Chicago Bulls: A State Of Emergency, How To Move Forward
The 2016-17 Chicago Bulls have officially reached a state of emergency, with enough drama to pitch a reality television show. So where does the organization go from here?
Things are currerntly not going so well for the 2016-17 Chicago Bulls.
Well, that is actually an understatement.
With a 25-25 record, having just come off of an 121-108 win against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night, the Bulls are seventh in the Eastern Conference. And potentially slowly dropping.
Chicago is also last in the NBA in three-point shots attempted and made.
But the bulk of the organization’s problems right now go beyond what can be seen through statistics on paper.
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First and foremost, there is the front office. You know, vice president John Paxson, general manager Gar Forman and company, who seem to make poorer decisions with every year that goes by.
They are who to thank for:
Yes, the front office has an impeccable record of destroying everything it touches. And clearly, history is only further repeating itself.
Next up is Hoiberg himself, a topic with several levels. For starters, Hoiberg was not exactly in a position to start coaching professional basketball. However, his personal relationship with Forman said otherwise, so out went former head coach Tom Thibodeau.
And here we are, a year and a half later.
Hoiball, Hoiberg’s preferred style of offense, has also been a complete and utter failure. While a successful strategy in college, it simply does not work in this world.
Between defense being too darn important and older guys unable to run the floor the same way, it fails before the opening tip-off even takes place.
To make matters worse, Hoiberg seemingly has no control over his team. Starting last year when Jimmy Butler made a comment to the media that his coach was too soft, the lack of leadership has only become more apparent.
Jimmy Butler does not agree with Fred Hoiberg. pic.twitter.com/QclSinkKIj
— ⓂarcusD2.0 (@_MarcusD2_) January 26, 2017
Yikes.
And it is not just Butler who does not respect him.
Wade also hinted at a strained relationship.
Never mind the fact that Hoiberg decided to bench Rondo earlier this month for no apparent reason at all.
Perhaps the most talked about issues stem within the team itself, with the Three Alphas headlining the movement.
After Wade used both traditional media and his own social media channels to call the team out for not caring enough, Butler echoed the sentiment. This set Rondo off and the former All-Star took to Instagram to write a lengthy post in response to Wade’s accusations.
Then they all got fined.
And Hoiberg took Butler and Wade out of the starting lineup on Friday night. Which helped secure a 100-88 loss to the Miami Heat, a matchup during which Butler finished with just three points, three rebounds and two assists.
It could have ended there. Perhaps it even should have. But then we would not be speaking about the Bulls.
Instead, Taj Gibson came out and said the younger guys on the team would like to see Wade practice more.
Sigh.
Maybe someone should give VH1 or E! a call?
So what can be done to move forward from this state of emergency?
Obviously, the front office and coaching staff needs a major overhaul. But unfortunately, neither of those seem very likely.
Which brings us to a roster revamp.
Again.
But where to begin?
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Perhaps Rondo? Having been basically reduced to a role he has not seen since his rookie season, the guard is being underutilized and unappreciated. This means that not only is he unhappy, but he’s also unable to work towards Chicago’s success.
As illogical as the franchise can be, it is hard to imagine keeping him on the books for much longer, if only for financial reasons.
It may also be time to try and put a package deal together, to move guys such as Mirotic, Portis and even Doug McDermott.
Sadly, in order to make this happen, more solid players like Gibson may have to be included as well, despite the fact that the 31-year-old is really the glue that holds the whole squad together.
However, sometimes sacrifices must be made in order to move around pieces that just cannot seem to fit
Drama will probably continue in this organization for as long as management stays the same. But to minimize casualties and actually play successful basketball, some roster changes must be implemented, moving forward.
