Throughout this winter, OFD will be looking at some of the positive surprises and disappointments among teams this NBA season. Now that the calendar has turned to February, OFD will be looking at the teams that haven’t quite met expectations.
Today, we turn our eyes to the city that hosted the All-Star game, and the team that was barely represented there. Disappointment doesn’t merely manifest itself on the court, though it’s certainly done that this season for the Bulls. Disappointment can also reflect a fan base’s feeling towards and organization, and really, that organization’s management.
The 1990s were the reign of the Bulls; even people who barely know about sports have heard of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and those great Chicago teams. John Paxson was a guard on those teams, and remains part of a saga that continues to this day. Paxson and Gar Forman have been running the front office for over a decade, and let’s just say that Chicago fans are not pleased.
Billboards aren’t the only way fans have shown their displeasure. Earlier this month, a Bulls fan showed up to a game at the United Center in an 86 GarPax jersey. The reference to nixing the front office clearly struck some nerves, and in a truly James Dolan-like move, the Bulls kicked the fan out of the arena. Let’s just say that getting compared to James Dolan automatically makes you a disappointment.
On the court, things have been little better. In a season where the 8th seed in the East is currently 24-31, the Bulls still manage to be closer to the Cavs in last place than that Magic team at 8. This comes for a team that added veterans in the offseason and was expected to contend for a playoff spot.
Injuries have perhaps been the biggest issue. Otto Porter, Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr., and Kris Dunn are all out currently, and have missed double-digit games in a season they were expected to be part of the core of this team.
For the players on the court, not much has gone right either. Zach LaVine has solid counting stats, but tends to be inefficient, and is a sieve on defense. Rookie guard Coby White had one game where he flashed immense scoring ability, but has shown little play-making and is also lost on defense. Head Coach Jim Boylen’s old school approach has not improved things, and he still has detractors, evidenced by Tracy McGrady’s joke about them actually having punch-clocks in the locker room.
At the end of the day, this once proud franchise is fallen. Even after Jordan, the Bulls had exciting players like Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler, and remained fun to watch. Now, they aren’t only bad, they are one of the worst teams to watch, with the third worst offense in the league, and no young building blocks currently on the floor. Coming out of the All-Star break, they got swamped by a bad Charlotte team at home, and now are on a 7-game losing streak. Things don’t look like they will get brighter any time soon near frozen Lake Michigan.
