Gus, I, as well as anyone else, have not said the Bulls are going to win it all. Again, I'm just glad my team is playing good ball in the playoffs.
I certainly wasn't the one bitching about the FO all season. I liked what the Bulls did this year. It was obvious to all of us that the Bulls needed to change some things up moving forward. I'm not sure how people think it will all happen at once. I also don't understand why people can't give credit where credit is due. The Bulls made some decent moves in the off season, and also set themselves up for the future. Here are some things they deserve credit for.
Coaching - Everyone wants to hate Hoiberg, but he has made strides with the Bulls and quietly improved at managing the roster and keeping the team together. He also has the team healthy and peaking in the playoffs, which the Bulls haven't done in 5 years. I think his substitutions and player management have been exceptional so far in the playoffs.
Draft - The Bulls continue to draft well with mid to late round picks. Portis, whether you like him or not, was drafted at #22 in the 1st. He's a big PF that can stretch the floor and bang the boards. He looks to be coming into his own, but still needs to develop. Did I mention he is 22?
The Bulls got 2 solid role players in last years draft in Valentine and Zipser. Zipser is giving the Bulls huge minutes at SF as a mid 2nd round pick. How can anyone say that wasn't a great pick for the Bulls? He looked pretty darn comfortable in game #2, imo. Did I mention he is 23?
Valentine was a great College player that is showing he is improving his outside shot. He is already a great heady player on the court. At worst, he will be a very good role player for the Bulls, and could eventually be a good wing player in the starting lineup. Did I mention he is 23?
Trades - Are people still pissed about the Rose trade? Even letting Noah walk? Lopez should silence anything here, imo. But Grant is also giving us great minutes off the bench as well. Did I mention he is 24?
Trading McD and Taj was hard for me at first, but how can you argue it now? Portis needs to develop, and the Bulls are trying to get younger. I always liked McD, and I'm still wondering about Payne, but the Bulls did clear some money and didn't really hurt the roster at all. MCW is also a player that can be a great role player for the Bulls moving forward. Did I mention he is 25?
Free Agents - For the first time in a while, the Bulls pulled off getting some 'big name' FA's to come to the Bulls. Wade, weather you like him or not, gives the Bulls more cred than they have had in a while. Rondo to me, was completely ridiculed as a FA pickup, but he's not looking too bad right now against his old team. You talk about stars on the roster ... Butler and Wade are a good pair. Primetime Rondo makes it 3 pretty good players for the Bulls in the playoffs. You can't deny it.
I don't care what anybody has said all season about the Bulls, they are playing really good ball at the best time of the season. They are getting younger and more athletic. They made a dent in signing some big names in FA'cy. They will have some room to sign some more FA's next year. What if they signed a Chris Paul?
My point is that the Bulls are not as bad as the weak fans want to make them out to be. They always try to win, rather than tank. They have quietly turned over the roster from some popular players, but have actually gotten better. They are in good position moving forward with a couple more good moves.
These are all the reasons I can enjoy what they are doing in the playoffs, even if they come up short. Also, the reason I'll never understand the weak fans that bail on the team, ***** about everything they do, and laugh when they say "I'm pleasantly surprised by what I'm seeing, but they still suck".
