Trust a different process: Chicago Bulls disproving the tank mentality
The Chicago Bulls, along with several other historically successful franchises, are proving now that there is indeed a process to be trusted, but tanking isn’t it.
Building an elite NBA team, let alone a winning dynasty, is not easy. If it were, there would be way more teams winning consistently.
The NBA is clearly made up of haves and have-nots. Teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics just keep finding ways to win. Similarly, some teams like the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings can’t seem to get out of their own way when it comes to getting any better.
But none of this is a surprise.
What was surprising was when the Philadelphia 76ers made the most flagrant campaign for tanking the league has ever seen. As a result, the team is now looking pretty good, but at what cost?
Whether it be the 76ers or any other team deliberately tanking, the hard truth is that it’s a brutish and unsophisticated attempted hack at a process that requires less working hard and more working smart.
Enter Gar Forman and John Paxson.
The Chicago Bulls, along with several other historically successful franchises, are proving now that there is indeed a process to be trusted, but tanking isn’t it.
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The proof is in the roster. In one fell swoop, the Bulls acquired an entire young core (Kris Dunn, Lauri Markkanen and Zach LaVine) for the price of one Jimmy Butler. Not half bad.
The Bulls got wing David Nwaba, who is playing like the “glue guy” that every team wants, for the price of a waiver claim. While he was productive for the Los Angeles Lakers last season, the Bulls are not only salvaging his skills but elevating his game. The culture is undeniable, as even Robin Lopez himself had nothing but support for the disappointing demotion he received when he told NBC Sports, “I understand it … I’m excited to watch these guys give it a go from the bench.”
Chicago picked and developed Bobby Portis 22nd overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, and he is blossoming before our eyes after the demotion of Lopez. In the past week, Portis has averaged 19.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.3 3-pointers per game.
Meanwhile, Denzel Valentine, who was drafted 14th overall in 2016, has averaged a cool 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.8 dimes and 0.8 steals per game off the bench since Justin Holiday has been out of the picture.
GarPax has been proving that a team isn’t built from a slew of boom-or-bust top-three lottery picks, but rather a series of smart moves that welcome growth and in Chicago’s case, grit.
When you look at the patterns of front offices that clearly understand that principle vs. those who don’t, it reads like a Vegas DFS champion utterly destroying the competition in a middle school Yahoo Fantasy league.
That is exactly the point. The winners (as far as talent acquisition and utilization are concerned) will continue to win as they have historically, as long as star-chasing brass around the league continues to make bad decisions with skilled players.
Next: 2017-18 Week 20 NBA Power Rankings
The Bulls are proving that they do trust a process, but bottoming out isn’t it.