2015-16 Bulls Season Review

Gustavus Adolphus

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My favorite teams
  1. Chicago White Sox
  1. Chicago Bulls
  1. Chicago Bears
  1. Nebraska Cornhuskers
  2. Villanova Wildcats
The meatball in me still has this idea that the Bulls have been pulling one massive troll job on all of us, and with 10 games to go they'll still make the playoffs. That in these last ten games, the brilliant Hoiberg offense will come to fruition and completely take the Eastern Conference over. The realist in me knows that this team is a steaming pile of dog shit. This is more a cathartic exercise for me than anything else, as I'm quite sure watching the Bulls has made me physically and emotionally ill this season. So let us delve into this....

Overall Team Impressions:
Best way to describe this season to me seems to be underwhelming. I think any reasonable person who looked at this roster at the start of the season (more on that later) would have said this team should be no lower than a 4 seed. Injuries hammered this team, as it always does, but it is certainly not an excuse for poor play as this team has shown in the past to overcome those issues. I'm really not one to harp on the ideas of a 'team identity,' but clearly, something was missing with this team. This team was always one to play down to competition in the Thibs era - so it's no a surprise that it still happened this year, it just happened more often. Basically, this team played dickless the entire year.

Front Office
Fired Thibs, hired Fred. Drafted Bobby Portis. Signed Dunleavy, Felicio, and Aaron Brooks to a five-year (you read that right) deal. They then exercised options on Snell and Doug. Let us also not forget THE BIG MOVE: trading Kirk Hinrich for Justin Holiday and a second round pick.

The biggest move this FO made this year: the Windy City Bulls.

Now on to the larger problems. This dysfunctional pair did everything they could to cut the legs out from under Thibs. Every chance they got they made him the scapegoat, until they ultimately let go of him. They hire 'their guy,' but do absolutely nothing to the roster, save the draft pick of Portis. To me, all this did was empower the players - show them that they weren't the problem. Then lets not forget what might have been. A potential trade with the Kings that would have sent Gasol (a clear defensive liability, plus a non-fit in the Hoiberg system) packing, and a potential trade with the Celtics that would have sent Butler (I have a lot to say on him) away. Would either of those trades added to the ability to make the playoffs? Absolutely not - would they have roster flexibility and allow the team to get younger and more athletic? Absolutely. Yet those two (possible) missed opportunities isn't what concerns me about GarPax.

What concerns me is that I have absolutely zero faith that this FO can guide this team past what this season was. I have no faith that they can pull the trigger on a deal that can improve this team in the short-term or the long-term. And I certainly have no faith that they can draft effectively to return this team to a conference contender anytime soon. Look at some statements that Gar has already made: wanting to bring back Gasol and Noah, which would make absolutely no sense whatsoever based on the needs of this team, not to mention the needs of the personnel that the coach YOU SPECIFICALLY BROUGHT IN needs to run his offensive system.

Fred Hoiberg
The worst kept secret in the NBA that Fred was going to be anointed as the head coach of this team. First let's go over something that I think is enormously unfair, and it's the Fred Trestberg thing. To whit:
- Played in the league
- HC experience at a much higher level
- Wasn't a new FO
- Adaptable

I feel really bad for Fred. From all accounts a really nice guy and an innovative offensive mind. I wish we could have seen that this year. I wish his handler in Gar gave him a roster that worked well with what he wanted to do. I wish his newly minted, and self-proclaimed leader, star player didn't cut his legs out from under him. And I wish his VP didn't put him on his knee and make him feel better.

So many things went wrong for Fred this year that I can understand why he'd be shattered for the next two-three years before Thibs gets off the book and Jerry (or Michael) allow him to be fired. Like another poster said in another thread, I think Fred will be successful coach in the league. Unfortunately it won't be with the Bulls. I don't think a veteran team is what a guy like Fred needed. I think a team like Orlando would have been more appropriate for him. If I were him, I'd be pretty pissed at Gar.

Players to follow in later posts.
 

Novak

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Hopefully this season ends in a carpetbomby fashion.
 

Enasic

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This season isn't worth reviewing. The team was set up to suffer the same fate it has for the past 5+ years and managed to play well below that standard. All while giving off the strong impression of indifference and not giving a fuck. Fred is not even remotely close to the guy this team needs and we're stuck with him for at least a few more seasons. Should be fun.
 

Gustavus Adolphus

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My favorite teams
  1. Chicago White Sox
  1. Chicago Bulls
  1. Chicago Bears
  1. Nebraska Cornhuskers
  2. Villanova Wildcats
Kirk Hinrich
Say what you will about Kirk, and I've certainly cursed him a ton - but the guy is a fucking professional. At the very least, Kirk was one guy who gave consistent effort every night. You didn't get great results from him, but the effort was there. Keep saying what you want, but at least this guy from the very start was willing to run the offense the way Fred wanted it run.

Justin Holiday
Obviously limited time, but looks to be pretty athletic. Looks like he can be coached, and I liked what he brought defensively at times. I want to see him on the roster this next season.

Cristiano Felicio
Meh, six fouls and a big body. Don't mind seeing him coming back next season.

Cameron Bairstow
Put him in the D-League. Slow, unathletic - but maybe he can help a young roster in Hoffman Estates.

Tony Snell
You broke my heart Tony, you broke my heart. There are some players you'd like to see do well, and for me, I always wanted to see Snell do well. It's clear that he just doesn't have the consistency to play at a high NBA level. The emergence of Doug the last month and the play of Holiday that warrants minutes just relegates Tony to the bench, and I see no reason why he should be anywhere but firmly planted there. Such a disappointing season.
 

Gustavus Adolphus

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My favorite teams
  1. Chicago White Sox
  1. Chicago Bulls
  1. Chicago Bears
  1. Nebraska Cornhuskers
  2. Villanova Wildcats
Bobby Portis
Decent rookie year. Great length and size. Obviously needs to work on his defense and his mid range jumper. Ran the floor very well, and looked like he fit in with the offense well. The more minutes he gets the better I can see him getting. Certainly a guy who I think should be a starter next year. Not that that really means much on this team, but hey, thumbs up.

Aaron Brooks
You just shake your head at this guy. I really don't know what to make of him, except we'll continue to see him around for the next four seasons.

E'Twaun Moore
Made some great strides this season with his offensive game. Amazing example of how a Hoiberg offense can find you offense from unlikely places. Would only stand to benefit - and make a ton more money - working within a system of pace that spreads the ball around. He seems to be a great teammate, and I don't think he's one that suffers in the effort department, I just think he reverts back to what he really is more times than not.

Mike Dunleavy
I think from his injury last season, to his performance this year, the Bulls miss him when he is out of the lineup. I'm not sure he is actually worth the amount of years he has on his deal, but he is very underappreciated by Bulls fans. A smart player, an excellent team defender, and someone who spaces the floor excellently for this team.
 

Gustavus Adolphus

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My favorite teams
  1. Chicago White Sox
  1. Chicago Bulls
  1. Chicago Bears
  1. Nebraska Cornhuskers
  2. Villanova Wildcats
Taj Gibson
What more can be said about Taj - he's been a god damn warrior for this team. If there is truly one player on this team that you want to see leave for a situation in which they can get a ring, it's Taj Gibson. He does everything you ask him to do, doesn't get glamorous plays drawn up for him, plays crippled, and brings a nice bit of toughness to this team. Finally didn't have silly justification for why he couldn't be starting. Even though he'd probably run through a brick wall if asked by Fred, he had long stretches where he would be absent from the effort category as well. I would be sad to see him go, but I don't think he's someone you want for your long term plans.

Dougie
What a hell of a last month this guy has had. It's only taken 120 games, but it appears he's that shooter the Bulls need. I just wish he didn't go long stretches of a game being ignored by his teammates. Amazingly awful on defense, but that isn't the reason he's on your roster anyways. At least he'll give you that effort on the end of the floor anyways. He's going to be a nice piece on offense to have down the road, and I really hope he keeps this up.

Niko
I remember a thread last year about Niko where people were taking his month of March and reading too much into it. I saw him being compared to Dirk. I stated (correctly) that Dirk has a special place reserved among all-time NBA greats, and that Niko couldn't even get a reservation to the restaurant those guys go to (also correct), and I was accused of being short-sighted. I wonder if anyone would like to challenge that now. Fred, I'm sure at the behest of the FO, has done everything he can to get him on the floor and in a position to succeed. Whether it was starting, first man off the bench, playing him at the 4, playing him at the 3 - minutes have been wasted trying to get this fucking bum a shot. Fuck him and his 30' three point attempts. Get his ass off my team.
 

Gustavus Adolphus

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My favorite teams
  1. Chicago White Sox
  1. Chicago Bulls
  1. Chicago Bears
  1. Nebraska Cornhuskers
  2. Villanova Wildcats
Joakim Noah
Question: What's more important, the fire, or the passion? Can a player have fire without the passion, or vice versa? I've grown to love Noah, but as the years have gone on, I'm just growing tired of him. We need to get past him, he has one leg. I wish he could do what he did four years ago, I really do - but he can't. I wish he could shoot better, but he can't. I wish he could still run the floor like he used to, but he can't. Again, he has one leg. Bulls fans, it is time to put Joakim Noah out to pasture.
 

Scoot26

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Where do you get this Aaron Brooks five year contract stuff from?

Sent from the mod station in Nome, Alaska.
 

JosMin

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Live from the Chicago Bulls front office --

image.jpeg
 

JosMin

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I truly cannot imagine paying one dollar to watch this team play live at the United Center. I honestly don't think I'd accept a free ticket from somebody.

This team has zero heart, zero leadership, a roster that's aesthetically miles away from what this coach's fundamental offensive concepts try to accomplish, an apathetic owner, a clueless front office, a fed-up fan base, zero continuity due to injury, a pathetic training staff..... you could go on and on.

Look, when your front office clings to the notion that MVP Derrick Rose is coming back, when you lean on Aaron Brooks to get you over the hump in crunch time, when you refuse to play your throng of young players, when you refuse to build a team around your best player, what do you expect? The fact that McDermott and Portis aren't in the starting lineup every night is criminal. The path the Bulls need to take is so painfully obvious, and the fact that fans are subject to the same tired narrative and same total ineptitude by Foreman and Paxson is a casual reminder that Jerry Reinsdorf does not care about winning. Ultimately, that's fine -- because owning a sports franchise is a business. The primary goal with any business is to make money -- but why not at least try to balance the two out?

When the Cubs hired Theo Epstein, he made his plan of action clear during his introductory press conference -- rid the team of bloated contracts and dead money, reinvest resources in scouting and development, create a self-sustaining roster by filling the farm system with plenty of options, and put a coaching staff in place that can nurture these young players. But with the Bulls.... I still can't tell you what the vision is. I can't tell you how these pieces on the roster fit together. And as another painful season winds down, it doesn't look like anything will change going into next season.
 

Axl Rose

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i wouldn't even put the stress on my keyboard from the keystrokes to type all this up when you can sum it up in two words: THEY SUCK
 

Scoot26

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i wouldn't even put the stress on my keyboard from the keystrokes to type all this up when you can sum it up in two words: THEY SUCK
Probably why I've been mostly quiet. There isn't much to say anymore. Until we see a move from ownership, which given how Reinsdorf has treated the Sox situation, there's no reason to believe Gar Forman or John Paxson are going anywhere.

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clonetrooper264

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My favorite teams
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  1. Chicago Bulls
  2. Golden State Warriors
  1. Chicago Bears
  1. Chicago Blackhawks
I say again, team is basically screwed for years to come.
 

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