David Kaplan: There will be meaningful change after this season

[Am2626]

I mean we all know whats going to happen. Pax "retires" and they replace him with Doug Collins.

That this a lot better than just keeping things as is. Doug Collins while I don’t think has FO experience is well respected around the league and has a good basketball mind. It’s a big upgrade from Paxson in my opinion.

[Am2626]

If true, why wait? Someone explain to me the benefits of waiting until the end of the year?

I'd think letting the new GM (or whatever the leader is) see now things are running and evaluating the current regime the rest of the year would be valuable. There are likely good people employed right now. Let the new executive come in and evaluate the culture, employees and players BEFORE the offseason.

Are you saying hire a new FO to oversee GarPax and then replace them at the end of the year? How is that possible?

[TheSuzerain]

Collins would be awful.

[umfan83]

Bulls probably still have an iffy reputation around the league. If the Bulls wanted to change that reputation, you can sell the fact that the 2 biggest reasons for this perception (Jerry Reinsdorf and GarPax) are gone. Now who to sell this to? Possibly a superstar player who would never consider the Bulls as they stand right now that is from Chicago and has been intentionally coy about his upcoming FA?

Edit: Yes Jerry is technically not "gone" but for all intents he is. And yes Michael has been running the show for several years but he has yet to really deviate from Jerry's path for unexplained reasons. Canning GarPax and hiring someone from the outside would be a major deviation that would signal Michael stepping out from his father's shadow and taking the reigns

[TheSuzerain]

A meaningful change would be to tell Finance that we will be making less profit this coming season.

And signing off on max spending. And spending on getting accomplished coaches.

This is all money related. Has got nothing to do with the FO.

You can replace one guard dog with another, the rancher is still the same

Almost every GM out there has to operate within certain boundaries their owner has laid out. Reinsdorf's not unique in that way. A different guard dog is necessary because the team building lacks creativity and innovation. Unless Reinsdorf is preventing them from making trades/pursuing stars, then he's not the only problem.

The Bulls operate like a mid market team. Knowing that they could be one of the highest spenders out there is disappointing. I will stick forever with my mantra that the Bulls are cheap.

With that said, JR gives his FO a tremendous amount of leeway. He isn't Jerry Jones micromanaging the team. He didn't force the Bulls to hire Hoiberg, Boylen, etc. He didn't demand that they sign Thad Young. Draft Doug Mcdermott. The bad decisions of the past 8 years or so are on Gar and/or Paxson.

Just look at the draft. Here is a team of players that was on the board for Chicago from 2012 to 2017:
PG Malcolm Brogdon
SG Donovan Mitchell
SF Kyle Anderson
PF Draymond Green / Larry Nance
C Jokic / Gobert

Its not realistic to expect a FO to hit on 100% of their picks but they are getting close to hitting on 0% of their picks since Butler/Mirotic. That's not on Reinsdorf.

It partially is. Our analytics department is run by a journalism major.

They won't pay to attend Euro scouting camps either.

The Bulls cheapness is probably most harmful not in the refusal to pay players but in a complete lack of investment in an infrastructure of basketball decision-making.

[Jcool0]

I mean we all know whats going to happen. Pax "retires" and they replace him with Doug Collins.

That this a lot better than just keeping things as is. Doug Collins while I don’t think has FO experience is well respected around the league and has a good basketball mind. It’s a big upgrade from Paxson in my opinion.

Staying with who you know is how we got Paxson for 17 years.

[Friend_Of_Haley]

Collins would be awful.

Collins would be fine as an advisor to Michael to help guide the next selection. He knows enough about the league and enough about the Bulls to help guide the process. Probably better than Michael just going it in his own.

[Am2626]

I would think they'd keep Pax, and let the new GM take the blame for next coach (assuming he replaces Kingpin)

If they decide to keep Paxson they would have to “Kenny Williams” him. I don’t want him interfering in any way with the decisions of this team. It’s better just to remove him from the organization.

[Mech Engineer]

Collins would be awful.

It's like digging up the corpse of Red Auerbach and putting him in the GM's chair because he was successful in the 50s and he was a pioneer in a lot of things.

[Am2626]

Bulls probably still have an iffy reputation around the league. If the Bulls wanted to change that reputation, you can sell the fact that the 2 biggest reasons for this perception (Jerry Reinsdorf and GarPax) are gone. Now who to sell this to? Possibly a superstar player who would never consider the Bulls as they stand right now that is from Chicago and has been intentionally coy about his upcoming FA?

Edit: Yes Jerry is technically not "gone" but for all intents he is. And yes Michael has been running the show for several years but he has yet to really deviate from Jerry's path for unexplained reasons. Canning GarPax and hiring someone from the outside would be a major deviation that would signal Michael stepping out from his father's shadow and taking the reigns

I just don’t think Michael Reinsdorf has it in him to be able to do that. He’s not the next Rocky Wirtz.

[TheSuzerain]

No former players or coaches.

[Friend_Of_Haley]

I would think they'd keep Pax, and let the new GM take the blame for next coach (assuming he replaces Kingpin)

If they decide to keep Paxson they would have to “Kenny Williams” him. I don’t want him interfering in any way with the decisions of this team. It’s better just to remove him from the organization.

Pax tried to leave once before. I don't think you have to Kenny Williams him. Worst case you can paint the picture for him and hell figure out its time for him to step down, and then accept his resignation. The old mutual agree to part ways cop out.

[madvillian]

The team needs a full reboot again and they are starting with virtually no assets. It might take a new GM a looooooooong time to fix this.

All of our picks, no bad long term contracts, and the youngest team in the league.
Not sure its as bad as you say. Could be better, sure, but also could be a lot worse. The reason we have a bleak outlook is our management/ownership/coaching, less so the players.

yea but ask knicks fans: players come and go, but **** management makes the players irrelevant.

Short of lucking into a Derrick Rose level impact draft pick I don't see how GarPax leads the Bulls to anything but mediocrity at best.

[blumeany]

According to my source (which is myself, having watched the Bulls for 35 years):

1. John Paxson will be promoted to 'Double-Secret Executive Vice President Of Basketball Operations'
2. Gar Forman will be promoted to 'Definitely not the GM'
3. The last guy Gar went fishing with will be named GM
4. Jim Boylen will be let go, after a bare-knuckle boxing match with John Paxson
5. Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf will proceed with an exhaustive search of head coaching candidates that will include such notables as every player who has ever worn a Bulls uniform
6. Ticket prices will be increasing to reflect the excitement of the upcoming season

[johnnyvann840]

According to my source (which is myself, having watched the Bulls for 35 years):

1. John Paxson will be promoted to 'Double-Secret Executive Vice President Of Basketball Operations'
2. Gar Forman will be promoted to 'Definitely not the GM'
3. The last guy Gar went fishing with will be named GM
4. Jim Boylen will be let go, after a bare-knuckle boxing match with John Paxson
5. Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf will proceed with an exhaustive search of head coaching candidates that will include such notables as every player who has ever worn a Bulls uniform
6. Ticket prices will be increasing to reflect the excitement of the upcoming season

Your signature says it all. I've been looking at that sig since the Hoiberg hiring and nodding in agreement to myself every time I've see it. Saw this coming five years ago when Fred's name was first mentioned and you could see the FO starting their media campaign against Thibs.

[Michael Jackson]

Masai. Make it happen.

I'd take a full week off of work and just run the streets of Chicago in joy if this ever were to happen. No chance though, he's too smart to come here and Reinsfdorf probably doesn't even know his name. I expect Gar to get the axe, Paxson to stay maybe a title change, a new stooge who's a yes man to replace Gar and little to no change in overall team building philosophy.

Actually he would be smart to come here. Better situation than Toronto market wise by a long shot. Jerry doesn’t meddle either which is almost a downfall of his to an extent. Look at what Rick Hahn has been able to do the past couple seasons. Hell look at what Paxson was allowed to do going after Lebron, Wade and Bish also with Melo. Masai would be able to close deals that Paxson couldn’t. He much like Theo would be an instant hero if he could turn things around. Yeah Jerry is cheap but he isn’t opposed to spending money like he would have on Bron/Wade or Rose/Melo. He just won’t pay tax for something that isn’t a winner. Masai can build a winner.

[Mech Engineer]

According to my source (which is myself, having watched the Bulls for 35 years):

1. John Paxson will be promoted to 'Double-Secret Executive Vice President Of Basketball Operations'
2. Gar Forman will be promoted to 'Definitely not the GM'
3. The last guy Gar went fishing with will be named GM
4. Jim Boylen will be let go, after a bare-knuckle boxing match with John Paxson
5. Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf will proceed with an exhaustive search of head coaching candidates that will include such notables as every player who has ever worn a Bulls uniform
6. Ticket prices will be increasing to reflect the excitement of the upcoming season

Your signature says it all. I've been looking at that sig since the Hoiberg hiring and nodding in agreement to myself every time I've see it. Saw this coming five years ago when Fred's name was first mentioned and you could see the FO starting their media campaign against Thibs.

A lot of us expected Hoiberg to fail with the space and pace crap. Some fans believed because they wanted the Warriors style basketball and thought Thibs was holding the Bulls back. That's what Paxson believed too and a lot of people including Jerry trusted Paxson on his basketball knowledge as something which will carry over for multiple decades.

[Michael Jackson]

Michael Reinsdorf will be the one conducting the interviews.

That info right there is all that you need to know. It will be a bust signing. Michael is the same clown who’s happy with GarPax and the rebuilding process to this point until Uncle Jerry wakes up from his slumber and pimp slaps Michael on the head.

That’s my gut I don’t trust MR but his public statements mean nothing they are exactly that just basic boiler plate statements. I think he is a silver spoon dolt but I don’t think he has made a decision yet, so this would be the first we actually get to judge him on. Maybe he surprises us, yet I wouldn’t bet on it.

[Dominator83]

I listen to ESPN 1000 every day during work, and Kap keeps saying today that there will be meaningful change in the front office according to sources close to the team that he knows.

And this time, they won't just hire someone they know. Michael will apparently go outside the org and interview new voices.

Now I guess we can believe it when we see it, but if true that is absolutely GREAT news.

I would love this. but to steal Kap's phrase, NO SHOT

[Repeat 3-peat]

I sure hope so. This team is a dumpster fire right now, nothing enjoyable about this team, no players outside of WCJ and Gafford are fun to root for. I want a complete re-haul of a rebuild with another front office running things.


Also, please don't tease me with the Masai Ujiri possibility, no way that happens but my god, if it did.....Toronto under Masai is a talent developing machine, had Kawhi stayed they would repeat as champions Imo.