So Chicago Bulls boss Jerry Reinsdorf feels misled by Mike D’Antoni, the coach he let slip away to New York.
Misled. That seems pretty appropriate for the Bulls, a team for which I once had a much stronger sense of loyalty. The term I’ve used most often over the past two seasons has been “directionless.” I guess my thought was that they were being led nowhere, which tends to have a similar effect to being led in the wrong direction.
The non-hire of Mike D’Antoni is just another blunder in recent Bulls history, as the franchise has worked quickly to derail the upward momentum it seemed to be riding just three years ago. The Bulls won 47 games in 2005, earning the Eastern Conference’s #4 seed in the playoffs. Though they were ousted in the first round by Washington, the future appeared bright. The Bulls’ three best players – Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng – had a combined four years of service in the league.
But the Bulls didn’t have a draft pick in 2005, and after finishing an even .500 the following year, the team’s one glaring weakness was obvious: The need for an interior scorer to complement the talented young group that had been built in the backcourt and on the wing.
So what did GM John Paxson decide to do with the #2 overall pick in the ‘06 draft? Yes, he drafted a big man, LaMarcus Aldridge of Texas. Aldridge is long and skilled, and in two years of college ball showed he could play with his back to the basket and face up against his defender. Perfect … except the Bulls never intended to keep him. Instead, they traded their newest piece of the puzzle to Portland for LSU’s Tyrus Thomas, a one-year collegian who was a clearly more of a project.
Paxson and crew also dipped into the free agent pool for all of the wrong reasons during that off-season, paying big money for a big man whose game was strictly limited to defense and rebounding - Ben Wallace. Definitely a great asset on the interior, but his acquisition showcased further ignorance toward what the team truly needed. Still, the Bulls were good enough last year to win nearly 50 games and advance past the first round of the playoffs. And, again, a previous deal left them with a lottery pick in the draft and a chance to address their true need. The solution: Joakim Noah, another non-traditional big man. Though Noah doesn’t have the athleticism as Thomas, his game is similar. They’re both energy players who don’t project as legitimate post scoring threats over the course of the careers. Frankly, they each look more like a sixth man to me. Oh, and they’ve both proven to have attitude problems.
So, despite the mediocrity of the Eastern Conference again this season, I wasn’t too surprised to have watched the Bulls crash and burn. They targeted Pau Gasol via trade for two years but failed to put together a reasonable package for him. Ditto for Kevin Garnett, who everyone knew was available this past off-season. But they didn’t need to craft a great deal for Aldridge; all they had to do was draft him and keep him. The Portland big man finished his sophomore NBA season with averages of just under 18 points and 8 boards per game. How would that have that have looked in Chicago this year? (By the way, Thomas averaged about seven points and five boards in ‘07-08.)
Having Aldridge on the roster would have justified the Ben Wallace signing, giving you the defense and rebounding machine to go alongside a true post player. How about a lineup of Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Aldridge and Wallace? No way that team would have missed the playoffs.
Mike D’Antoni may not have been the answer for the Bulls, but he was the obvious choice among available candidates. Reinsdorf says it seemed clear that Chicago was D’Antoni’s preferred fit, and there was no rush to get an offer to him before last weekend. That’s how he was misled.
Well, maybe you should take priority in grabbing what you want, Jerry. If you find the guy you want, take him. Just don’t trade him before giving him a chance.
2 Comments
May 14, 2008 at 6:31 pm
It sounds as if the Bulls knew there was no way they could pay New York money for Mike D so they shyfully walked away from the opportunity. I think everyone on the planet agrees he would have been a better fit for the Bulls, but when the dollars are THAT different, you gotta go with the benjamins…
May 20, 2008 at 7:08 pm
OH MY GOD the Bulls got the top pick. Are you kidding me? Mike D’Antoni sat their smiling thinking…if I only had settled for a couple million less I’d have a team with players who play my style AND the number uno pick. Ha!