Reader mailbag looks at Bulls ownership, coaching change and the future
There has been plenty of action on the Bulls beat, so this is a good time to answer some reader questions. Any reference to GarPax refers to the management team of John Paxson and Gar Forman:
How much will it take to buy out the Reinsdorf family? Can I be a part of the committee to raise the funds? It's time for a new ownership and management group. The guy's ate good for the last 30 years. — @TheOnlyAntBanks
This is a complicated issue because Jerry Reinsdorf isn't the “owner” of the Bulls, he's the managing partner. There are roughly 27 other partners in the ownership group. The plan is for son Michael Reinsdorf to take over as managing partner and nothing figures to change. The Reinsdorfs are committed to honoring the limited partners first and foremost. Many of the original partners have died, but no one is giving up their share of the Bulls. I've written this before: Trophies are great, but the partners win a championship every year when the profit-sharing check arrives.
With Kris Dunn and Bobby Portis coming back and the Bulls finally having their core healthy, how could Pax and Gar not realize the horrible timing of the recent “get tough” events? — @MarkBando1
When the game against Boston got out of hand early, it seems coach Jim Boylen made a decision on the fly to sit the starters and practice the next day. It all went wrong, but at that point, John Paxson had no choice but to stand behind Boylen. Just as the logical decisions would have been to send the starters back in to avoid a 56-point loss and not schedule practice after a back-to-back, it was also logical to not fire Fred Hoiberg and allow him to coach the team at full strength. One questionable decision led to others and here we are.
Thanks to the reader who sent me a Salt Lake Tribune column from 2014 about Boylen at the end of his four-year run as head coach at the University of Utah. Gordon Monson wrote, “Boylen had a tendency to swing a hammer at problems that might have been better solved with subtlety and savvy.” Uncanny.
What would the Bulls look like now if they hadn't played hardball with Jimmy Butler on his original extension? Kemba Walker and Alec Burks are finishing out their four-year deals now. Just a thought. — @yerb23
It's hard to say, because if the Butler, Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo trio had continued, the next step would have been trying to sign a marquee free agent. Butler was hoping to recruit Kyle Lowry or Kyrie Irving, and it seems conceivable there would have been interest in trying to form an Eastern Conference “superteam” in Chicago. But free agency hasn't always been kind to the Bulls and they were worried about having to give Butler a “supermax” contract in 2019.
Nothing says you have to offer a player a supermax, just because they're eligible for it, so I never understood that logic. My guess is they'd have been a playoff team, but not a championship contender. And by the way, I think Butler's extension was reasonable, the timing of it made him seem underpaid a couple years later when the cap went up and salary inflation struck.
I have never seen a front office in town cause so much angst. It's clear they have no clue on what they want to do. Will it take Jerry Reinsdorf passing for (son) Michael to become the new Rocky Wirtz? Or is he part of the problem? — @JeffBode88
The Bulls' situation doesn't really equate to what happened with the Blackhawks. Jerry Reinsdorf spends most of the NBA season in Arizona, has trusted others to run the Bulls for decades and, as we know, is extremely loyal to his top lieutenants. Michael Reinsdorf has been focusing on the business side and you can see some of his influence in the team's enhanced marketing campaigns. I don't expect a Reinsdorf transition to lead to any major changes.
Which do you think suits the Bulls better, Hoiball or half-court? I have to say, I like the half-court offense better, but what do you think fits best with the personnel? — @Shirley_I_Jest
One of the biggest problems with Hoiball was the Bulls never fully committed to tailoring the roster for it. Zach LaVine should be running the floor as much as possible. Jabari Parker should not. Then with all the injuries, there wasn't enough depth to sustain a fast-paced offense. The answer probably falls into the realm of “let the game dictate what you do.” When there's a chance to run, run. If not, slow it down. I'd say it makes sense to slow things down a little and make playing smart a priority. That doesn't mean they can't push the tempo at times and score 70 points in the first half like they did against Oklahoma City last Friday.
I know they said Boylen has their backing but who might be some of coaches they look at if this doesn't work out? — @Pniko21
When I incorrectly predicted before the season Fred Hoiberg's job was not in jeopardy, a big part of the logic was firing Hoiberg would redirect the spotlight on Paxson and Forman, and they didn't want that. So management is going to give Boylen a reasonable amount of time, most likely, and hope the team starts to improve. Remember during Tom Thibodeau's final season when Hoiberg was often mentioned as his successor? I'd keep an eye on Chris Collins for that role.
Does drafting a generational talent wing with a top pick solve a lot of the Bulls problems? — @Jermaine611
As Gregg Popovich has acknowledged many times, draft lottery luck can make NBA people look really smart. Your point here is valid — the best path for the Bulls this season is probably the one that leads them to drafting Zion Williamson or R.J. Barrett.
When are the Bulls' two-way contract players going to get game action? — @MegannHorstead
Well, it will probably take a couple of injuries to get Tyler Ulis back with the Bulls, since they now have Kris Dunn, Ryan Arcidiacono, Shaq Harrison and Cam Payne getting point guard minutes. Rawle Alkins is sort of a long-term project, so the Bulls may be content to wait until later in the year to give him a shot.
Why was Antonio Blakeney sent to the G-League and then recalled a few hours later? — @nemchocke
So he could practice with the Windy City Bulls. That day, the WC Bulls practiced at the Advocate Center immediately after the Bulls were finished, so they just wanted Blakeney to get some extra work in. This happens a lot and there are no longer any limits on how many times a player can be sent to the G-League.
What will it honestly take for GarPax to be fired? — @JustinGreenber3
An empty United Center, most likely.
Should we be more worried about the caravan of immigrants coming to America or the Bulls coming back to America? — @chwtom
Are there any lottery picks traveling in the caravan?
• Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls