Chicago Bulls = The Leagues Newest Treadmill Team?

[Hairtrax]

I wish this "all or nothing" philosophy peddled by the quants could be driven out of sports and especially the NBA. Watching the Bulls compete season after season against all odds is one of the best things about today's league and I'd rather be them than 76ers no matter how much success their shameful plunge may or might not yield.

And yet your signature reads "Anything for Embiid."

[flash22]

Were not the pacers considered a treadmill team 2 years ago?

[Slava]

I wish this "all or nothing" philosophy peddled by the quants could be driven out of sports and especially the NBA. Watching the Bulls compete season after season against all odds is one of the best things about today's league and I'd rather be them than 76ers no matter how much success their shameful plunge may or might not yield.

And yet your signature reads "Anything for Embiid."

Do you even sarcasm bro?

[FreeChef]

Definitely a treadmill team. I don't know why so many on this thread are faking incredulity ("preposterous! we're more locked and loaded than anyone else! we're going to sign every free agent this summer! rose is going to come back and add even five more inches to his vertical. OP, how dare you!") when there's a constant strain of pessimism on the Bulls board. For goodness sake, the mods on the board have to enforce a "no more tanking threads" rule--if you have enact that kind of policy, I'd say the team sits squarely in the realm of mediocrity.

Not saying they don't play hard and don't play an honorable style of bball. They just fit the definition of treadmill to a tee.

[Hairtrax]

Do you even sarcasm bro?

Sorry, but I can't really understand what you just wrote. I'm assuming English is your second language, so I mean no disrespect. But I think the grammar in that sentence needs some work.

My point was that you can't knock tanking if you hope that your team tanks hard enough to draft Embiid.

[coldfish]

If Rose is done as a high level player, the Bulls are screwed. Even tanking won't really help as it would be years before they could completely rebuild after Rose was off the books.

If Rose comes back as most of what he was before, the Bulls will be a top 5 team next year. Chicago has a ton of ability to improve itself. You might be able to add something like two picks in the mid teens, lance stephenson, derrick rose and nikola mirotic to a team that wins close to 50 games this year.

[Palmeirense]

1/3rd of your examples of a 'treadmill team' literally won the nba championship

And the nets made the finals twice.

[Slava]

Do you even sarcasm bro?

Sorry, but I can't really understand what you just wrote. I'm assuming English is your second language, so I mean no disrespect. But I think the grammar in that sentence needs some work.

My point was that you can't knock tanking if you hope that your team tanks hard enough to draft Embiid.

Well.. if my team was remotely close to the playoffs I would not even want us playing for the lottery, I pay money for NBA TV not to watch my team getting trounced while peddling D-leaguers on the floor.

The Lakers do not have an option, we have $39 million worth of talent in street clothes for 95% of the season and we barely even had 5 healthy guys on most nights.

[Hairtrax]

Well.. if my team was remotely close to the playoffs I would not even want us playing for the lottery, I pay money for NBA TV not to watch my team getting trounced while peddling D-leaguers on the floor.

The Lakers do not have an option, we have $39 million worth of talent in street clothes for 95% of the season and we barely even had 5 healthy guys on most nights.

But don't you think it's kind of messed up that the Lakers are purposely benching Kobe and Nash just so they can get a higher draft pick?

[Slava]

Well.. if my team was remotely close to the playoffs I would not even want us playing for the lottery, I pay money for NBA TV not to watch my team getting trounced while peddling D-leaguers on the floor.

The Lakers do not have an option, we have $39 million worth of talent in street clothes for 95% of the season and we barely even had 5 healthy guys on most nights.

But don't you think it's kind of messed up that the Lakers are purposely benching Kobe and Nash just so they can get a higher draft pick?

Lakers are not purposefully benching anyone. If Kobe/Nash were fit they would be playing. Its never been the attitude of the franchise and this is what our GM had to say when asked if he wanted to get below the luxury tax apron at the deadline:

"I think the expression would be a 'salary dump.' That's not what this organization will do. If we could get picks or players that we felt good about going forward, then we would have done that. But we had opportunities to go below the threshold and we wouldn't do it."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakersnow ... z2vCPLhAzA

[aol4532]

If they're a treadmill team, then they're the most dangerous treadmill team in the league. If they signed Melo, who looks like he can play well into his late 30s(skilled player with no knee injuries), it's going to be trouble for the rest of the league.

In fact, they're another example of why you need to raise the maximum salary to 30 million. Melo, Rose, Noah, and Butler(All-Star player in the making), Mirotic look like a continuation of the Heat, once the Heat get old.

[CBS7]

The Bulls have an injured superstar, some decent young talent, and a lot of assets moving foward (picks, Mirotic, ability to amnesty one of their largest contracts, possible cap space this year), and they're still winning. They aren't anywhere close to a treadmill team.

[baubo]

Do you think of the Hawks as a treadmill team? The Bulls in the past decade have exactly one extra playoff series win than the Hawks(4 vs. 3). Neither have made the finals. And no one ever thought the Hawks were more than a treadmill team with the good luck of being in the East.

bulls were terrible at the start of that decade but have been pretty good last 4-5 seasons. what is your definition of a treadmill team? only 7 teams have won it all last 17 years or so. so are all other 20+ teams "treadmill team"?

I don't have a definition because I honestly don't care. But I do know that fans talk about the Hawks teams as being treadmill. I put these two teams in the same level.

[anthonys2r]

If the Bulls are a treadmill team, then they are running on the level 10 setting.

[heatwillbeback]

It's weird

The are contenders IMO if Rose is healthy, but even with rose healthy they do cost cutting moves and don't like being in the luxury tax.

You are in fn Chicago, pay whatever is needed. That's what I don't get.

[Number13Beast]

The bulls missed the playoffs 2 times in the last decade. A treadmill they are not.

I thought a treadmill team made the playoffs one year then didn't then did then didn't etc.

[ChiCitySPORTS#1]

It's weird

The are contenders IMO if Rose is healthy, but even with rose healthy they do cost cutting moves and don't like being in the luxury tax.

You are in fn Chicago, pay whatever is needed. That's what I don't get.

No they don't. They were in the luxury tax when he signed his new contract. We only now made a move (trade Deng) to get out of the tax this year (while Rose is out) because we will likely get back in it next year when he's playing while also avoiding the repeating tax.

The stigma that the Bulls are cheap is wrong...they're just smart and realistic with their current circumstances.

[whocurrz]

I originally thought maybe the OP was tying to bait people but the more I think about it, his words hold some truth. Now they are more of a good treadmill team and not a perennial 7-10 seed with a late lotto pick, but their FO often seems very conservative. Before they got Rose they were a good team but didn't look like a championship contender and looked like they were entering treadmill territory until they lucked into Rose. Since getting Rose they haven't added much to help him out. Again they're a very good team but not yet taking any big risks. I know being patient is good but there's no way there haven't been moves on the table through the years that could have helped the team. FA could help them out but I don't think trading a disgruntled Deng who wants to be paid more to free up capspace or letting him walk to try to go for a guy like Melo is any big risk.

This year seemed like a good time to tank which their FO did try to do but the combination of Thibs and enough talent to not out-tank some of the abominations of teams. I think this summer is another key one for the Bulls who haven't made many moves since signing Boozer (which didn't work out the best and led to a good but not great team). They look like they're trying to make moves again but this time need good luck in the health department from Rose which wasn't going their way the last few years, and good health from whatever player it is they add to compliment him, or else they could become a bit more of the traditional treadmill team.

[Cliff Levingston]

It's weird

The are contenders IMO if Rose is healthy, but even with rose healthy they do cost cutting moves and don't like being in the luxury tax.

You are in fn Chicago, pay whatever is needed. That's what I don't get.

Spending doesn't mean winning, otherwise the Knicks would have dominated the last decade while the Nets take over from here on out. The Bulls try to be smart with who they give big contracts to. It doesn't always work out exactly as planned though.

It all boils down to Rose's injuries. After the Bulls lost to the Heat in '11 playoffs, they added Rip Hamilton who was a legit offensive presence at the 2 and the Bulls played outstanding that season, especially Rose (when healthy) who had improved his all-around game a lot from the year prior. He tore his ACL and those playoffs were over. The next season, he missed the playoffs again still recovering. Even if he returned, the Bulls probably would've lost cause he would've been severely rusty. Then you have this year, Rose tore his meniscus and out again.

You could apply this to OKC of late with injuries to Westbrook. Not even the Heat could suffer an injury to their second best player, let alone their first, and expect to have a great shot at winning a title. That's basically the Bulls the last two playoffs and now this upcoming one.

Cliff Levingston was all aboard the tank train when Rose went down but it's been great to watch Noah play like a superstar, Taj Gibson become somewhat of an offensive force and see Jimmy Butler become somewhat of a Luol Deng version 2. As said by other posters, the Bulls have financial flexibility, Mirotic and picks in hand to improve the team going forward. They're in great shape going forward assuming Rose can come back and play just really well, not even necessarily be a superstar.

[FreeChef]

It's weird

The are contenders IMO if Rose is healthy, but even with rose healthy they do cost cutting moves and don't like being in the luxury tax.

You are in fn Chicago, pay whatever is needed. That's what I don't get.

Spending doesn't mean winning, otherwise the Knicks would have dominated the last decade while the Nets take over from here on out. The Bulls try to be smart with who they give big contracts to. It doesn't always work out exactly as planned though.

It all boils down to Rose's injuries. After the Bulls lost to the Heat in '11 playoffs, they added Rip Hamilton who was a legit offensive presence at the 2 and the Bulls played outstanding that season, especially Rose (when healthy) who had improved his all-around game a lot from the year prior. He tore his ACL and those playoffs were over. The next season, he missed the playoffs again still recovering. Even if he returned, the Bulls probably would've lost cause he would've been severely rusty. Then you have this year, Rose tore his meniscus and out again.

You could apply this to OKC of late with injuries to Westbrook. Not even the Heat could suffer an injury to their second best player, let alone their first, and expect to have a great shot at winning a title. That's basically the Bulls the last two playoffs and now this upcoming one.

Cliff Levingston was all aboard the tank train when Rose went down but it's been great to watch Noah play like a superstar, Taj Gibson become somewhat of an offensive force and see Jimmy Butler become somewhat of a Luol Deng version 2. As said by other posters, the Bulls have financial flexibility, Mirotic and picks in hand to improve the team going forward. They're in great shape going forward assuming Rose can come back and play just really well, not even necessarily be a superstar.

A lot of tenuous assumptions here. Perhaps even *brittle.*

But to the point of the thread: having a debatably rosy future, doesn't change the reality of now. This team is neither a contender nor a lottery team, despite what the seedings tell you in a dreadful eastern conference. This no man's land of mediocrity is exactly the domain of a "treadmill team."

Maybe they're an inspiring, hope-inducing "treadmill team", or a "treadmill team on level 10," but they are what they are, no threat at the moment to win the East, no threat to land someone big in the draft lottery.