Chicago Bulls: Patience A Virtue, But How Long Should Success Take?
As the Chicago Bulls’ front office keeps urging fans to be patient, it is hard not to wonder when success will finally find its way to the organization.
More than halfway through the 2016-17 NBA season, the Chicago Bulls are still chugging along.
But just barely.
With a 31-32 record, having fallen to eighth in the Eastern Conference, it is hard to call them much more than mediocre at this point.
Which unfortunately, seems to be nothing new for the organization.
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Since reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2011, when they lost 4-1 to the Miami Heat, the Bulls have not exactly played spectacular basketball, something that has progressively become more apparent as the years have gone by.
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Sure, they had individual accomplishments. A few prime examples of this were when Joakim Noah took home Defensive Player of the Year in 2013-14 and Jimmy Butler earned Most Improved Player in 2014-15.
And yes, up until last season, the team consistently made the playoffs.
But Chicago has not been excelling in the way that a franchise with such a winning legacy should be.
Especially as of late.
As troublesome as things already seemed within the organization, they only got worse once former head coach Tom Thibodeau was fired and subsequently replaced by Fred Hoiberg.
Hoiberg is a guy that made a name for himself as a terrific college coach, but his system just does not fit in the world of professional ball. He’s a guy who, so far, has been a great yes-man to the front office. He’s a guy who has not yet gained control of his team.
It did not help that the roster itself went through some dramatic changes.
As players like Noah and Derrick Rose found homes elsewhere, new faces such as Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade and Robin Lopez came aboard. Talents, absolutely, but who brought about the challenge of developing new team chemistry and building trust.
However, the most glaring issue the Bulls have, is the lack of direction coming from management.
After not making the postseason, Chicago knew it had to make some changes. And the front office certainly deserves a round of applause for the work it put in this summer.
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After all, the Bulls were able to attract some pretty big names to the organization. Not to mention actually close deals with both Rondo and Wade.
The problem is, those signings (and other related player changes) did not fit the game plan they presented to the media and fans: they got neither younger nor more athletic. Something they apparently wished to achieve, in order to better fit Hoiberg’s offensive strategy.
And to make matters worse, they were unable to really further develop the young talent they did have. While Nikola Mirotic continued to flatline, guys like Bobby Portis and Doug McDermott were inconsistent in their roles.
Never mind that until recently, rookie Denzel Valentine saw little to no time on the court.
Fast forward to the trade deadline and it seemed Chicago was going to hold out. After all, they expressed time and time again that they had no interest in rebuilding. And that fans just needed to be patient.
But at the last moment, the team struck a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder that sent Taj Gibson and McDermott packing, acquiring Cameron Payne, Anthony Morrow and Joffrey Lauvergne.
It was a deal that left many people scratching their heads.
Forget the fact that the Bulls essentially gave Gibson away for free or that they put so much time and effort into signing McDermott only to let him go in a blink of an eye.
How was this move going to help them in their playoff push? Or in the 2017 draft?
General manager Gar Forman tried to answer these questions following the trade, “tried” being the key word.
But in reality, all that he accomplished was further confusing fans, fans that he continued to ask patience from.
By now, it is clear the front office still has no plan moving forward.
That is not only troubling because Chicago is currently dropping in the rankings, making this another somewhat wasted season, but because there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.
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What is really in store for the Bulls?
It is true that Hoiball is an utter failure. And there is no question that the roster needs to revamped, again. But above all, the organization needs to decide upon a direction and make a plan on how to get there.
Do they build around Butler and bring aboard talent that fits his style of play? Do they rework the team completely and get as high of a return as possible for the star?
Enough with the empty talk.
No more asking for fans to sit tight.
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It is time for Chicago to find success again. The future is now.