A Call For Change, Lack of Leadership, Time to Turn to the Young Guys? And Other Bulls Bullets
If the front office wasn’t sure which direction to go with this roster, the players decided for them over the last two games.
I planted my flag on what this organization needs to do earlier this morning. And it’s time for Arturas Karnisovas to do the same.
- I pride myself on being reasonable … or at least trying to be. When the Bulls stumbled out of the gate to start the season, I kept my head on decently straight and understood there was a lot of time for them to right the ship. I waited for things to play themselves out and to see if this team could take advantage of the far easier schedule they had in front of them. To their credit, they started to do that with an impressive 11-6 stretch to creep back into the postseason picture. How did they follow that up, though? By tripping over their own feet and falling crotch-first into a caution cone.
- Good teams don’t lose these past two games. And good teams don’t sit 22-26 with the trade deadline less than two weeks away. The fact of the matter is that the Bulls are who they are. They are an inconsistent team with lots of individually talented players who simply can not co-exist at an elite-enough level.
- To be clear, I’m not saying the Bulls are incapable of pulling off another 11-6 stretch and eventually finding themselves back in the postseason. They are. But what I am saying is that accomplishing that wouldn’t matter. We know the ceiling of this Bulls team, and it’s not high enough to justify sticking with “continuity.” It’s time to decide who belongs as part of the next installment and utilize the rest in the trade market to help create that installment.
- Could Lonzo Ball make a difference? Sure! However, as I have continuously said, the fact he matters that much is – within itself – an indictment of the front office’s poor roster construction. Good teams shouldn’t have only one two-way player. Even more important, good teams shouldn’t have to rely that heavily on – who is supposed to be – their fourth-best player. The whole thing is just broken, and it will remain that way until the front office takes action.
- The fact the Bulls have gotten to this point is also a major indictment of this roster’s lack of leadership. And Will Perdue didn’t hold back when talking about that last night.
- Perdue keeps speaking the facts. I don’t know why it’s so hard for a true leader to rise from the ashes. Whether it be the max-man Zach LaVine or savvy vets in DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls have several players who should be capable of holding everyone accountable. The fact that none have been able to successfully do that is just another signal that perhaps they aren’t meant to co-exist. And, look, I do praise each of them for consistently saying the right thing when given the opportunity publically. However, what’s most important is getting the message across on the court, which clearly isn’t happening.
- It’s hard to turn to the youngsters when so many veteran All-Stars are on the roster, and that’s why the Bulls might be better off moving one or two of them. The Bulls are wasting valuable developmental opportunities for guys like Patrick Williams, Ayo Dosunmu, and Dalen Terry … and for what? An opportunity to potentially miss the Play-In Tournament? The young guys could do that on their own!
- I mean, seriously, I have to wonder how much more Patrick Williams’ game can open up with even one of those higher-usage players off the floor. We’ve seen his aggressiveness skyrocket in recent weeks, and he keeps flashing eye-popping plays like this:
Playing the young guys
- Speaking of those young players, a recent rumor from Sam Amico states that Ayo Dosunmu is drawing some interest from around the NBA. If I were the Chicago Bulls, I’d have to be blown away to let him go. He’s the exact kind of talent you shouldn’t be trying to move at this point in time. Investing further in his two-way potential should be a priority. And, yes, that will have to come with another payday this summer.
- Works for me!
- If you want more trade talk …
