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My favorite teams
The meatball in me still has this idea that the Bulls have been pulling one massive troll job on all of us, and with 10 games to go they'll still make the playoffs. That in these last ten games, the brilliant Hoiberg offense will come to fruition and completely take the Eastern Conference over. The realist in me knows that this team is a steaming pile of dog shit. This is more a cathartic exercise for me than anything else, as I'm quite sure watching the Bulls has made me physically and emotionally ill this season. So let us delve into this....
Overall Team Impressions:
Best way to describe this season to me seems to be underwhelming. I think any reasonable person who looked at this roster at the start of the season (more on that later) would have said this team should be no lower than a 4 seed. Injuries hammered this team, as it always does, but it is certainly not an excuse for poor play as this team has shown in the past to overcome those issues. I'm really not one to harp on the ideas of a 'team identity,' but clearly, something was missing with this team. This team was always one to play down to competition in the Thibs era - so it's no a surprise that it still happened this year, it just happened more often. Basically, this team played dickless the entire year.
Front Office
Fired Thibs, hired Fred. Drafted Bobby Portis. Signed Dunleavy, Felicio, and Aaron Brooks to a five-year (you read that right) deal. They then exercised options on Snell and Doug. Let us also not forget THE BIG MOVE: trading Kirk Hinrich for Justin Holiday and a second round pick.
The biggest move this FO made this year: the Windy City Bulls.
Now on to the larger problems. This dysfunctional pair did everything they could to cut the legs out from under Thibs. Every chance they got they made him the scapegoat, until they ultimately let go of him. They hire 'their guy,' but do absolutely nothing to the roster, save the draft pick of Portis. To me, all this did was empower the players - show them that they weren't the problem. Then lets not forget what might have been. A potential trade with the Kings that would have sent Gasol (a clear defensive liability, plus a non-fit in the Hoiberg system) packing, and a potential trade with the Celtics that would have sent Butler (I have a lot to say on him) away. Would either of those trades added to the ability to make the playoffs? Absolutely not - would they have roster flexibility and allow the team to get younger and more athletic? Absolutely. Yet those two (possible) missed opportunities isn't what concerns me about GarPax.
What concerns me is that I have absolutely zero faith that this FO can guide this team past what this season was. I have no faith that they can pull the trigger on a deal that can improve this team in the short-term or the long-term. And I certainly have no faith that they can draft effectively to return this team to a conference contender anytime soon. Look at some statements that Gar has already made: wanting to bring back Gasol and Noah, which would make absolutely no sense whatsoever based on the needs of this team, not to mention the needs of the personnel that the coach YOU SPECIFICALLY BROUGHT IN needs to run his offensive system.
Fred Hoiberg
The worst kept secret in the NBA that Fred was going to be anointed as the head coach of this team. First let's go over something that I think is enormously unfair, and it's the Fred Trestberg thing. To whit:
- Played in the league
- HC experience at a much higher level
- Wasn't a new FO
- Adaptable
I feel really bad for Fred. From all accounts a really nice guy and an innovative offensive mind. I wish we could have seen that this year. I wish his handler in Gar gave him a roster that worked well with what he wanted to do. I wish his newly minted, and self-proclaimed leader, star player didn't cut his legs out from under him. And I wish his VP didn't put him on his knee and make him feel better.
So many things went wrong for Fred this year that I can understand why he'd be shattered for the next two-three years before Thibs gets off the book and Jerry (or Michael) allow him to be fired. Like another poster said in another thread, I think Fred will be successful coach in the league. Unfortunately it won't be with the Bulls. I don't think a veteran team is what a guy like Fred needed. I think a team like Orlando would have been more appropriate for him. If I were him, I'd be pretty pissed at Gar.
Players to follow in later posts.
Overall Team Impressions:
Best way to describe this season to me seems to be underwhelming. I think any reasonable person who looked at this roster at the start of the season (more on that later) would have said this team should be no lower than a 4 seed. Injuries hammered this team, as it always does, but it is certainly not an excuse for poor play as this team has shown in the past to overcome those issues. I'm really not one to harp on the ideas of a 'team identity,' but clearly, something was missing with this team. This team was always one to play down to competition in the Thibs era - so it's no a surprise that it still happened this year, it just happened more often. Basically, this team played dickless the entire year.
Front Office
Fired Thibs, hired Fred. Drafted Bobby Portis. Signed Dunleavy, Felicio, and Aaron Brooks to a five-year (you read that right) deal. They then exercised options on Snell and Doug. Let us also not forget THE BIG MOVE: trading Kirk Hinrich for Justin Holiday and a second round pick.
The biggest move this FO made this year: the Windy City Bulls.
Now on to the larger problems. This dysfunctional pair did everything they could to cut the legs out from under Thibs. Every chance they got they made him the scapegoat, until they ultimately let go of him. They hire 'their guy,' but do absolutely nothing to the roster, save the draft pick of Portis. To me, all this did was empower the players - show them that they weren't the problem. Then lets not forget what might have been. A potential trade with the Kings that would have sent Gasol (a clear defensive liability, plus a non-fit in the Hoiberg system) packing, and a potential trade with the Celtics that would have sent Butler (I have a lot to say on him) away. Would either of those trades added to the ability to make the playoffs? Absolutely not - would they have roster flexibility and allow the team to get younger and more athletic? Absolutely. Yet those two (possible) missed opportunities isn't what concerns me about GarPax.
What concerns me is that I have absolutely zero faith that this FO can guide this team past what this season was. I have no faith that they can pull the trigger on a deal that can improve this team in the short-term or the long-term. And I certainly have no faith that they can draft effectively to return this team to a conference contender anytime soon. Look at some statements that Gar has already made: wanting to bring back Gasol and Noah, which would make absolutely no sense whatsoever based on the needs of this team, not to mention the needs of the personnel that the coach YOU SPECIFICALLY BROUGHT IN needs to run his offensive system.
Fred Hoiberg
The worst kept secret in the NBA that Fred was going to be anointed as the head coach of this team. First let's go over something that I think is enormously unfair, and it's the Fred Trestberg thing. To whit:
- Played in the league
- HC experience at a much higher level
- Wasn't a new FO
- Adaptable
I feel really bad for Fred. From all accounts a really nice guy and an innovative offensive mind. I wish we could have seen that this year. I wish his handler in Gar gave him a roster that worked well with what he wanted to do. I wish his newly minted, and self-proclaimed leader, star player didn't cut his legs out from under him. And I wish his VP didn't put him on his knee and make him feel better.
So many things went wrong for Fred this year that I can understand why he'd be shattered for the next two-three years before Thibs gets off the book and Jerry (or Michael) allow him to be fired. Like another poster said in another thread, I think Fred will be successful coach in the league. Unfortunately it won't be with the Bulls. I don't think a veteran team is what a guy like Fred needed. I think a team like Orlando would have been more appropriate for him. If I were him, I'd be pretty pissed at Gar.
Players to follow in later posts.