Would you rather step barefoot into a scalding pot pie or lay naked in a tub of lobsters?
As far as I’m concerned, that feels like what folks are comparing whenever they begin to have a GarPax vs. AKME argument. I’ve seen plenty of comments ever since the Chicago Bulls’ season ended in the Play-In Tournament that Arturas Karnisovas’ front office is worse that John Paxson’s. And, well, I think it’s far too early for that declaration.
The GarPax regime is stepping into the pot pie for me. Not only is that going to hurt like a [expletive], but it’s going to leave a brutal mark. Heck, the bottom of your foot might be messed up for a long time. The AKME regime is a lot more like the lobster tub. While it’s a pretty darn concerning and uncomfortable place to be, we’re not certain whether or not a lobster is going to clamp down on any nooks and crannies.
In other words, you may still be able to get out unscathed!
Indeed, I think we need to pump the brakes on any true AKME-GarPax comparisons. We are only in Year 3 of the AKME experiment, and they do at least have one top-6 finish in the East on their resume. As far as I’m concerned, this is the first big hole the new front office has dug themselves into. While the preferred situation is to never dig that hole in the first place, we learn a lot about what a brain trust is truly capable of by seeing if it can crawl itself out.
None of that is to say that AKME is void of criticism. They aren’t! Anyone who stops by BN Bulls regularly has seen me attack their decision-making quite a lot since the last offseason. I strongly disagree with their decision not to address major roster concerns last summer or at this most recent deadline. I’ll also pretty strongly disagree with any decision that returns the majority of the roster next year. That’s just giving mediocrity a big wet hug. But, overall, I am willing to still give them a chance to right their wrongs.
See, the thing with GarPax is that they reached a point where I almost assumed every season was a lost cause. My faith in their ability to put the team back on a winning track vanished. Their departure was the only way I thought real change was possible. Could we eventually reach that point with this front office? Sure. But I’m just not there yet. In the grand scheme of things, it’s only been two years of this current roster experiment. One of those years did at least net a top-6 seed in what was a pretty fun season. The NBA is an ever-changing entity, though. AKME can’t continue to graph onto the hope of that one season. They must move on.
Despite being in the freakin’ NBA Finals, the Denver Nuggets found some time to make a pretty darn good trade.
It’s moves like these that make me even more mad a the Chicago Bulls. Like, seriously, if Calvin Booth can find some value in the middle of the NBA Finals, why can’t Karnisovas get something done at the deadline? Plus, this is a perfect example of how you must ALWAYS think one step ahead. The Nuggets – more than essentially any other team in the NBA – have a reason to run it back. Instead, Booth is recognizing that moves will have to be made in the near future to set themselves up for sustained success. Take notes from your former colleague, AK!
DeMar DeRozan’s style of play may lead to complications at times, but it shouldn’t go underappreciated. What he did for the Chicago Bulls last season was one of the single-best scoring performances we’ve seen over the past 15 years. Take a look:
Also, while it’s easy to criticize Zach LaVine at times, his scoring efficiency is becoming almost as impressive. LaVine might not dominate one category like DeRozan does with the mid-range, but few players can score at all three levels in the way LaVine can. NBA University touched on that in a recent Twitter thread that is worth a glance:
His offensive metrics are out of this world—97th percentile shooter, 99th percentile finisher, great foul drawer, 99th percentile iso efficiency, 97th percentile spot-up efficiency, 92nd percentile transition efficiency. Defense isnt good, but not as bad as some make it out to be— NBA University (@NBA_University) June 8, 2023
Also depends on who the best guy is on said championship-level team lol…I just think in the right context he could do something very similar if not better in some instances to the Brown/Murray score-first type guards who have been competing at the highest levels.— NBA University (@NBA_University) June 8, 2023
I was talking about the final point in that thread with a friend the other day. We discussed how LaVine is likely better than Murray, and he’s repeatedly shown that in the regular season. But I don’t necessarily know if LaVine would be doing the same thing as Murray if they swapped places in these NBA Finals. I mean, anyone next to Jokic is going to thrive, but Murray might have LaVine beat in the decision-making category. There seems to be a better feel for the moment and the high-pressure possessions. Again, playing with Jokic makes deciding what to do in those situations easier, but it’s still an area where Murray might actually have a leg up.
For what it’s worth, though, I do think LaVine showed progress in that department at the end of the year. When the Chicago Bulls needed to go on a run to make the Play-In game, LaVine played tremendous basketball and seemingly prioritized doing when he does best and got into the paint. We also saw him more than rise to the occasion in the second half of the Raptors game, where he single-handedly picked Toronto apart.
Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.
The Miami Heat are a better team than the Chicago Bulls. We can all agree on that, right? We're talking about a franchise with three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals in four seasons. This included last year's historic run,...
The Miami Heat announced Thursday afternoon that Jimmy Butler will officially miss Friday night's do-or-die matchup with the Chicago Bulls. The announcement comes after Butler suffered a knee injury during the first quarter of the 7v8 Play-In game against the...
The Chicago Bulls aren't ruling Alex Caruso out just yet. Despite the guard having to exit Wednesday night's Play-In Tournament over the Atlanta Hawks, Caruso is currently listed as "questionable" on the latest official injury report. The Bulls' defensive anchor...
Joakim Noah hasn't played in an NBA game since September 2020, but he still can't stand the thought of losing. The Chicago Bulls legend recently appeared on an episode of The OGs Podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller for...
I was sitting at an empty table with his legs crossed sipping on some white wine. The rest of the group was up on the dance floor, sending over the increasingly frequent wave to join them. I followed up each...
Coby White played the best game of his career on Wednesday night. In front of a packed United Center with the season on the line, White looked like the best player on the floor. He propelled the Bulls to a...
The Chicago Bulls understood the assignment. Unlike what we saw against Toronto in the first Play-In Tournament game last season, the Bulls were the ones to get out to an early lead. DeMar DeRozan was completely in his bag from...
The Chicago Bulls can't seem to swat the injury bug. Despite Andre Drummond and Ayo Dosunmu returning from their multi-game absences on Wednesday, the Bulls have likely lost their defense ace. Alex Caruso suffered a foot injury in the first...
Whether or not he gets the hardware, Coby White is the NBA's Most Improved Player. The Chicago Bulls guard has fully embraced his bigger workload this season, showing improvements in almost every aspect of his game. This was on full...
DeMar DeRozan is almost 35 years old and led the NBA in minutes this season. I want you to remember that as you watch what you're about to see. The Chicago Bulls' veteran forward was tearing apart the Atlanta Hawks...
The Chicago Cubs (11-7) are set to take on the Miami Marlins (4-15) Friday at 2:20 PM ET, airing on BSFL. The Cubs are listed as -168 favorites by sportsbooks, while the underdog Marlins have +141 odds for the contest.Chicago's...
In one of the 15 exciting matchups on the MLB schedule today, the Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City Royals take the field at Kauffman Stadium.MLB prop bets for today's games are available, so if you're interested in placing a...
The Miami Marlins (4-15) kick off a four-game series on Friday against the Chicago Cubs (11-7). The matchup begins at 2:20 PM ET at Wrigley Field.The Cubs will call on Jameson Taillon against the Marlins and Andrew Jacob Puk (0-3).Cubs...
On Friday, in a series opener at Great American Ball Park, Nick Lodolo starts for the Cincinnati Reds (9-9) versus Tyler Anderson and the Los Angeles Angels (9-10), with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 PM ET.Keep scrolling to find out...
The Sacramento Kings and the New Orleans Pelicans take the court to start the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. The Kings are favored by 1.5 points in the contest, which airs on TNT at 9:30 PM ET. The over/under...
The Blackhawks put the worst regular season of more than 70 games in the history of the franchise to bed on Thursday night in a manner that sums up the season fairly well. Connor Murphy was banged up and Nikita...
It's a first-round matchup with a history of fireworks! The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers lock horns once again in the NBA Playoffs. This year marks the third time in five years these two teams meet in the opening...
The NBA Playoffs are here, and the Eastern Conference first-round ignites with a clash of styles. The Indiana Pacers, boasting the league's top-scoring offense, bring their high-octane attack to Milwaukee to face the experienced Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo's status adds further...
On Friday, Bryan Reynolds and the Pittsburgh Pirates (11-8) take on Jarren Duran and the Boston Red Sox (10-10), with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 PM ET at PNC Park.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading for TV...
Fernando Tatis Jr. and the San Diego Padres (11-10) host George Springer and the Toronto Blue Jays (10-9) on Friday in a series opener, with first pitch at 9:40 PM ET.The article below will provide you with everything you need...
NEWSLETTER
