National Basketball Association

Chicago Bulls: Notable Takeaways From 2016 Media Day

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:29 p.m. ET

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The Chicago Bulls head into training camp with a noticeably different roster from years past. Here are some of the main takeaways from the team’s Media Day.

Sep 26, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) center Robin Lopez (8) guard Rajon Rondo (9) and guard Dwayne Wade (3) pose for a photo during Bulls media day at The Advocate Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls will have a much different look to their roster than what fans have seen in the past few seasons. This is due to the fact that the front office felt a change was needed after the previous core group failed to deliver a championship to the Windy City.

Initially, the front office expressed a desire to become younger and more athletic. Instead, they opted to bring a few veteran faces to help with the development of the younger players they are counting on to take the next step.

With 10 players having three years or less of NBA experience compared to six last season, there will be a number of storylines that Bulls fans will be keeping an eye on as the start of the new season approaches.

For starters, what factor will ultimately lead to head coach Fred Hoiberg having success in year two? Along with that, can he and Jimmy Butler finally get on the same page?

Last, but certainly not least, how does the front office view this year’s version of the Bulls? To answer these questions, let’s take a look at the main takeaways from the team’s Media Day.

Dec 12, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls vice president of basketball operations John Paxson (left) and general manager Gar Forman (center) talk with sports writer Sam Smith (right) prior to a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Paxson Front And Center

If you have been remotely following this team over the past few seasons, you know that vice president of basketball operations John Paxson lets general manager Gar Forman do most of the talking during press conferences.

During this year’s Media Day session, however, Paxson opted to take center stage to speak.

From Sam Smith of NBA.com:

“I mentioned last April [at the postseason session] that I didn’t feel like that group had a collective fight to it,” said executive vice-president John Paxson. “Change was necessary. We battled a lot of different issues over the last couple years in terms of injuries. Those aren’t excuses. It was just our reality, and we had to try to fight through it. We’d ridden that group a long way. With a little more luck, we might have had a little more success. That didn’t turn out to be the case.

“We just felt it was necessary to try to take some steps forward. I think the understated thing we’ve done – signing Dwyane and Rajon are the big noted things and their ages have been brought up a lot – but the reality is we are looking to the future, too, and we have made significant changes in terms of the youth on this roster. We’re excited about those guys. We feel like we have some young players in the fold that will develop and grow into some very good NBA players.”

The front office was often criticized, and rightfully so, about how the team responded in light of firing a coach who had won 65 percent of his games during a five-year span.

Recognizing that a change was sorely needed, Paxson and Forman blew up the roster of a core group that had taken them as far as the Eastern Conference Finals back in 2011.

Whether or not the young players and veterans can mesh together will be a process that will take the entire season to figure out. But at the same time, the front office deserves a little credit for finally doing what had to be done — letting go of the past and finally looking ahead to the future.

This team should not be considered a title contender by any stretch of the imagination. But if they hope to become a better team, change has to start at the top of the organization chart, which is exactly what took place during the offseason.

Apr 7, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg gestures from the sidelines during the first half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Fred Hoiberg Searching For Consistent Play

In spite of the fact the Bulls finished last season just two games above the .500 mark, there were a couple of noteworthy items to remember.

For starters, the Bulls posted a season-high six-game winning streak from late December until early January, which included a pair of wins against the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics. Additionally, the Bulls won seven of their eight meetings against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Raptors — a fact that was not lost on the second-year head coach.

From NBA.com:

“I think the biggest thing that I have to improve on is to get our team to play more consistently,” Hoiberg said. “We had some really good stretches last year. I’ve talked about the success we had against Cleveland and against Toronto, a 7-1 record against the top two teams in the East who were playing in the Eastern Conference finals and we missed the playoffs.

“That shouldn’t happen. It’s going to be a hard training camp, but I’m looking forward to see who emerges as those guys that show me they belong on the floor.”

Based on that assertion, the accountability issues that existed between the head coach and the personnel should not be an issue next season. In other words, the players who prove they can consistently produce are the ones that will get a majority of the playing time — something that didn’t always happen a year ago.

Sep 26, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) guard Rajon Rondo (9) and guard Dwayne Wade (3) pose for a photo during Bulls media day at The Advocate Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Who Gets The Ball In Crunch Time?

While the Bulls have eight new faces on the roster, how far this team goes will depend heavily on how well the veterans play together.

With essentially three ball-dominant players in the starting five, a fair question would be, which of these alphas is going to have the ball in their hands in crunch time?

As expected, Butler provided a very politically correct answer.

“That’s going to be on coach Hoiberg for who has the ball in crunch time,” Butler said via Chicago.CBSLocal.com. “Whoever has it going, the object of the game is to win. Whoever is going to put the ball in the basket at the end of the game is probably going to have the ball.

“The alpha thing, I think we’ll be just fine. Everybody is going to have something to say. As long as everybody is listening and is willing to take some criticism if you’re doing something wrong, just like if you’re doing something right I’m going to tell you, there’s good and bad in everything you do. At the end of the day, as long as we win games, it won’t matter.”

For the time being, it’s easy for everyone to recite the proper rhetoric before the start of training camp. However, it will be interesting to see if Butler’s statements will still hold true when the team goes through rough patches at various points of the season.

Aug 6, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; United States forward Jimmy Butler (4) shoots the ball against China center Qi Zhou (15) in the men’s basketball group A preliminary round during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Jimmy Butler Taking Different Approach To Leadership Role

Last season, Butler felt the need to appoint himself as the leader of this Bulls team.

What were the results? Not too favorable to say the least.

Whether it was being criticized for expressing a desire for Hoiberg to coach the team harder — or being labeled as a player that was full of himself — Butler’s attempt to assume the position as the team’s leader didn’t go over that well.

In learning from those missteps, Butler has taken a noticeably different approach this time around, as reported by CSNChicago.com.

“I told Fred, ‘As much as you can, use me as an example,’” Butler said during the team’s media day on Monday. “I want you to really get on my tail about every little thing because if Doug (McDermott) or Tony (Snell) or whoever it may be, if watching coach talk to me like that he’s going to be like ‘If he can talk to Jimmy like that I know he’s going to come at me a certain way.’

“So that’s what I try to remind him everyday. I think he’s ready for that. I’m a player. I’m coachable like everybody else, but I want that. I need that.”

These are very telling comments from Butler considering that he has led the team in scoring and minutes played per game in each of the last two seasons. This is certainly a positive not only from a front office standpoint, but also for the younger players who are hoping to be where Butler is one day.

As is the case with any team, when star players buy into the system a coach is trying to implement, the process of forming a cohesive unit becomes that much easier. And being that Butler also gave his coach credit for getting better during the offseason, an improved relationship between them will hopefully translate into more victories in what promises to be an interesting 2016-17 season.