Professional wrestling was changed in 1982 when Vincent Kennedy McMahon purchased the World Wrestling Federation from his father. By 1985, Wrestlemania happened and wrestling moved from the traditional territory system to a national audience. Throughout the years, McMahon grew the WWF (now WWE) to a massive, international powerhouse that just a year or two ago was sold to TKO Holdings. McMahon is worth billions and has set WWE apart from any potential competitor. This past year, Vince McMahon became embroiled in a sexual assault scandal that resulted in his ouster from the company he built. Paul "Triple H" Levesque took the helm and the WWE product has been the best it's been since probably 2008 or 2009. They're calling it the "Renaissance Era" for WWE and it wouldn't have happened if McMahon was still around. It would've been the same stale product that fans loathed and led to the upstar All Elite Wrestling (AEW) promotion that has captured maybe the best fan following since World Championship Wrestling's demise. In 1985, Jerry Reinsdorf purchased the Chicago Bulls for $16 million dollars. Today, Forbes estimates the Bulls to be worth $4.6 billion dollars. Jerry Reinsdorf has unquestionably been the figurehead of the growth of the Chicago Bulls to a worldwide brand powered by the popularity of Michael Jordan and more recently, Derrick Rose in the early 2010s. But the product on the court has been hindered by Reinsdorf's desire to prioritize profits over success. The Bulls are the third largest market in the NBA and have paid the luxury tax once in franchise history. One time! There have been decisions made by Bulls management that clearly prioritized money over continued success such as waiting until they didn't have to pay multiple coaches before terminating one that should have been terminated months prior, playing chicken with Ben Gordon which resulted in one of the baby Bulls' most important players leaving for nothing, being unwilling to commit to Jimmy Butler as a franchise player and trading him while he's led the Miami Heat to two Finals appearances since 2020, and continuously stashing draft picks overseas to avoid paying them up front or selling the picks outright for cash. Meanwhile, Arturas Karnisovas, the Bulls' Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, hasn't made a meaningful trade since 2021 even though this core is completely stale and in need of an overhaul. Is that merely his decision or is it pressure from the owner's box? Reinsdorf often plays himself as someone who won't get in the way and trusts his people to make the right calls, but there are certain things carry over from regime to regime. If you were to go back to the 1998 NBA All-Star game in the 3rd quarter and listen to Bill Walton discuss the Bulls situation with then-coach Phil Jackson and hear the quotes and then compare them to Tom Thibodeau's firing in 2015, you would hear a lot of the same buzzwords. It's weird because the GM in 1998 was Jerry Krause and 2015 was Gar Forman and John Paxson in the front office. What was the connecting tissue? Jerry Reinsdorf. Fans begged for Gar/Pax to be fired and eventually he did (sort of. Pax is still an "advisor"), but only after being embarrassed on national TV during All-Star weekend. Now the Bulls face a similar situation. Fans are begging for change, nobody trusts Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley to do anything and the core of the "Mid 3" needs to be altered - possibly too late given LaVine's injuries, DeRozan's contract is up, and Vucevic just sucks. But will Reinsdorf do anything? And if he does, will it even matter? The Bulls will likely be stuck in the same position WWE was in. The owner that brought them to glory has gotten comfortable, is raking in money hand over fist, and until the fans stop supporting them financially or a scandal breaks out, he's not leaving. Until he decides to sell the franchise or even a part of the team, the Bulls will likely continue to go down the same path of mediocrity. Why would Reinsdorf be eager to make a change? The Bulls led the way again in attendance while fielding a 9 seed, 39 win team, and not going near the luxury tax. It's clear that Bulls Nation will support this team whether they're good or not, so why spend money and try to build a contender? He is making money hand over fist and maximizing the value of this team. It's a shrewd business move. The Bulls are stuck in basketball hell and until something changes with ownership, they're going to be there. I don't see Reinsdorf putting up a "for sale" sign any time soon. Until then, we can only hope and pray that Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley decide to take action and get lucky within the parameters of cheapness and maximizing profit over competitiveness.
0 Comments
|
AuthorBrandon Pence is the founder & author of "The Bulls Charge." Pence has been a Bulls fan since 1993 following the shot by John Paxson, believes Michael Jordan is undeniably the GOAT, and has Derrick Rose as his all-time favorite Bull following Scottie Pippen's weird feud with Michael Jordan. "The Bulls Charge" was established in 2011. Archives
May 2024
Categories
All
|