(Part 1) (Bear with me here.)
It’s 1:41 on a Saturday morning. I just got back home from the city. I had a long week at work. Things are insane both personally and in the world of Chicago sports. Maybe I will get to all of the Blackhawks stuff in the coming days. But for now, it’s time to talk Bulls. Yes, those same Bulls that have been irrelevant for the last 18 years or so.
That’s too long to be irrelevant, right? I mean, shouldn’t something change?
I was completely thrown off about five minutes into the draft when I heard that the Bulls traded Jimmy Butler. Now, myself and others have criticized Butler at times for not coming through in the clutch, bitching about teammates and some other things. However, the last year or two has been both exciting and a headache at the same time. He was really the only prayer for this team and if he just had a general manager who knew what he was doing, maybe we don’t get to this point.
I understand the trade of Jimmy Butler. I don’t think they could better unless they “tank” for a few years and try to get lucky in the draft. I don’t know if that’s going to happen. I have zero faith in this franchise and have had zero faith for the last 18 years. Nothing they do will convince me that the arrow is pointing up.
What I don’t understand however, is why the Bulls didn’t get more. It is PATHETIC in every way that ThomASS, of all people, was able to make the Bulls look stupid here. I love Kris Dunn, Jimmy Butler is worth more than a swap of draft picks and two players who still haven’t proven they can play on a consistent level. Maybe Lauri Markkanen (the guy they drafted) turns out to be a clone of Kristaps Porzingis. Or maybe, he turns out to be Shawn Bradley. Who the fuck knows? But once again, Jimmy Butler was worth more than that and the Bulls took a shit on this situation.
Everybody outside of this franchise is laughing at the Bulls. It’s the situation with the Bears on their draft night. The entire leagues are laughing at these teams for making such stupid decisions. They know that teams like the Bulls and Bears are one less team they have to worry about.
The right trade would have been those players along with AT LEAST, two more first round draft picks. This isn’t Chris Duhon the Bulls are trading. This is a Top 10-15 player in the NBA who clearly, was the best player on this team. In fact, Jimmy Butler was probably the best player this franchise has had since Jordan left. No, I am not saying Butler equals Jordan. But, if you ask me right now who the five best players in the history of this franchise are, I will say the following: Jordan, Pippen, Jerry Sloan, Norm Van Lier…and Jimmy Butler.
This isn’t going to change. The Bulls will continue to suck and just like the Bears, management won’t change. It’s not in Jerry Reinsdorf’s DNA. He is loyal. But, this is a fucking business. I own a business. If I like somebody as a person but realize that they are awful at their job, they’re gone.
I don’t have time for bullshit. I’ve fired people for being incompetent and I’ve done it within weeks/months of them starting. Why is this shit any differently? If you sucked at your job, you are out of a job. In that case, we all should apply to work for the Bulls. You never have to work hard and you can be incompetent as you want. There are no consequences. I bet you can take a shit right on the floor of the office at the United Center and there will be Jerry Reinsdorf ready to give you a raise.
Hey, the Bears are the same. Ted Phillips has been taking a shit on that franchise for 30 years. He probably banged George McCaskey’s wife with his micro penis. And that asshole still gets to keep his job along with a raise. Life is good.
In summary, all I am saying is if a team is going to trade a guy like this, they better get equal or better value in return. That’s what a trade is supposed to be. The Bulls did not do this and they are looking like a 25-win team right now.
(Part 2)
I was watching the NBA Draft as I do every year. And every year, I don’t expect the Bulls to do much. Now, I’ve written a time or two on here on how the NBA is just filled with horseshit because idiots like David Stern and now, Adam Silver, have let it get that way. The quality of the game just isn’t the same as it was when I was growing up. All of these players are leaving college after one season and because of that, not many of them become good players. Guys like LeBron and Durant are two out of a hundred that end up great. The other 98 may have careers in the game, but they don’t become household names. Make the rules a three-year minimum in college.
Jeff Van Gundy, whom I wanted the Bulls to have as their coach, did say something that was stupid. He said that basketball players should be able to find a job after high school (also meaning that players should be able to come out of high school). Well, I guess shouldn’t people who want to be teachers be able to skip college and go right into the education field, Mr. Van Gundy? That’s exactly what you’re saying about basketball players. Like the teachers, THEY AREN’T READY. They need education, practice in the classroom and other types of training.
So yes, I will put the blame on the Bulls for not being good. I will also blame the NBA for creating this clusterfuck of shitty TV deals that ruined basketball. These insane TV deals are the catalyst such enormous contracts which in turn, allow for “superteams” to be created. It’s a collective effort. If they really care about the success of teams, they will make a requirement for players to be in college for a minimum of three years.
Fire Ryan Poles | Fire Matt Eberflus 
June 24, 2017 at 3:31 pm
Sooo…where do we begin? How about at the top of the pyramid of shit that the Bulls are right now?
Reinsdorf is what, eighty-something, and morbidly obese, with more days behind him than ahead of him and a probable heart-disease induced ending waiting for him? I really hate saying this because God forbid sports fans have to have their team’s owner die before any real changes happen to a franchise (see: Old Man Wirtz and the Black Hawks), but really…unless Old Man Reinsdorf decides to radically break out of his near-two decade rut or Crosses the Great Divide, we will never see the Bulls change how they operate.
GarPax…are they even worth mentioning at this point? How many GMs and team presidents have been fired since they took office? But allow me toss them a bone. In the wake of this year’s NBA Finals victory by Golden State, is is apparent that there is simply not enough talent on-hand to unseat either the Lebrons or the Warriors from their berths at the top of the Eastern/Western Conferences. Anyone who read through the mock drafts from any website saw too many freshmen with less-than stellar stats and too many “projects” or other significant “maybes” for any of them to be instant contributors like Jordan, Magic, and Bird were. (Off-topic: until he actually proves himself, fuck Lavon Bell and his starfucking, famewhoring old man). There are maybe a handful of free-agents worth pursuing to maybe build a superteazm that MAY have a shot at upending the Cavs or Dubs, but nothing is even guaranteed at this point.
That chicken bone aside, GarPax better AT LEASY be trying to build a roster that Fred Holberg can TRY to mold to that high-powered offense he ran at Iowa State. Not sure what GarPax will do with Rondo the coach killer and a D-Wade who can’t depended upon to carry a playoff team anymore, but good luck trying to get a dollar from that fifteen cents (I mean in sheer terms of trading them for…whatever).
Speaking of Holberg, provided he does get the players he actually needs (no guarantees here), I say he gets at least the last three years of his contract to figure something out before ejecting him back to the college ranks. Oh, and if that happens, here’s hoping my Bradley Braves (Missouri Valley Conference out of my hometown of Peoria, IL) are first in line to offer him a job.
Before the trade, the Bulls roster was a pupu-platter of WTFery. If GarPax did keep this mess intact, at best it would have been a rerun of 2016-17, except with the Bulls being a four-game scrimmage squad for the Cavs. At worst, the Bulls make the trip to Knicks territory in the East standings. Now, after D-Wade and Rondo, it’s a D-leauge (no wait make that a G-Leauge) team. If any GM sees anything else to fleece from this team, they must be really good prophets.
June 24, 2017 at 3:38 pm
Looking at the bigger picture, it’s getting hard to even have a casual interest in the NBA anymore. The three largest cities in the US have five NBA franchises (LA x2, NY x2, and Chicago). Only two of them made the playoffs last year: both of them got bounced in the first round and are getting ready to have messy breakups. The other three (Knicks/Nets/Lakers) are in varying states of disarray. Outside of the NBA Finals, most of this year’s NBA Playoffs were total butt. Yet current NBA commissioner Adam Silver is more worried about babying his SJW fanbase and being “woke” that caring about the deterioration of basketball.
I am seriously considering taking a “sabbatical” from the Bulls and Bears this year, given the shit sandwiches these tow teams are becoming.
Suggestion: if the Cubs and White Sox fail to make the playoff races come September, and the Bears become the mess we all think they’ll be…who would be interested in attending a Chicago Fire and Passion game (especially if F&P make the playoffs this year) in a “futile and really useless gesture” of a protest?
June 24, 2017 at 5:16 pm
DVX,
It’s funny you mentioned the Fire (and Passion). My buddy and I will be at the game next week against the Whitecaps. The Fire are knocking on the door of first place in the Eastern Conference. They have completely turned things around this year.
June 25, 2017 at 7:17 pm
Fro, I give you kudos for your thoughts on the NBA. I go all the way back to 1963, and think many of those teams, especially the Celtics, would defeat either of today’s Finals contenders. Too much “clear outs”, “cast-off threes”, and soft defense to be any kind of competition to the hard-nosed defense and team ball they played then. The Celtics had six to seven guys AVERAGE double figures every year during their dynasty. LeBron’s drives to the hoop would be raw meat for Bill Russell. After a few blocks and tosses down the court for easy lay-ups, LeBron would be afraid to do anything but shoot threes!
I agree that these kids they’re drafting aren’t ready, but requiring them to attend college for three years isn’t the answer. Most of those kids are not college material. They can’t handle college work, and they wouldn’t be there for college anyway.
I propose they expand the “D League” to be a more attractive option for players than the European League. Give them a better salary, and require they stay in the league until they are ready to tackle the rigors of pro-ball. I don’t favor colleges lowering their standards, and course work, to accommodate athletes who are only there for the money they provide the college. That way a kid right out of high school can be drafted, put him in the “minor league” for a couple of years, or more, then bring him up when he’s ready.
As a Laker fan, I am very disappointed in them drafting Ball. I think their father is going to be a huge distraction, and I don’t think the kid is ready for pro ball. He can’t play defense and his outside shot is wacked! People thinking he’s going to be the next Magic are insane. Magic led his team to a NCAA title. Ball couldn’t even get his team to the Final Four.
June 28, 2017 at 3:07 pm
LOL! Hey, Fro or Genre, we need a Cubs thread. They just dumped Montero for calling out Arrieta and the Cubs pitching philosophy! Was Montero right, or was he out of line? Was he the problem, or was he simply telling us what everyone else could plainly see?
What’s the word out there in Chicagoland? Are the Cubs turning into the Bears after only one year of glory?
June 28, 2017 at 9:57 pm
There’s something wrong this year. Not just with the Cubs but 80-90% of the league. Pitching SUCKS. Guys like Scooter Gennett and Eddie Rosario are having 3+ HR games. Almost every team is hoovering around .500. Look at the NL…only five teams above-.500…and two of them are Diamondbacks and Rockies (the latter who has came apart lately).
The Cubs pitching is an Achilles heel. Their main hope is that they take advantage of a very weak NL Central division then get hot once they reach the postseason. The pitchers are aging & regressed, opponents have appeared to figure out some batters (e.g. Schwarber, Russell) during the offseason, and there’s probably a bit of a hangover now that they don’t have “first time since 1908” to motivate them anymore.
They’re definitely not as good though.
June 29, 2017 at 6:10 am
Ladies and gentlemen, please disregard any previous comments I may have made about the Cubs, the White Sox, and their respective chances for a pennant race. Thank you.