The only way to not be perceived as incompetent is to be... you guessed it... competent.
The likely truth is that the Bulls management is bad, so they'll be bad at whatever path they take. That's why we're a joke. Not because we tank or not, but because we are laughably managed.
There's no idiot proof strategy, except to not be an idiot. As Dwight Schrute would say, if an idiot would do it, do not do that thing.
Being an idiot, being a laughingstock, fundamentally comes about by not recognizing the situation you're in. The Bulls are a joke because they don't recognize that their status quo sucks.
But... don't forget that there are many ways to be an idiot. Another way that teams beclown themselves is by not even making a pretext of being competitive. The process Sixers. The Bulls post-Jimmy. Pistons or Hornets. Etc. Don't assume you can magically build experience and culture if you tear it down to the studs.
For the Bulls, the strategy should be simple.
1. Recognize the situation.
2. Respect the game.
Specifically 1. Recognize the situation means
1. Move Caruso for the best possible deal. He has the best value and we need assets to change the situation in the long run.
2. Move Drummond for the best possible deal. He has some value and we need assets.
3. Too late to do anything with LaVine. The only choice is to hold him and hope he can show he's healthy.
4. Vucevic is an ideal tank commander. He'll be a double-double machine in loss after loss. If we could move him for anything useful, I certainly would, but I'm not trading a pick or taking pure deadweight to move him because our situation demands us to not spend future assets that way.
Specifically 2. Respect the game
5. Conditionally move DeRozan (because 1. Recognize the situation) but balance that against the fact that you're already moving Caruso and Drummond, and DeRozan has a high value on court and in the locker room, and frankly, around the league, but a very questionable trade value. This changes is DeRozan says he wants out or says he's not going to re-sign on favorable terms.
When we do trade him, we need to take care to not repeat the mistakes of the past and bring in enough competitive players so that, even if we're still objectively bad, we're still good enough to field a competitive team and properly evaluate whatever young guys we bring in.
Again, I'll take the Spurs as a good example of how to rebuild without because total crap.
1. They didn't immediately tear everything down to the studs.
2. They selectively play them, but they keep around around guys like Tre Jones (and kept around DeRozan as long as practicable) so they can properly evaluate the progress of guys like Wemby and Murray, Vassell, etc.
This is really pretty simple. Dumb people talk themselves out of the simple, correct solution though.
Lots of smoke around Drummond today. He's probably 5th down on my list of players I'd want to trade, though.
1. Lavine - Let me dream, ok? (please Detroit? Trading for an injured Lavine will help you tank!)
2. Caruso - His value is sky high and Coby is reaching the point that he can take over as a veteran voice in the locker room
3. Vuc - Let me dream, redux
4.DDR - Love him, but he's on an expiring contract and his value will only go down from here as he ages. Plus AKME will either let him go for nothing or overpay him to stay.
5. Drummond - We need a good back-up/alternative to Vuc and Drummond needs to bring a good haul to make up for that loss. Otherwise, I'd like to see him resigned in the offseason.
If the FO doesn't make any meaningful moves by tomorrow, I lay the blame on ownership. No owner who cares about winning would countenance such inactivity. The only conclusion I can draw is that they've blessed (or mandated) this approach of chasing the 9th seed.
Well, folks, it's official. This team isn't selling anyone.
In Sam Smith's latest column he talks about how the Bulls won't be sellers because they just found their new superweapon: starting Vooch and Drummond together. Now that they have this new superweapon, they're going all in on reaching the playoffs and may look to add a shooter like Doug McDermott or Luke Kennard to push them over the top.
I sure hope the Bulls pay Sam an insane amount of money because writing shit like that after witnessing some of the greatest basketball in history back in the 90s must be absolute hell for him.
oh FFS I thought this was just such fire nobody had any comments
I didn't realize I had the setting off!
The only way to not be perceived as incompetent is to be... you guessed it... competent.
The likely truth is that the Bulls management is bad, so they'll be bad at whatever path they take. That's why we're a joke. Not because we tank or not, but because we are laughably managed.
There's no idiot proof strategy, except to not be an idiot. As Dwight Schrute would say, if an idiot would do it, do not do that thing.
Being an idiot, being a laughingstock, fundamentally comes about by not recognizing the situation you're in. The Bulls are a joke because they don't recognize that their status quo sucks.
But... don't forget that there are many ways to be an idiot. Another way that teams beclown themselves is by not even making a pretext of being competitive. The process Sixers. The Bulls post-Jimmy. Pistons or Hornets. Etc. Don't assume you can magically build experience and culture if you tear it down to the studs.
For the Bulls, the strategy should be simple.
1. Recognize the situation.
2. Respect the game.
Specifically 1. Recognize the situation means
1. Move Caruso for the best possible deal. He has the best value and we need assets to change the situation in the long run.
2. Move Drummond for the best possible deal. He has some value and we need assets.
3. Too late to do anything with LaVine. The only choice is to hold him and hope he can show he's healthy.
4. Vucevic is an ideal tank commander. He'll be a double-double machine in loss after loss. If we could move him for anything useful, I certainly would, but I'm not trading a pick or taking pure deadweight to move him because our situation demands us to not spend future assets that way.
Specifically 2. Respect the game
5. Conditionally move DeRozan (because 1. Recognize the situation) but balance that against the fact that you're already moving Caruso and Drummond, and DeRozan has a high value on court and in the locker room, and frankly, around the league, but a very questionable trade value. This changes is DeRozan says he wants out or says he's not going to re-sign on favorable terms.
When we do trade him, we need to take care to not repeat the mistakes of the past and bring in enough competitive players so that, even if we're still objectively bad, we're still good enough to field a competitive team and properly evaluate whatever young guys we bring in.
Again, I'll take the Spurs as a good example of how to rebuild without because total crap.
1. They didn't immediately tear everything down to the studs.
2. They selectively play them, but they keep around around guys like Tre Jones (and kept around DeRozan as long as practicable) so they can properly evaluate the progress of guys like Wemby and Murray, Vassell, etc.
This is really pretty simple. Dumb people talk themselves out of the simple, correct solution though.
Lots of smoke around Drummond today. He's probably 5th down on my list of players I'd want to trade, though.
1. Lavine - Let me dream, ok? (please Detroit? Trading for an injured Lavine will help you tank!)
2. Caruso - His value is sky high and Coby is reaching the point that he can take over as a veteran voice in the locker room
3. Vuc - Let me dream, redux
4.DDR - Love him, but he's on an expiring contract and his value will only go down from here as he ages. Plus AKME will either let him go for nothing or overpay him to stay.
5. Drummond - We need a good back-up/alternative to Vuc and Drummond needs to bring a good haul to make up for that loss. Otherwise, I'd like to see him resigned in the offseason.
If the FO doesn't make any meaningful moves by tomorrow, I lay the blame on ownership. No owner who cares about winning would countenance such inactivity. The only conclusion I can draw is that they've blessed (or mandated) this approach of chasing the 9th seed.
Well, folks, it's official. This team isn't selling anyone.
In Sam Smith's latest column he talks about how the Bulls won't be sellers because they just found their new superweapon: starting Vooch and Drummond together. Now that they have this new superweapon, they're going all in on reaching the playoffs and may look to add a shooter like Doug McDermott or Luke Kennard to push them over the top.
I sure hope the Bulls pay Sam an insane amount of money because writing shit like that after witnessing some of the greatest basketball in history back in the 90s must be absolute hell for him.