using Wade and Butler to draw a top FA next summer. CP3 would make a pretender, at least.

But, other than the obvious financial reasons not to rebuild (ticket sales, local ratings)-is their League pressure on JR to keep us good. We are the #2 draw in the East still. With most top teams being out West, the league needs marquee teams in the East to put on TV. I figure, the League couldn't force JR to do something, but JR must be a company guy, and want to keep the League's $ train rolling.
The Bulls would still make good $ with a rebuilding team, but it would hurt the league.

Do you think that is a factor?

The thread title asks a question, and you spent the OP answering it. Which, you did a good job. Nothing to add.

[Wurapuk]

Rebuilding means for Gar/Pax:

- Losing organization
- Build from ground up (takes much longer before you can start winning)
- Less revenue

All important factors.

If they started drafting well again picking solid players late in the draft (questionable from 2012-2014) then I agree rebuilding isn't needed.

[TheEndIsNigh]

Rebuilding is inherently risky. I get that. But there are ways to increase the probability of success of a rebuild. Honestly, I believe we were in a very unique position in regards to a potential full rebuild of our team this offseason. Next years draft is recognized as a very good one. Had we been able to trade Jimmy to the Celts for the 2017 Nets pick, and then tanked the heck out of this season we could have found ourselves with 2 top 5 picks in a very strong draft. That would have greatly increased the probability of a successful tank and rebuild strategy. Stringing together top picks in week drafts can certainly lead to extended periods of futility. Although it's still a crap shoot, having multiple top picks in a strong draft greatly increase the probability of a successful tank and rebuild. I don't know that we actually could have received the Nets 2017 for Jimmy, but I would have taken it for him straight up.

Those are odds on which I would roll the dice.

[GimmeDat]

Ownership want to rebuild on the fly without a dip in the middle, but we all know that you're not going to have a high ceiling without high picks, and this doesn't achieve that.

Just enjoy the next year or two and see how it pans out, I say. We could well be in for that rebuild in a season or two, potentially.

[jc23]

The pound was closed that day.

But seriously, i do feel the FO and ownership was scarred for what a rebuild would entail. It would takes years of good moves to get back to where we have been since 2009. And i also dont think they were very fond of the offerings for Jimmy. So the best move for them is get a few names to add to "this" season and see what happens. It gives them a bit more time to figure out a plan or perhaps fall into one.

I think the worse thing they could have done was to stand pat with only JImmy and be just good enough to not get a high lottery pick. With the new TV deal contracts being given out and Jimmy possibly improving this year i can see better offers for him next summer. If it looks like we will not be players in big time free agents next year maybe they then decide to rebuild.

[jc23]

I just hope that we either look like a playoff team the first half of the season or a bust (knick type) looking team. That way we can
be proactive regarding who we want to be in 2018.

[SlimD235]

We didn't need to because we now have a championship team the equivalent of the 1998 Bulls.

Rondo - Harper
Wade - MJ
Butler - Pippen
Taj/Niko - Rodman/Kukoc
Lopez - Longley

McDermott- Kerr
Snell - Brown/Burrell

Dude. Cmon man

[pipfan]

But, do you guys think the overall League factor plays a part? No sure of how it would work, but I see that playing a role-an attractive Bulls team helps the whole league bigtime

[Drellberg]

The problem with saying that the FO and ownership care only about money is that it ends up being tautological.

In hiring Wade and Rondo, what options did the FO foreclose? If these guys are such knuckleheads, how many more wins do they really bring, and how much higher of a first-round pick? If they turn out not to be knuckleheads, so that the FO can milk their successes in myriad ways (instilling a strong work ethic, bolstering Hoiberg, recruiting FAs next summer, mentoring the younger players, ...), is there any downside?

For those who are annoyed with the bulls' moves -- and virtually everyone who calls themselves and NBA expert is super critical -- I'll ask again, what options did these moves foreclose? I honestly can't think of even one.

I see this as a fascinating experiment that may or may not work but with ZERO cost to the bulls. To my way of thinking, it does not impede any plans to rebuild and serves as the most entertaining and potentially successful bridges to the future that I could ever imagine.

[sco]

I think the FO played the hand they were dealt about as well as it could be played.

1) They did swing for the fences by putting Jimmy out there as trade bait for some "win now" GM to throw the kitchen sink at. Nobody gave them an offer the Bulls couldn't refuse. This was the first branch of the decision tree to rebuild this offseason.

2) They decided that Rose was not going to be a core piece of the next group. They traded him for RoLo - a really good player on a great contract, plus a potential asset they liked in Grant plus filler.

3) They got rid of older guys like Pau, Noah, MDJ who weren't going to be part of the new core, freeing minutes up for current young guys to evaluate keepers.

4) They did what they could to make current team as competitive as possible bringing in Wade and Rondo on incredible contracts - basically giving them full ability to repeat next offseason, while at the same time giving themselves a shot to extend the window if they find gold among the existing crop of young guys this year.

5) They are stuck with Fred this year, and maybe next, but he is really just a puppet for Gar coaching the team. I really believe that the FO want to control line-ups and rotations and Fred will do that.

[Am2626]

But, other than the obvious financial reasons not to rebuild

End it there. There are no other reasons. Much as we all might sometimes wish otherwise- it's a business. The NBA: "We keep you plastered to a chair for a few hours watching giant men throw a ball through a hoop so we can bombard you with advertisements and collect your money."

Regardless of how bad this Bulls team is, they are never going to have an attendance issue. I don't see how rebuilding would make fans not come to the games.