Post Mortem #11 - Chicago Bulls

[Dan Z]

Performing as expected on the treadmill.

I will say it's good they moved on from their DeRozan/LaVine core and while I'm not surprised, it is a step in the right direction for them to realize that those stars were literally not having an impact for the team.

They absolutely need to fire Arturas at GM, and then they need to let their new GM pick his coach.

Donovan got a contract extension. I bet he's here to stay (at least for awhile).

[Dan Z]

I feel for CHI fans because they're a great market but cheap ownership that just tries to get a cash grab from meaningless Playoff appearances.

If they would just embrace tanking for a couple of years or so, get some elite young talent I don't think it would take that much to start gaining some interest from good players again but ownership just refuses to. It's crazy because when I was kid I like almost everyone else at the time was a diehard MJ fan and the franchise was considered one of the "premier" franchises of the league something like how the Warriors are now, and now it feels like those 2 have swapped places.

Although CHI is just as damn cold as TOR, they should be one of the top markets that players think of but really due to their mismanagement they've mainly been an afterthought. It's a shame what a once proud franchise they were has been for the better part of the past 2-3 decades. But maybe SIlver gifts them Flagg this year, it would be a nice play by the league to "rebuild" one of their historically better markets. Chicago as a whole in a way is one of the most slept on markets that really need to be tapped into again. Really the biggest thing that needs to be changed is ownership (period).

I agree...Bulls need new ownership.

They easily could've tank this year and ended up around the 5th spot (where Philly is). In the recent past they could've tanked too, but decided to do things like sign Beverely late in the season to make a run.

[BasketballAnon]

The Bulls are gonna live off the 90's until these owners go away. They don't try to make any big moves and they don't have the greatest development. They are just going to need a star to fall into their laps and I don't know how likely that is to happen.

[Michael Jackson]

The Bulls are gonna live off the 90's until these owners go away. They don't try to make any big moves and they don't have the greatest development. They are just going to need a star to fall into their laps and I don't know how likely that is to happen.

They have tried big moves and failed horribly. Krause literally set the blueprint of a big 3 up trying to get TMac, Hill and McGrady. It was an embarrassing outcome I mean embarrassing beyond belief. It was a forward idea just horribly executed. They went all in on Lebron, Wade and Bosh and that team would have had Noah and Rose as the other starters with Deng as a sixth man, plus woukd still have been in line to draft butler the next year. It would have been a better team than Miami, but Riley is a much better salesman and the Heat have a much better culture (although the Bulls arguably had a great culture at that time). Chasing Carmelo another embarrassment. So they will try and they will spend too but only for things guaranteed to sell tickets. Where the team is abysmally cheap is on the infrastructure in the FO. Last to have an analytics team etc…. Last to catch up to all trends. Smaller staffs. Inability to fire coaches and FO that just aren’t working, risk adverse. Consistently overpaying bums and being too loyal.

Interetingly Reinsdorf is working with the Ishbia’s on the White Sox (Justin not Mat as the primary) but then again look at all of Mat’s spending in Phoenix and bold moves have been not so good either so just new ownership isn’t a great thing. You really need a good culture. The one thing the Bulls and post Jordan that was a good culture was Thibs and that was the one time that Jerry actually interfered and fired a coach. Like wtf. Paxson was better at treadmilling than AK as he always at least had flexibility.

If Private Equity were to buy the Bulls (likely) I see more of the same as Jerry ran it like a PE owner would before it was a thing. Just make the playoffs and have a market that is big enough to sustain selling out the UC. Live off the GLOBAL brand of the Bulls that Jordan created. I really don’t know what the solution is. The way that the caps are structured anymore the only chance is getting a generational guy by luck (likely Rose) and build around it and hope like Rose he doesn’t fall apart. None of that is in the future unless the lottery is rigged for say Cooper or something in the future.

[Jamaaliver]

Watch on YouTube

[doogie_hauser]

Sadly for Bulls fans, their owner and his kids make an absolute fortune from tickets and merchandise sales. Absolutely no incentive for them to sell unless Jerry has a Donald Sterling type scandal which seems unlikely

[vxmike]

Sadly for Bulls fans, their owner and his kids make an absolute fortune from tickets and merchandise sales. Absolutely no incentive for them to sell unless Jerry has a Donald Sterling type scandal which seems unlikely

I think the Bulls are the only franchise where the owner actually uses the team for income. Reinsdorf is by far the poorest owner in the league I think other than maybe the Buss family which benefits from a huge market and local TV deal. Pretty much every other owner is exceptionally wealthy and doesn’t rely on the team for income.

[doogie_hauser]

Sadly for Bulls fans, their owner and his kids make an absolute fortune from tickets and merchandise sales. Absolutely no incentive for them to sell unless Jerry has a Donald Sterling type scandal which seems unlikely

I think the Bulls are the only franchise where the owner actually uses the team for income. Reinsdorf is by far the poorest owner in the league I think other than maybe the Buss family which benefits from a huge market and local TV deal. Pretty much every other owner is exceptionally wealthy and doesn’t rely on the team for income.

Doesn't Reinsdorf own one of the Chicago MLB teams too ?

I tend to think franchises with multiple/couple of majority owners like the Celtics and OKC

[Ice Man]

The Bulls were 24th in the NBA in salaries paid this year. On the other hand, Indy was 22nd and OKC was 25th. So, I have a hard time with the argument that a primary reason for the Bulls' meh-ness is because the Bulls are cheap.

[ChettheJet]

keeping the GM/VP and coach, played as expected 3/4 of the season, over performed the 15-5 to end, they ended up as an improving team.

forget the play in it was one game

It wasn't Zach Lavine's lack of defense it was that there were times when he was hot he forgot there were 4 other guys out there. Giddey didn't want to assert himself and White isn't a PG.

When he was gone Giddey had control over the basketball, White became the primary scorer, Vucevic ended up in the paint more often, Buzelis started to understand what to do. The new guys Huerter, Collins and Jones developed a feeling for how things were going and fit in without forcing their hand or shots. Lonzo Ball healed his knee and looked whole, he sat out the end of the year with a bad wrist but had the Bulls been contenders I think maybe he would have played.

Barring trades that must be made, everybody but Jones is going to be back. They have the #12 pick. Vucevic is the last one left of the plan that failed, he's got to move on. You don't know what comes back for him. they've got to resign RFA Giddey, Jones is an UFA who I would like to bring back. Terry is likewise a RFA, they look at next summer with Huerter, Collins, White, Dosunmu, Carter, as UFA all but Carter could come back

What they need most is not the biggest name, highest paid guys, it's solid two way players who can play like a team to contribute for the future core, Giddey, Buzelis, #12, maybe White maybe Williams, maybe Dosunmu,maybe Huerter

Next summer is when they should make the big moves trades and cap space, this summer they need to draft and shift some players but not mess up what they have next summer