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 became a wrestling fan around 1995 and about that time the World Wrestling Federation began this megapush of a babyface Shawn Michaels. As a 10 year-old kid, I was 100% in. I idolized him and wanted to be like him - cocky, confident, and defiant. When Michaels retired in 2010, his final match was at Wrestlemania 26 in a rematch against The Undertaker. Undertaker gave him two tombstones and as he pulled him up to deliver a third, he urged Michaels to just give up and Michaels did this: One last act of defiance and arrogance to ride off into the sunset. It was a fitting way to end his legendary career. For years, I have been leading the charge that LaVine, while talented, is overrated. I've been saying that he's really good, but not great, and if LaVine is your best player then you're not going to succeed. In this final outing, I'm here to deliver a Shawn Michaels-esque slap to the face of Bulls Nation and say Zach LaVine is not the player you think he is. He's deceiving you. It's not intentional. LaVine seems like a quality guy and a guy that cares about the game. He's gotten more consistent every season he's played and is making strides. Years ago, I created a video describing this unwritten line for perimeter players. Basically, if a perimeter guy gets 20+ points, but less than 5 rebounds or 5 assists, he's in a tier just below the top-tier guys. LaVine has always approached that line, but has never been able to cross it. This was his best season yet and he averaged 27.4 points, 5 rebounds, but 4.9 assists. That 0.1 matters and it separates that Kobe's, the LeBron's, the Jordan's from the Vince Carter's, the Michael Redd's, and the Ray Allen's. It also matters that he's a one-time All-Star - that the rest of the league and the fans looked at the landscape of the league and decided he wasn't one of the 12 best players in the East (Chicago only as he wasn't good enough in Minnesota yet). It also matters that LaVine's teams have accumulated a putrid record of 181-366 (.331 winning percentage). It matters that his teams have never come close to having a .500 record at the end of the season or even at all. It matters that after seven seasons, LaVine has zero playoff appearances. It matters that he hasn't been able to elevate his teams to the next level. Isn't that what the greats do? Is all of this on him? No. The Timberwolves are notorious for their incompetence, but they did pair him with talented big man Karl Anthony-Towns and Tom Thibodeau, who basically brings wins with him wherever he goes. The Gar/Pax era is infamous for it's ups and downs, but they did bring in LaVine to be "the cornerstone of the Bulls rebuild" (KC Johnson's words, not mine) and put some maligned pieces around him that we'll have to wait some time to see what they actually are. You know how I feel about Markkanen in particular, but Carter Jr. got a lot of praise after the trade to Orlando for basically matching his exact production with Chicago per 36 minutes. To say LaVine was without help is somewhat misleading, but it's also rare for great players to be in such abominable situations and not drag the team to some semblance of relevancy. At some point, it's just fair to wonder if maximizing LaVine is to the detriment of the entire team. Watching the Bulls this year, you could see beautiful ball movement one possession and then this thought pops into their head like, "Oh, we have to let Zach have this possession" and the ball goes to him and stops while he isolates. It never seems like he's playing within the flow of the offense and it becomes predictable down the stretch. But shhh.....don't tell Bulls Nation. They're still under the misguided notion that Zach LaVine is going to lead us to the promised land. LaVine is heading into year 8 and will be 27 next season. I touched on this while debating LeBron/Jordan back in 2012 and the trend continues today, but guys that came out of high school or were one-and-done seem to have similar breaking points around 28-30 years old. Look at Jermaine O'Neal, Tracy McGrady, KG, and even Kobe (remember him going to Germany?) or recently, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and KD. It's always the knee or the back. We literally may have seen the best we're going to see of Zach LaVine and if this was his best, it just wasn't good enough. I know he's a hard worker and I remember ESPN Podunk, Minnesota tweeting at me and telling me how much I'd love the effort he puts in. That's great and that's what I like to see from any player, but just because a guy works his tail off doesn't mean he has a limitless ceiling. Remember when Tony Snell was drafted and people talked about how hard he worked? A lot of people just assumed he was another diamond in the rough drafted by Gar/Pax and he would evolve into an All-Star like Jimmy Butler. Well, Snell worked hard and has been a career rotation player. That's it, that's his ceiling. LaVine is a hard worker, but this may just be all that he is and that's okay. But to me, it's definitive that LaVine is not that in that upper echelon of NBA players with Curry, LeBron, Harden, KD, or Kawhi. He's in that middle tier of guys you want on your team, but you can't build around them or you won't be very good. The Bulls have a decision to make with LaVine. He's due for an extension and in the final year of his contract. Are the Bulls going to shell out that kind of money for a guy with a 181-366 record lifetime or will they parlay him into the potential for a successful future with future draft assets or for a star that might need a change of scenery (like Ben Simmons)? I have no idea what Arturas is thinking, but his first year on the job has shown us that he's not afraid to make drastic changes. Nothing could be more drastic than trading Bulls Nation's golden boy. Time will tell what will happen and as years go by, we'll ultimately see where Zach LaVine settles into the history books. Just remember who was here to shatter this illusion of LaVine leading the Bulls to prominence with a Shawn Michaels slap to the face. |
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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