NEWSLETTER
There might not be a worse NBA Finals for Chicago Bulls fans.
No, I’m not saying that because of the Jimmy Butler trade. While it stings that he’s appeared in two NBA Finals since the franchise chose to trade him in 2017, two other organizations also gave up on the superstar.
And, no, it’s not because the Denver Nuggets have reached the mountaintop only a couple of years after Arturas Karnisovas left the franchise. WAS HE HOLDING THEM BACK!?
The main reason a Nuggets-Heat matchup is the worst possible outcome for the Bulls is simple: It feeds into Chicago’s continuity argument. I know … gross.
The Nuggets have made the playoffs in five-straight seasons. In four of those seasons, they have managed to make it past the first round. Nikola Jokic has been a part of each playoff run. Jamal Murray has been a part of each playoff run. Michael Porter Jr. has been a part of each playoff run.
Now, to be clear, both Murray and Porter Jr. have missed entire playoff trips with injuries. But the fact of the matter is that they have been in the locker room and on the bench for every single playoff appearance the Nuggets have had since 2018-19. And those players have been the team’s three top scorers over their 15 playoff games this season.
The Miami Heat have a similar story to tell. Ever since Jimmy Butler arrived in 2019-20, the Heat have cracked the postseason. They’ve made it all the way to the Easter Conference Finals in three of those four seasons. While Kyle Lowry has only been in town the past two seasons, players like Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson, and Gabe Vincent were there from the jump. Tyler Herro – who has remained sidelined after suffering a wrist injury in the opening round – is also part of that club.
I’m sure all that continuity has Karnisovas salivating. And I can already envision him using it as a justification for the Bulls’ potential inactivity at the next Media Day.
Of course, I can still be proven wrong. The last thing I should do is sit here and rage-type about something that hasn’t even happened yet. But I am allowed to voice some concerns, right?
After all, we’ve seen the Bulls’ front office practically sit on their hands for three-straight transactional periods (two deadlines and a free agency). We also listened to Karnisovas repeatedly praise the team’s effort during his end-of-season press conference and state that a rebuild wasn’t on the organization’s mind. The Bulls’ lack of finances and draft picks also lends itself to running things back more than it does massively shaking things up. So it already feels like the team might lean toward giving this team the copy-and-paste treatment, and who’s to say seeing these two teams reach the Finals wouldn’t push them over the edge?
If the Bulls do end up making that decision, though, they’re buying into false hope. Both the Nuggets and Heat have something Chicago doesn’t – a proven superstar. Whether it be Nikola Jokic or Jimmy Butler these are two teams with two players who have proven that staying the course can net positive results. Likewise, both Jokic and Butler showed early on in their tenures that they can headline a competitive playoff team.
Jokic was 23 years old in his fourth season with Denver when he fell just one Game 7 victory short of making the West Finals. Meanwhile, Butler made the NBA Finals in his first season with Miami in 2019-20. Once the Bulls attempted to build a competitive team around Zach LaVine, they faced a swift five-game exit at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks. And wow did they follow that up? Missing the postseason entirely!
To be clear, none of this is to say that LaVine is the problem or shouldn’t be a part of the future. All I am saying is that he nor this core trio has shown anything to make us believe that “continuity” will lead to the same outcome it did for Denver and Miami. Both had a player to make it worth it AND the results to make it worth it.
Anyway, I’m now walking the fine line of getting upset about something before it happens. The Bulls still have a few months to prove to us that they recognize the folly of their ways. As scared as I am about these NBA Finals luring them more toward continuity, I’ll at least give them that time.
EYE BEGINS TO TWITCH … OR MAYBE NOT!
