thebizkit wrote:I'm really struggling to understand the direction this new front office is trying to take the Bulls in.
The Billy Donovan hiring signaled that this is not a rebuilding year, but the draft was definitely a rebuild type one. Listen, Williams may turn into a good player, but If we needed someone to contribute right away with a bright future, I really think Deni Avdija would have covered all those bases.
If we aren't rebuilding, then I kind of understand not trying to move Lavine or Lauri, but if we are trying to compete why the hell did we spend money on bringing Denzel Valentine back? Why spend money on a locker room guy in Garrett Temple? I understand the financial and roster limitations, but it's a hard pill to swallow when other teams with similar issues ARE making significant win now moves (Lakers).
Like I said before, I will fully trust this FO for one year before I make any harsh judgments, but man are they really making it hard right now.
Some points...
- There is a difference between building for a championship and building to make the playoffs. You don't go from not making the playoffs to expecting to win the NBA championship the next year.
- We have to remember what the "Free" in Free Agency means. It means that the players get to choose which team they will play for. So, at this point in time the best FAs are not going to pick the Bulls if they want to win a NBA championship. 1st the Bulls have to show as an organization (FO and ownership) that their goal is to win a championship, and that will take some years.
- The Bulls were not the only team interested in Williams, and if the Bulls had not taken him he probably would not have lasted long after the #4 pick.
- IMO one of the most important skills of a FO is being able to project if a player has the potential to be an All Star at some point in his career, then making the necessary decision/moves to get that player. AK, in his interview after the draft, basically said that this time it was easy form him because he only had to choose 4 players to go on his draft board. And obviously Deni was not one of those 4 players. And we have to trust that Williams has the potential to become an All Star as projected by AK and his staff.
- The Bulls have a core that they believe in (IMO Zach, Coby, Lauri, WCJ and OPJ) and they are going to allow Donovan to take that core and prove that they are worth the commitment. If for whatever reason it doesn't work, then AK will make the changes that he thinks are necessary. We have to give him that freedom if he's going to turn the Bulls' situation around.