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.
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It's not been great for the Bulls lately. They've lost 7 of their last 10 and just got embarrassed by Minnesota mere days after getting embarrassed by Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks (twice in three days) and an even more embarrassing loss to the Hawks with a ridiculous buzzer beater by AJ Griffin with 0.5 left on the clock. They're 15th in points per game, 18th in opponent's points per game, 22nd in Offensive Rating, 16th in Defensive Rating, 30th in three-point attempts, but 11th in three-point percentage, and 24th in rebounding. They sit at 11th in the Eastern Conference and are four games behind 8th seed Atlanta Hawks. Things have gotten so bad that the infamous Zach LaVine apologists who relentlessly bashed me for my "Zach LaVine hate" are falling over themselves to suggest it's time to trade the "cornerstone of the Bulls rebuild" from 2018 and start over...again. If only it were that easy. Tearing this thing down would be easy. There's a ready-made DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic trade to the Lakers for Russell Westbrook and the 2027 and 2029 firsts just waiting for the Bulls to jump. Zach LaVine is still a talent and has value even though he has a bloated contract for his actual production and physically he doesn't seem to be at his peak (although he is getting better and finding his rhythm). There's a generational talent in Victor Wembanyana just waiting in the lottery for the lucky winner. But the Bulls continue to be their own worst enemies. When Arturas Karnisovas came to Chicago, he seemed determined to make a splash and land an All-Star. He did, Nikola Vucevic, but he gave up some serious assets to do so. The 2023 pick is only top-4 protected so if it's 5 or later, it goes to Orlando. Could the Bulls bottom out enough to increase their odds of landing a top-4 pick? I think they could, but they'd have to scrap everyone. Not helping their case is the curious extension they just gave Billy Donovan before the season. At the time it became public, Donovan was only 86-88. Just a very odd decision to extend a coach that was barely above .500. Donovan is at least competent and bottoming out with him at the helm will be tricky. The other issue is who wants/needs Zach LaVine? There are lots of teams that could use a player of his talent (San Antonio, Charlotte, New York, Denver, Lakers, and Dallas all come to mind), but realistically, what can they give back that Chicago would want? Would the Bulls want Jacob Poetl, Doug McDermott, and someone else? Or maybe Terry Rozier, PJ Washington, and one other piece? Maybe the Knicks offer of Evan Fournier and a sadly washing up Derrick Rose would be appealing? How about Bruce Brown and KCP? Not exactly exciting. Or maybe Dallas could throw out Spencer Dinwiddie and one of Tim Hardaway Jr., Davis Bertans, or Dorian Finney-Smith? I'm just not sure what the trade is, but I'm certain the Bulls will get pennies on the dollar for LaVine, but it feels like it's time to move on. Personally, I'd trade LaVine, DeRozan, Vucevic, Caruso, maybe Javonte Green, Andre Drummond, and Goran Dragic if there are takers and give Patrick Williams a chance to shine with the ball in his hands and see what we might have in Coby White. Maybe Ayo Dosunmu and Dalen Terry can develop into something. Maybe even bring Carlik Jones up to the main roster and see if he can be the floor general he was at Louisville and Radford before that. Maybe play Marko Simonovic some NBA minutes and see if he can contribute anything. It's time for the Bulls to look in the mirror and realize that this group isn't working and even if Lonzo Ball comes back, he's not going to fix all of the defensive woes, the shooting woes, and the struggles this team has. The choice seems clear: It's time to tear it down in Chicago. But that's a daunting task. We'll see if Arturas Karnisovas is up to such a task.
I remember draft night back in 2017. I was sitting at a friend's house watching the draft with a few people, following the rumor mill on Twitter, and having a good time. Then the tweet came across from Woj or Shams: The Bulls were trading Jimmy Butler to Minnesota for Zach LaVine (ugh), Kris Dunn (UGH), and the #7 pick (hmmm.....). That was it for Jimmy Butler? I had never believed in Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn had shown absolutely nothing in his rookie year, but the 7th pick was enticing.
If you follow me back to 2017, still on the table were Frank Ntilikina - who was highly regarded in this draft, Bam Adebayo - who I was not high on after watching him at UK for a full year up close, Malik Monk - who I WAS high on after watching him at UK for a full year up close, Dennis Smith Jr, TJ Leaf was another regarded project, Donovan Mitchell was projected right where he was drafted (and being a Louisville fan, that's right where I would've had him too), but there was another talented prospect out there by the name of Lauri Markkanen. I was really into Lonzo Ball back in 2017 and I happened to catch UCLA vs Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament, I think, while watching Ball. But this 7 footer kept catching my eye and I was like, "Man...I'd love to have this guy on the Bulls." I don't watch a lot of Pac-12 basketball, so I started Googling Markkanen and became impressed with what I saw. Then the Bulls took him at #7 in 2017. It immediately made me feel better about the Jimmy Butler trade because I knew we were getting a talented big man back. We've seen three years of Lauri Markkanen's career to this point. It's been rough for him. He's played 68, 52, and 50 games in his three years. He's had two idiotic coaches in Fred Hoiberg and the incompetent Jim Boylen. Arguably, he doesn't fit well next to the team's best player - a ball dominant shooting guard, who doesn't really create for others. Last year, he was required to do something he's not qualified to do: Stand at the three-point line like Kyle Korver and launch threes at a high clip. That's never been his game. Many compared him to Dirk Nowitzki when he came out of college because he's tall, white, and foreign I suppose, but I always saw him as the evolution of Tom Chambers. Chambers was 6'10, athletic, and could play around the perimeter (more mid-range than threes back in the 80s and 90s). Chambers could put the ball on the floor and attack the rim. That's more Markkanen's game. Can he hit threes? Absolutely. But he can also dunk on you and take you off the dribble. That part of his game was eliminated by the "genius" of former coach Jim Boylen. Under Boylen, Markkanen's usage rate dropped to 21.1%, lower than his rookie season (21.9%). He lost 4 field goal attempts per game from the previous season (11.8 down from 15.3). Over half of his field goal attempts were from three compared to about a third being from three the previous season. His rebounding numbers dropped by 3, his minutes were reduced 3 minutes per game, and his scoring dropped 4 points per game. In 2018-2019, he averaged 66.2 touches per game. Last season? 45.3. Jim Boylen obviously didn't value what Lauri Markkanen could bring to the table. But that will change this season. Back in September, Cody Westerlund tweeted that Markkanen's first conversation with new coach Billy Donovan included him asking Lauri where he wanted the ball on the court:
Here's what Billy Donovan had to say yesterday at Bulls Media Day (from NBC Chicago):
“I’ve had some conversations with Lauri,” Donovan told reporters. “I do think with a young player as gifted offensively as Lauri is, it does take time for the league to kind of catch up to a player. I think as people have seen him, and certainly he’s had to battle some injuries, he like Wendell (Carter Jr.) has to find his identity offensively. “Everybody knows he can put the ball on the floor and he can shoot it. But can we try to create some situations for him where he becomes a little more difficult to guard. I think it’s two-fold. I think one, it’s him understanding how to attack size mismatches. The other part of it is the team having recognition in transition of when he’s open to find him because when you close to him, he has enough skill to go by you. “And then I think the other part for him is him getting into the teeth of the defense when he does drive it, have the physicality to finish at the basket, get fouled, get to the free throw line. I think Lauri has really worked hard this offseason. I think he’s going to continue to evolve and get better. What I do not want him to be from watching film is what I would say a one-dimensional, catch-and-shoot forward. I think those guys become too easy to guard.” Clearly, Billy Donovan knows what he has in Lauri Markkanen and he plans to utilize him to his potential in this revamped Bulls offense. But this is the year for Lauri Markkanen. It's year 4, there's no more excuses, no more roadblocks. If he has it, this is the year he has to show it. All I know is that from my condo here on Lauri Island, the weather is looking perfect, not a cloud in sight. Lauri Markkanen is about to show out for the Chicago Bulls this season. The image above feels like it's photoshopped, but it's not. It's reality, but it's bizarre. For years, we watched Derrick Rose and our beloved Bulls fight against LeBron James. Whether LeBron was with the Cavaliers or the Miami Heat, the goal remained the same for Rose's Bulls: Overcome LeBron James. He was the roadblock in the Eastern Conference and he was the rival. Both of LeBron's teams had history with Jordan's Bulls, but it always felt like this rivalry was LeBron vs. the Bulls. He always got the better of us. Now, Derrick Rose plays with LeBron James in Cleveland and it's difficult to process.
When the Bulls traded Derrick Rose last year, I wasn't exactly heartbroken. Some fans were and they proclaimed that he was their guy and they would keep supporting him. Forgive me, but I'd rather eat a roach infested cake out of a dumpster than cheer for the New York Knicks in any fashion (except for the movie "Eddie"). Rose was gone, the Rose-era was dead, and the Bulls were moving on. Then allegations started to surface suggesting Derrick Rose was a rapist and Bulls fans were blown away. Fortunately, a jury found the claims of the woman against Derrick Rose were not credible and the controversy was over, but Bulls fans were asking, "How could this humble kid born and raised in Chicago be this way?" For residents of Chicago, it was similar to the shock the world faced when the allegations against Bill Cosby began to surface. "Cliff Huxtable?! The ideal TV dad?! This can't be!" This was DERRICK ROSE. The guy everyone felt bad for because of the injuries, the guy the entire NBA fanbase cheered for because he was a special player. We thought we knew him. Personally, I became disgusted by him and refused to even so much as tweet about him at all. I didn't watch him play except for the few games he played against the Bulls and I ignored the Knicks completely. This guy was Chicago's hero and it wasn't supposed to be this way. It was supposed to lead to championship parades at Grant Park, the coveted #1 hanging up alongside Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, and more banners being hung in the United Center celebrating our 7th and 8th championships. It never happened. Rose's ACL exploded and NBA history changed forever. I wrote about it in detail here. This past summer, Derrick Rose entered free agency and it seems like no offers came his way. He eventually signed for the veteran's minimum, around $3 million, to play with LeBron James and the Cavaliers. It's bizarre to see him in those colors. That #1 that so many of us have in our closets, that we wore to so many Bulls games, that we loved seeing on the court is now in wine and gold playing alongside LeBron James. It wasn't supposed to be like this. But Rose's new jersey also came with a new Derrick Rose. Watching him on the court, you can tell that his personality has changed and possibly for the better. He doesn't look burdened down by the expectation that he is the franchise and that he has a giant contract so he needs to produce. He looks relaxed, his hair is different (and still taking some getting used to), and he looks like he's happy to be playing basketball again. I find myself reluctantly pulling for him to have a great season and not relinquish that starting role to Isaiah Thomas. You can see glimmers of the former MVP on the court. Last night against the Bulls, he drove to the rim, switched hands, and laid it in. It perfectly encapsulated everything that Derrick Rose was at his peak: Fast, amazing handles, and the ability to finish beautifully at the rim. It was vintage Derrick Rose. I've forgiven him for the ACL tear, even though it wasn't his fault. I've forgiven him for not returning late in the 2012-2013 season as fans were frantically checking Twitter day after day hoping to get a glimpse of our fallen MVP. I've forgiven him for not fully returning to MVP form - who could after that many injuries? I've forgiven him for not totally meshing with Jimmy Butler, even if that never really made sense. I've forgiven him for not bringing home a championship. None of these things were his fault, but for some reason I held it against him and pinned the blame on him. I've finally forgiven Derrick Rose and now I can enjoy watching him play basketball again. The media has conditioned us to believe that guys who score 30 points a game, sell jerseys, and generally talk the talk are superstars. That’s why so many fans drool over the Carmelo Anthonys and Kevin Loves, even if they have never had any real NBA success outside of Carmelo’s Nuggets making the 2009 Western Conference Finals. There are guys that fall below the radar, but in reality are superstars and unless you’re a basketball nerd, you’d never really know it. Will and I have been really hard on Joakim Noah this season. He started off this season in a malaise. We openly wondered on Twitter if he had pulled a Kevin McHale. If you're not familiar with what we're talking about, McHale played the 1986 playoffs and into the Finals on a broken ankle and just never looked the same afterwards. We wondered if Joakim Noah had gutted out that Brooklyn Nets series last year in the playoffs and subsequently, the series against Miami and we weren't going to see that same guy anymore. Noah has taken that thought, slammed it in our faces, and made us eat our words. I couldn't be happier. Recently, Chad Ford of ESPN caused a stir by saying there were rumors that Joakim Noah is on the trade block. Immediately, I brushed it off and addressed it on Twitter. Frankly depending on how you look at it, Joakim Noah might be the best center in the National Basketball Association. Sounds absurd doesn't it? I decided to research it and used many different criteria: Raw stats, field goals made that were assisted and not assisted, field goal percentages from every area on the court, percentages of rebounds they get, Player Impact Estimate, how many 2nd chance and points they score in the paint, how many points their opponents score in the paint, All-Star Appearances, Defensive Player of the Year Awards, All NBA Defensive Team mentions, All-NBA mentions, and advanced metrics such as opponents field goal percentage at the rim and percentage of rebounds per chance. I ran these numbers for Joakim Noah, Roy Hibbert, Andre Drummond, Dwight Howard, Marc Gasol, Tyson Chandler, and Brook Lopez - the 7 best NBA centers I could think of and you know what I noticed? There's not a center on that list that I would take over Joakim Noah. His skills take a backseat to no other center in the NBA. He's been unreal the last 10 games, averaging 13.7 points, 13.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2 blocks, and 1.3 steals in 36 minutes per game. His field goal percentage has been low - 44%, but he's getting to the line almost 6 times a game and shooting 76% from there. The Bulls are 7-3 in that stretch. They just came off of a 5 game winning streak and Noah is the catalyst. Fans keep begging for Gar Forman and John Paxson to find that second star. The Bulls have that second star and his name is Joakim Noah. What he does on the basketball court is unmatched. Watch the following videos and tell me there's any other big men that can do what he's doing. The first is from 2009 and is a famous highlight from the playoffs when he stole the ball from Paul Pierce, went the length of the court, and slammed it: The next one is from 2011-2012 and a game against the Hawks. The Bulls have run this play successfully numerous times, including this year, but Deng missed the layup. Remember, Derrick Rose was healthy and on fire in this game, but Thibs draws up this play for Noah and Deng: Watch these next two videos and keep in mind this is your CENTER throwing alley-oops to your POWER FORWARD: Bulls fans, we need to stop looking at Joakim Noah as this all-world energy guy and cheerleader and remember he's a phenomenal basketball player on both ends. He's a legitimate triple-double threat every night, he plays with passion and energy, he's one of the top 3 centers in the NBA in my opinion, and the Bulls are fortunate to have him. He's not some trade piece that can get us another star. He IS a star and he may not be what ESPN wants us to believe a star is, but he's a winner, he's a force in the paint, and he's a leader. What more can you ask for from a star? I still remember sitting in my recliner. The Bulls had an early tip and I settled in to enjoy the beginning of what looked to be a championship run. The game was chippy. There were shenanigans with Evan Turner running his mouth leading up to the game and I remember Boozer and Evan Turner getting into it and Derrick Rose running up and clapping with intensity and defiance in their face. The Bulls were dominant. Derrick Rose was dominant. I couldn't believe this was the same guy I had saw in person three days prior in Indianapolis. That guy finished with only 10 points and 7 assists. That guy looked passive and like he was trying to play hurt. But this Derrick Rose dropped 23/9/9 for a near triple double on the 76ers. This Derrick Rose had intensity and looked like he wanted another piece of LeBron James and the Miami Heat. This team looked ready to make that leap and they looked like they were a legitimate championship team. But then it all came crashing down. My wife came in mere minutes before. She was pregnant with our fourth child at the time and was at a training that day. She brought me a thoughtful gift - one I wrote about somewhat jokingly as being a cursed figurine - Little Scottie Pippen. I have him in a box downstairs and I don't even look at it anymore. It just reminds me of that one play: I went from being on top of the world and feeling excited to feeling like someone had just dropkicked my dog into the middle of a busy highway. I was just sick. Here was our star, the youngest MVP in NBA history, and the most dynamic player the Bulls had in years if not a decade lying on the ground in obvious agony. I remember all the optimism running through my brain. "He didn't twist his knee. He probably just hyperextended it. I'm sure he'll be back in Game 2, but maybe a little slowed. I doubt it's serious." But realistically, it was obvious this was something more ominous. The United Center went deathly silent. Doug Collins, the opposing coach, was one of the closest near Rose and went to check on him. Everyone was shocked and concerned for this young kid. Not long after Game 1 we learned that it was indeed a torn ACL and Derrick Rose was done for the Playoffs. The ripple effect of this injury remains to this day. NBA history was irrevocably altered. Does LeBron James actually win that first title in 2012 or do the Bulls prevent them making their second Finals? What if Derrick Rose remained "Jordan" to Jimmy Butler's "Pippen?" Do the Bulls then have a potential dynasty in the making? The Bulls took Marquis Teague in the 2012 draft because of the uncertainty of Derrick Rose's recovery. What if Gar/Pax listened to Thibodeau, who allegedly wanted Draymond Green at the time, and didn't have to worry about potentially placing Rose? What if Derrick Rose continued being the All-Star caliber player he was? What if the Bulls were truly in a position to tweak their roster in hopes of putting a contender around Rose instead of denying that their star player was no longer a star? Would the Bulls have evolved with the rest of the NBA in the pace and space era instead of just being frozen in 2012 and hoping that group would eventually bring a championship? Would they be better off now? There are so many unanswered questions. The Rose-era Bulls never reached their true potential after making the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals. Rose has suffered more knee injuries since then. The Bulls moved on and now have Jimmy Butler as their star player, Fred Hoiberg as their coach, and are desperately trying to replicate what they had with Rose. Five years ago and it still feels like yesterday. It feels like we're still waiting for Derrick Rose to return and maybe fans are frozen in time, still bitter about the way all the promise and the potential the early Thibodeau/Rose partnership presented and how it came crumbling down in one single play. We haven't fully turned the page. We still think about these things, defend Rose to the death, and Bulls media still tweets out updates on him like he's still "our guy." We refuse to believe this era ended so abruptly. But it did. Five years ago. The ghost of that injury hovers over the franchise and has hindered the franchise from moving forward because of the cap ramifications of Derrick Rose's contract. Now the Bulls are truly beginning the process of building...something. That ghost will only disappear if the Bulls are able to somehow replicate what we had and somehow atone for that gruesome injury. I've never re-watched that game. I actually haven't even watched the clip of his injury. I just copied and pasted the link. I can't watch it. It's too much. It's too difficult to look back and remember what was before us, but five years ago, the path of the Chicago Bulls changed forever. I'm not fully over it yet. |
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
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