The Chicago Bulls are a Disgrace of a Franchise

Andy Hoops

Ever since Michael Jordan's final season in Chicago, the Bulls have suffered a miserable cycle of failure. From the top of the organization all the way down to some horrendous luck...let's take a look at everything that went wrong. contact@tablerock.com  I make all kinds of long-form NBA content which include player stories, analysis, breakdowns, and historical topics. Make sure to leave a like and subscribe if you enjoyed this video! ► X: https://www.x.com/@andyhoopsyt ► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andyhoopsyt ► Music:  Black Vortex by Kevin MacLeod Movement Proposition by Kevin MacLeod Pure Attitude by Kevin MacLeod Sardana by Kevin MacLeod Eternity by Kevin MacLeod Super Power Cool Dude by Kevin MacLeod Rising by Kevin MacLeod Floating Cities by Kevin MacLeod Lightless Dawn by Kevin MacLeod Bittersweet by Kevin MacLeod Stormfront by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 (incompetech.com) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ► Sources: Stats and box-scores from Basketball-Reference.com, NBA.com, Statmuse.com, PBPstats.com #nba

Transcript

00:10The Chicago Bulls are among the NBA's most iconic franchises

00:14because of one man alone, Michael Jordan.

00:22When Jordan got drafted, he revolutionized the franchise.

00:25His success, both individually and as a team,

00:28created a fan base as large and comparable as that of the Celtics or Lakers on a global scale.

00:33You'd see Bulls jerseys in every corner of the world,

00:37sparked by an entire generation of fans who found their love for the sport solely because of him.

00:42From their endless streak of sold-out arenas,

00:44with the highest average attendance in the league even decades after his retirement,

00:49despite many consecutive years of losing,

00:51the unwavering diehard fans of the team have continued to support them,

00:55even through the disaster of the post-MJ decades.

00:58And let me tell you, it's been atrocious.

01:02In 60 years of existence, without Michael Jordan,

01:05they've only made the conference finals three times with zero finals appearances.

01:09From the very top of the organization, Jerry Reinsdorf,

01:12along with Jerry Krause, the GM of the team for nearly 20 years,

01:16who built the Jordan era in Chicago,

01:17but also tried to sabotage the franchise and burned every bridge imaginable.

01:22From Krause's pitiful attempts to rebuild,

01:25to Gar Foreman and Jon Paxson,

01:27and some unfortunate luck that saw their most hopeful era come to an end.

01:32This is a franchise holding on to the remnants of their former glory,

01:36but it's that same former glory that made them so comfortably swimming in money

01:40that they don't feel the urgency to do more.

01:43What a mess.

01:44Let's take a detailed look at everything that went wrong after Michael Jordan's departure.

01:50Strap yourselves in, because we're in for a long one.

01:59For those who watched The Last Dance,

02:01you might have noticed how turbulent Jordan's final year in Chicago truly was,

02:05and much of it centered around the man who was deemed the antagonist of the franchise,

02:09Jerry Krause.

02:10Here's the thing, there was no season, probably of any team in NBA history,

02:14that experienced as much tension as the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls,

02:19and it started with the declining relationship between Krause and coach Phil Jackson.

02:24Mostly due to jealousy, Krause hated his guts.

02:27Coach Phil Jackson with the 70 wins!

02:29He hated the fact that Phil was getting all the credit for the championships,

02:33while he himself was seen as just a funny-looking guy with a triple chin.

02:37Nobody really cared who he was.

02:40The players, of course, sided with Phil Jackson,

02:42with Jordan even saying,

02:44if this is Jackson's final year, then it's his final year too.

02:48He was on his way out because he couldn't stand it anymore.

02:51Krause reluctantly signed him to one more year to coach,

02:54and during that meeting, he straight up told him,

02:57I don't care if it's 82-0 this year,

02:59you're f***ing gone.

03:01Much of this conflict stemmed from an infamous statement

03:04made by Krause right before the season started.

03:07Organizations win titles, not players, end quote.

03:10Players and coaches don't win championships.

03:12Organizations win championships.

03:15It rubbed the team the wrong way,

03:17but on top of this,

03:18there was also the Scottie Pippen contract dilemma.

03:20Back in 1991, Pippen had signed a very long 7-year contract

03:25for just $18 million.

03:27During that span of these 7 years,

03:29the popularity of the NBA exploded,

03:31and thus, contracts exploded.

03:34Pippen just witnessed a 21-year-old Kevin Garnett

03:37sign a 6-year $126 million deal in 1997,

03:41while Pippen himself was making only $2 million a year.

03:45It was his decision to lock in such a long deal for security,

03:48so Krause refused any attempt to renegotiate.

03:52Because of this, they weren't on talking terms,

03:54and Krause even attempted to trade Scottie Pippen

03:56on draft night in 1997

03:58for 18-year-old high school phenom Tracy McGrady.

04:02T-Mac even came to Chicago for a workout,

04:05but alas, the trade fell through.

04:07Of course, Pippen can only blame himself for signing that,

04:10but he was still mad,

04:12and he was ready to leave,

04:13just like everyone else.

04:19The end of the Krause era.

04:22With everything going on,

04:23Jerry Reinstorf and Jerry Krause quickly realized

04:26that 1998 would be the final year of the Jordan era,

04:29and they had already taken steps

04:31to get a new coach to succeed Phil Jackson.

04:33That coach would be Tim Floyd,

04:36a decorated college coach

04:37who'd been on Krause's radar for a long time.

04:40While Krause remains a polarizing figure in Bulls' history,

04:43there were some things he mentioned

04:45that were ahead of his time.

04:47He realized that the last remaining years of a dynasty

04:50are the hardest to move on from,

04:51because teams usually take too long holding on,

04:54like the Celtics with Larry Bird.

04:56But what they should do is move on as quickly as possible

04:59to start the rebuild immediately,

05:01which he attempted to do.

05:03In a five-year span from the 1998-99 season

05:06until the 2002-3 season,

05:09the final year before Krause got fired,

05:11the Bulls fell deep into the trenches.

05:12As they averaged just 21 wins per year.

05:16Yet Krause still pushed forward with his plan.

05:19The Chicago Bulls select Elton Brand

05:22from Gates University.

05:24Over these years,

05:25the team managed to secure several high draft picks.

05:28In 1999, they had the number one pick

05:30and used it to select Elton Brand.

05:32With the 16th pick, they selected Ron Artest.

05:35Both players would eventually become all-stars,

05:38but not for the Bulls.

05:40The 2000 draft,

05:41they used the fourth pick to get Marcus Fizer,

05:44and they acquired the eighth pick from Cleveland

05:46to take Jamal Crawford.

05:48Fizer was a massive bust,

05:50and Crawford also had his best years after leaving Chicago.

05:53The 2001 draft,

05:55they had the fourth pick again

05:56and selected another bust,

05:58Eddie Curry.

05:59The 2002 draft,

06:00they had the second pick,

06:01which they used to select Jay Williams.

06:04After just one year in the league,

06:06Williams crashed his motorcycle

06:07and suffered countless debilitating injuries

06:09that ended his career.

06:11As you can see,

06:13in theory,

06:13Krause's idea should have worked.

06:15The Bulls were losing so much,

06:17and they piled up a massive haul

06:19of high-potential prospects

06:20and high draft picks,

06:21way more than any other team at the time.

06:24Except,

06:24it didn't work.

06:26Because not only did they get several busts,

06:28they also made a trade

06:29that completely changed their timeline.

06:32In draft night of 2001,

06:34they traded away their best player,

06:36Elton Brand,

06:37for Tyson Chandler.

06:38They also took Eddie Curry

06:40in that same draft.

06:41Both of them were 18 years old

06:43at the time of the draft.

06:45Krause's reasoning

06:46for getting two 18-year-olds was simple.

06:48He felt the team was still many,

06:50many years away from competing,

06:51and if they gave a long-term deal to Brand

06:53or lose him in free agency,

06:55both of those outcomes would be bad,

06:57so he traded him.

06:58Additionally,

06:59teams around the league

07:00saw the wave of high schoolers coming in

07:02throughout the 1990s,

07:03and many of them saw great success.

07:06Chandler and Curry were two centers

07:08who dominated high school.

07:10While Chandler eventually became

07:11a highly valued center,

07:13he faced a ton of growing pains in Chicago.

07:16But by getting these two high schoolers,

07:17they wanted to jump in

07:18and hopefully hit the jackpot

07:19with one of these guys.

07:21Yet, it turns out,

07:22neither of them were built

07:23to be the cornerstone of the franchise.

07:25Other young players like Jamal Crawford

07:27and Ron Artest were a bit too young

07:29and immature to make a meaningful impact.

07:33Last couple of years,

07:34I've been coming to the West Coast trip,

07:35even losing five games in a row.

07:38By 2003,

07:39with a mounting pressure from ownership

07:41to get more wins,

07:42Kraus attempted to make some immediate moves

07:44to help them win.

07:46Basically,

07:47none of these players drafted

07:48within this five-year span

07:49made a lasting impression

07:50on the organization,

07:51and the end of the Kraus era

07:53finally concluded.

07:59In April of 2003,

08:01everything changed

08:02when John Paxson was hired

08:03as the new GM.

08:05The Bulls organization

08:06always had a liking to Paxson.

08:08He was part of the Bulls'

08:09first three-peat with Jordan

08:10and was always deemed

08:11as a smart guy

08:12with a future in the front office.

08:14After retiring in 1994,

08:16Paxson mostly worked as a broadcaster,

08:18so this was his first time

08:20in the front office.

08:21But his arrival was met

08:22with an overwhelming amount

08:24of optimism and excitement

08:25from the fans

08:26and within the organization, too.

08:28Chicago Bulls just welcomed

08:30their new vice president

08:31of the basketball operation.

08:33Standing ovation

08:34throughout the United Center.

08:36Paxson's trying to hide

08:37over in the hallway.

08:39Assistant GM BJ Armstrong said,

08:41I'm really excited

08:42and really looking forward

08:43to the opportunity

08:44to work with this man.

08:45Coach Bill Cartwright said,

08:47Everybody knows

08:48he's conscientious.

08:49He's a hard worker

08:50and he'll do whatever it takes

08:51to get the job done.

08:52And during the hiring process,

08:54Reinstorf found his guy

08:55very quickly.

08:57It was just a matter

08:58of refreshing my memory

08:59and having one or two conversations

09:00to come to the conclusion

09:02I came to.

09:02And it was a very easy conclusion.

09:05He wanted Paxson.

09:08Perhaps the most impressive part

09:10was reconciliating

09:11with Scottie Pippen,

09:12who left on bad terms

09:13but came back

09:14to spend his final season

09:15in Chicago.

09:17Anyway, Paxson hit the ground running.

09:20Immediately, he started reverting

09:22the decisions made by Kraus.

09:23When he took over,

09:25Jalen Rose was the guy

09:26leading the Bulls.

09:27He arrived as part

09:28of the runner test trade,

09:29but just a month

09:30into his first season as GM,

09:32Paxson traded him away

09:33and pushed the reset button again.

09:36He also had his eyes

09:37focused on the Curry

09:38and Chandler duo

09:39and paid close attention

09:41to their productivity,

09:42but he had the intentions

09:43to eventually get rid of them.

09:45However, it was his decisions

09:46in the 2003 and 2004 drafts

09:48that would ultimately

09:49build this team

09:50back into relevance.

09:51While they couldn't get

09:52a high enough pick

09:53to partake at the top

09:54of the star-studded 2003 class,

09:57they did not completely miss out

09:58because with the seventh pick,

10:00they got Kirk Heinrich.

10:02After the terrible

10:03Jay Williams motorcycle accident,

10:05they weren't anticipating

10:06him to ever come back,

10:07so they needed another point guard

10:09and Heinrich proved

10:10to be a solid pick.

10:12Fast forward to the 2004 offseason

10:14and they had a very hard

10:16decision to make.

10:18Jamal Crawford had shown

10:19some signs of being

10:20a great player,

10:21but he had a playstyle

10:22that was very erratic

10:24and sometimes out of control

10:25with a highly inconsistent jumper.

10:27He was a very ball-dominant player

10:30who didn't fit within the vision

10:31of what the Bulls wanted.

10:33And since they landed

10:34the third pick of the 2004 draft,

10:36Paxson had his eyes set

10:37on one player in particular,

10:39Ben Gordon.

10:40An absolute winner

10:41throughout his time at UConn

10:43and projected to be

10:44a much better shooter

10:44and had the skills to benefit

10:46from playing off the ball

10:47which the team needed.

10:49But it was a sneaky trade

10:50that got them the glue guy

10:52they desperately needed.

10:53That year,

10:54the Bulls managed to also acquire

10:55the 10th pick of the draft

10:56from the Phoenix Suns.

10:58The Suns,

10:59having the cheapest owner

11:00in sports,

11:01wanted to save money

11:02by trading away that pick

11:03for $3 million in cash,

11:05which the Bulls gladly accepted.

11:07This pick turned into

11:08Luol Deng.

11:10Now,

11:10they had a squad.

11:22Previously,

11:23Kraus had tried to rebuild

11:24by throwing darts at the wall,

11:26not really caring about

11:27the player's fit

11:28or team chemistry,

11:29just hoping one of the teenagers

11:31they drafted

11:31had enough talent

11:32to become a superstar.

11:34Paxson had a different goal in mind.

11:36He had a much more reserved,

11:37calculated philosophy

11:38and actually built a team

11:40composed of winners.

11:42Heinrich,

11:42Gordon,

11:43Deng,

11:43and even their second-round pick,

11:44Chris Duhon,

11:45all made it deep

11:46into the NCAA tournament.

11:48They were all either

11:49NCAA champions

11:50or at the very least,

11:52made it to the Final Four.

11:53These guys knew what it took

11:55to build a winning culture

11:56and they knew

11:57that everything starts

11:58with defense.

12:02Under new head coach

12:03Scott Skiles,

12:04he instilled a high level

12:05of discipline

12:06and prioritized work ethic

12:07and hard-nosed defense

12:08for the foundation

12:09of this new era.

12:11This wouldn't work

12:12on most teams

12:12because a lot of young players

12:13are entitled,

12:14but it worked for this team

12:16because these young guys

12:17were winners

12:18who were used to being disciplined.

12:19The result?

12:21The Bulls were finally back.

12:23For three straight seasons,

12:25they reached the playoffs

12:26backed by one of the league's

12:27most elite defenses.

12:29While this team

12:30was technically led

12:31by the trio

12:31of Heinrich, Deng,

12:32and Gordon,

12:33it was a team effort

12:34and every player they added

12:36had the same mentality.

12:37Whether it's Andres Nocioni

12:39or the older Ben Wallace

12:41or PJ Brown,

12:42every player they desired

12:43added on to this team's

12:44tough-minded defensive prowess

12:46to the point where

12:47by the 2006-7 season,

12:49they ranked as the league's

12:50number one defense,

12:52but just the number 21

12:53ranked offense.

12:55I mean,

12:55they basically built their roster

12:57like a worse version

12:58of the Pistons.

12:59This culminated

13:00in the 2007 playoffs

13:02where the Bulls

13:03won 49 games,

13:04but also had the

13:05fourth highest net rating

13:06in the entire league

13:07with a solid chance

13:08to compete in the East.

13:10But it all didn't matter.

13:11The baby Bulls grew up.

13:13They'll be a new champion

13:14in the NBA,

13:15the Chicago Bulls.

13:17They have eliminated

13:18the Miami Heat,

13:19swept them in four.

13:21They swept the defending

13:23champion Miami Heat

13:24before losing

13:25in the second round.

13:26Here's the thing,

13:27the Bulls accomplished

13:28what they set out to do.

13:30They established

13:30a crazy defensive identity

13:32under Scott Skiles.

13:33They returned to the playoffs

13:35for the first time

13:36since 1998.

13:37They had a hard-working

13:38group of players

13:39who were worth cheering for.

13:41On paper,

13:42Paxson's first few years

13:43as the GM

13:44went exactly

13:45how he planned.

13:46But something

13:47was missing.

13:49You see,

13:50as this new wave

13:51of superstars

13:52hit the Eastern Conference

13:53with LeBron in Cleveland,

13:55D. Wade in Miami,

13:56Dwight Howard in Orlando,

13:57and in the same summer

13:59the Bulls lost

13:59in the second round,

14:00the Boston Celtics

14:01just created

14:02a new super team.

14:03One that would put

14:04a stranglehold

14:05on the Eastern Conference.

14:07These new teams

14:08were getting better

14:09faster than the Bulls

14:10could keep up,

14:11and much of it

14:12stems from the fact

14:12that the Bulls

14:13were missing

14:14a true first option.

14:15Sure,

14:16they had a good team,

14:17but they were missing

14:18that superstar

14:19who they can throw

14:19the ball to

14:20and get a bucket,

14:21or at the very least

14:22a consistent

14:23offensive option.

14:25They did have a chance

14:26to get one, though.

14:27Let's go to the commissioner.

14:29The Chicago Bulls

14:29are on the clock.

14:30What are they doing?

14:31Is the deal going down?

14:33With the second pick,

14:35the Chicago Bulls

14:36select

14:38LaMarcus Aldridge

14:39from the University of Texas.

14:41From the Eddie Curry trade,

14:43the Bulls received

14:44the number two pick

14:45of the 2006 draft,

14:46which they used

14:47to take LaMarcus Aldridge,

14:49but then traded him away

14:50for Tyrus Thomas

14:51and Thabo Sefalosha.

14:53Tyrus Thomas

14:54was the SEC

14:55Defensive Player of the Year

14:56in college,

14:57and Sefalosha

14:58was also projected

14:59to be a versatile defender.

15:01You can obviously tell

15:02the team was continuing

15:03to go all-in

15:04on defense

15:05by making this trade,

15:06but it was a bad trade

15:08for sure.

15:09Aldridge became

15:10a perennial all-star

15:11in Portland,

15:12while Thomas

15:12became a bust.

15:14Overall,

15:15the team was still missing

15:16that offensive player

15:17they needed,

15:18and soon,

15:18they got a wake-up call.

15:23The Bulls entered the 2007-08 season

15:26with high expectations,

15:28but it quickly crashed

15:29when they started the season

15:30with a 9-16 record,

15:32and Scott Skiles got fired.

15:34This was just one

15:35of a long list

15:36of distractions

15:37they endured,

15:38and much of it

15:38was happening

15:39behind the scenes.

15:41Before the season started,

15:42both Luol Deng

15:43and Ben Gordon

15:44were offered extensions.

15:45Five years,

15:4650 million for Gordon,

15:47and five years,

15:4857 million for Deng.

15:50They both rejected it.

15:53Gordon,

15:53in particular,

15:54was more upset,

15:55because he was

15:55the leading scorer

15:56of the team

15:57and believed

15:57he was worth

15:58way more than this.

16:00Ben Wallace,

16:01whom the Bulls

16:02snatched away

16:02from the Pistons

16:03a few years ago,

16:04was looking more

16:04like a burden

16:05with his gargantuan contract.

16:07Then,

16:08there was

16:08Joe Kim Noah.

16:10He was just a rookie,

16:12but was quite outspoken

16:13towards the coaching staff

16:14and was late to practice

16:15several times,

16:16which led to a short suspension.

16:18For years,

16:19this team looked like

16:20a well-composed roster

16:21on the surface,

16:22but whenever money

16:23gets involved

16:24and they start losing,

16:25you could visibly see

16:26the difference

16:26in their performance.

16:28Gordon,

16:29Deng,

16:29and Heinrich

16:30all saw a noticeable

16:31drop-off in production,

16:32and the team faltered,

16:34finishing with a

16:3533-49 record,

16:36and missed the playoffs

16:37in the most disappointing season

16:39they've had

16:39in a while.

16:40At this point,

16:42the Bulls came

16:42to the conclusion

16:43that this team

16:44and this trio

16:45had reached their peak,

16:46and they desperately

16:47needed something,

16:48somebody,

16:49to inject a new life

16:50into this franchise.

16:52Their wish

16:53came true.

16:57With the first pick

16:59in the 2008 NBA draft,

17:02the Chicago Bulls

17:04select

17:04Derrick Rose

17:06from the University of Memphis.

17:08Surprise!

17:08the Bulls

17:09with a 1.7% chance

17:11to win the lottery

17:12for the number one pick

17:13ended up doing so.

17:15Of course,

17:15this sparked a ton

17:16of conspiracy theories

17:17over the years

17:18about this draft

17:19being rigged,

17:20but nevertheless,

17:20they had the opportunity

17:22of a lifetime.

17:32even to this day,

17:33since the end

17:34of the MJ era,

17:35Bulls fans

17:36had no bigger anticipation

17:37for a player

17:38than Derrick Rose.

17:40Unlike other prospects

17:41over the years,

17:42the minute Derrick Rose

17:43stepped foot

17:43on the NBA court,

17:44he emitted an aura

17:46that made him

17:46untouchable,

17:47like he was

17:48instantaneously

17:49the baddest guy

17:50in the whole arena.

17:51There was a cool confidence

17:53about this kid

17:54that made people

17:54believe in him,

17:55and being from Chicago

17:56himself,

17:57he was the hometown kid

17:58destined to be

17:59the savior of this franchise.

18:02So it began.

18:05Rose came out of the gates

18:07swinging.

18:08He made an immediate impact,

18:09winning Rookie of the Year

18:10and eventually helping

18:11his team return

18:12to the playoffs.

18:13In his first ever

18:15playoff game,

18:15he tied an NBA record

18:17that still stands today.

18:18With 36 points,

18:20he tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

18:21for the most points

18:22scored by a rookie

18:23in their playoff debut.

18:25With all that previous

18:26outside noise going on,

18:28all of the Bulls'

18:28contract disputes

18:29and other internal issues,

18:30they were all thrown

18:31to the side.

18:32Now,

18:33they had without a doubt

18:34in the world

18:34that Derrick Rose

18:35would be the face

18:36of their franchise

18:37for years to come.

18:40The summer of 2009

18:42marked a very awkward

18:43time for the Bulls.

18:45You'd imagine

18:46with a rising young star

18:47and a competitive

18:48seven-game series

18:49against the Celtics,

18:50they'd be more active

18:51in free agency

18:52as their team

18:53was on the come-up.

18:54They even hired

18:55a new GM,

18:56Gar Foreman,

18:57and moved John Paxson

18:58to the role as president.

19:00Foreman had worked

19:01for the Bulls

19:02as a scout

19:02for a long time,

19:03so he definitely

19:04has a great eye

19:05for talent

19:06and for sure

19:06would never miss

19:07on a draft pick,

19:08right?

19:09Except,

19:10he didn't really

19:11do anything yet.

19:12When he got hired,

19:14the Bulls,

19:14like many other teams,

19:16did not want to spend

19:16much of their cap space

19:17in 2009

19:18because they were

19:19waiting until 2010,

19:21a summer where

19:22several high-profile

19:24superstars

19:24would be available

19:25as unrestricted

19:26free agents.

19:27Because of this,

19:28they didn't want

19:28to re-sign Ben Gordon

19:29and they let him

19:30walk instead.

19:32In hindsight,

19:33it was a good decision

19:34either way

19:34since Gordon's career

19:35fell off after Chicago.

19:38Gar Foreman

19:38did hit on a great

19:39pick in the late

19:40first round though

19:41when they took

19:41Taj Gibson

19:42at 26.

19:43However,

19:44the 2009-10 year

19:45was kind of a

19:46filler season.

19:47The only notable

19:48thing they did

19:49was fire

19:49Vinny Del Negro

19:50who got the short

19:51end of the stick here.

19:52He coached them

19:52for two years

19:53but this was a

19:54transition period

19:55and he wouldn't

19:55be here for long.

19:56The Bulls

19:57were biding their time

19:58and did not do

19:59anything drastic

20:00until the time

20:01finally came.

20:03All eyes,

20:04including those

20:05of free agents

20:06themselves,

20:06sharply focused

20:07on what move

20:08LeBron James

20:09will make.

20:10Chicago

20:11is still a little

20:12bit ahead of Miami.

20:13LeBron will go

20:14to Chicago

20:15with Chris Bosh.

20:17The 2010 offseason

20:19had the potential

20:19to change the direction

20:20of this team

20:21forever

20:22and the free agency

20:23period started off

20:24with a bang.

20:26Rumors were

20:27Dwayne Wade

20:27was initiating

20:28conversations

20:29between him,

20:30LeBron,

20:30and Chris Bosh

20:31and his first

20:32destination

20:33was Chicago.

20:35Wade was born

20:36and raised there

20:36so he had

20:37connections to the city.

20:38In fact,

20:39he was so hell-bent

20:40on creating a super team

20:41in Chicago

20:41that even after

20:43he listened to

20:43Miami's pitch

20:44to sign three superstars,

20:45Wade went back

20:47to Chicago

20:47and suggested

20:48that same strategy

20:49in a follow-up meeting.

20:51But this is where

20:52it fell apart.

20:53The Bulls only had

20:54the cap space

20:55to sign two stars,

20:56not three.

20:57They needed to find

20:58a way to offload

20:59Luol Deng's contract

21:00to add that third star.

21:02This was risky though.

21:04Even if they did this,

21:06there was no guarantee

21:06they could get all three

21:07if they got rid of Deng first.

21:09They would have to

21:10maneuver a sign-in trade,

21:11but the logistics

21:12were too complicated

21:13and eventually

21:14they gave up

21:15on this idea.

21:17Brian Windhorst

21:18speculated that

21:18Derrick Rose's

21:19lack of involvement

21:20in the recruiting process

21:21made them not want to come

21:22and LeBron's relationship

21:24with Joe Kim Noah

21:25also turned him away.

21:27Regardless,

21:28with those three

21:28out of the picture,

21:29the Bulls did manage

21:30to get somebody.

21:32Carlos Boozer,

21:33whom they signed

21:35for five years,

21:35$80 million.

21:38They also got rid

21:39of Kirk Heinrich,

21:40who was no longer necessary,

21:41with Rose as the point guard.

21:42And they signed

21:44six new role players,

21:45signifying a full commitment

21:47to build around Rose

21:48as the face of the franchise.

21:51Most importantly,

21:52they would hire

21:53a new head coach,

21:54who pushed the Bulls

21:55to a level

21:56they haven't experienced

21:57in many years.

21:59The 2010-11 season

22:01marked the resurgence

22:02of the Chicago Bulls.

22:0462 wins,

22:06the best record in the league.

22:08Derrick Rose got named

22:09the youngest MVP in history.

22:11They still maintained

22:12the league's top-ranked defense,

22:14but with this new

22:15offensive weapon in Rose,

22:17they now had their superstar

22:18to carry them.

22:19Everything was looking well

22:21until they faced

22:22the Miami Heat

22:23in the playoffs.

22:33As great as Rose

22:34and the Bulls were,

22:35it became very difficult

22:37for him as the playoffs progressed.

22:39Even in the previous couple series,

22:41entire teams would build

22:42their defense to stop him,

22:43because everybody knew

22:44if you stopped Rose,

22:46you stopped the entire offense.

22:48This was a team

22:50that was constructed

22:51very similarly

22:51to the Allen Iverson

22:53and the Sixers of the past.

22:54They relied on a staunch,

22:56gritty defense

22:57to sustain them,

22:58but just one single

22:59offensive weapon

23:00wasn't enough.

23:02Boozer was technically

23:03supposed to be

23:04that secondary star.

23:05I mean,

23:06he was certainly paid like one,

23:07but he often disappeared

23:09in the playoffs

23:09and played substantially worse.

23:11In fact,

23:12that five-year contract

23:13he signed,

23:14by the end of it,

23:15his career was over

23:16because he didn't even get

23:17another deal after that.

23:19As great as Rose had been,

23:21there were glaring issues

23:22with the roster

23:23that were hard to overcome

23:24because the team

23:25was already in the luxury tax,

23:26with very few options

23:28to change the roster.

23:31Despite another year

23:32of having the league's

23:33best record,

23:34what happened in the playoffs

23:35would go down forever

23:36as the most heartbreaking moments

23:38the audience in Chicago

23:39ever witnessed.

23:41Holding on to his knee,

23:43holding on to his knee

23:44and down.

23:46Derek Rose suffered

23:47a torn ACL

23:48in his left knee.

23:50While we've seen players

23:51recover successfully,

23:52it wasn't this injury itself

23:54that derailed his career,

23:55but a series of problems

23:57that happened afterwards,

23:58which included

23:59two more injuries

24:00on his other knee.

24:01Rose admitted

24:02to being more cautious

24:03after that torn ACL,

24:05preferring to put more strength

24:06on his right knee instead,

24:08and the overcompensation

24:09might have caused

24:10more stress on it.

24:11You combine this

24:12with his herky-jerky movements,

24:14a very quick change of pace,

24:16Rose's playstyle

24:17is incredibly susceptible

24:18to these kind of injuries.

24:20Because of this

24:21and his inability

24:22to successfully come back,

24:24this entire era was over

24:26before it barely even started.

24:33From 2012 until 2016,

24:35they made a ton of progress

24:37as a team,

24:38with the emergence

24:39of Jimmy Butler,

24:40the acquisition of

24:41Pau Gasol,

24:42and the rapid improvement

24:43of Joakim Noah,

24:44who became one of a handful

24:46of players to make

24:47first-team All-NBA,

24:48first-team All-Defense,

24:49and win Defensive Player

24:50of the Year

24:51all in a single season.

24:53All they were missing

24:54was a healthy Derek Rose,

24:56who, if he never got injured,

24:58would have been

24:58at the peak of his career

24:59by then,

25:00with a supporting cast

25:01stronger than he's ever had.

25:03Alas,

25:04it was never meant to be.

25:09Hey,

25:10looks like they finally

25:10got Dwayne Wade.

25:12I'm just kidding.

25:13At this point,

25:13he was a corpse,

25:14but this was the strangest year

25:16the Bulls had in a while.

25:18With no more Rose,

25:19they attempted to make

25:20a last-ditch attempt

25:21to build around Jimmy Butler.

25:23So,

25:24we saw Gar Foreman

25:25and the front office

25:26sign a bunch of random players

25:27who did not fit together

25:28in the slightest,

25:29and they only played

25:30one year together in Chicago.

25:33I'm talking about

25:34Dwayne Wade,

25:35Rajon Rondo,

25:36and Michael Carter-Williams,

25:37a trio who could not

25:38shoot a three

25:39to save their lives.

25:41In a landscape

25:42moving towards

25:42an emphasis on shooting

25:43and spacing,

25:44this team literally

25:45had negative spacing.

25:47They went in the

25:48complete opposite direction,

25:50and I could point the finger

25:51to Gar Foreman

25:52and John Paxson

25:53for signing these guys,

25:54but they had no more

25:55options left.

25:56Still,

25:57nobody else was stupid enough

25:58to put all these guys

25:59on the same roster.

26:01I guess in a summer

26:02where teams were giving out

26:03horrendous long-term deals

26:04left and right,

26:05the Bulls dodged a bullet.

26:08Hilariously,

26:09this disaster of a team

26:10almost won a playoff series.

26:12They entered the 2017 playoffs

26:14as the heavy underdogs,

26:15but guided by the leadership

26:17of Rondo,

26:18they stole the first two games

26:19on the Celtics' home court.

26:21Butler gives it to Zipser,

26:22not afraid,

26:23he pulls the trigger

26:24with two on the shot clock

26:25and Zipser...

26:26But then Rondo got injured

26:28and they lost four straight.

26:30After this weird experiment ended,

26:32it was officially time

26:33for the franchise

26:34to push the reset button.

26:40Ever since Gar Foreman

26:41joined the Bulls' front office

26:43back in 2009,

26:44through all this time,

26:45he hadn't actually had

26:46the opportunity

26:47to test his drafting ability.

26:49I mean,

26:49he was a long-time scout,

26:50so he should be decent at it.

26:52But during this new

26:53rebuilding period,

26:54this was the time

26:55for Foreman to really shine.

26:57So this is how he did.

26:59In the summer of 2017,

27:01he traded Jimmy Butler

27:02to Minnesota

27:03for rising young star

27:04Zach Levine.

27:05And the seventh pick

27:06of the draft,

27:06which he used to take

27:07Larry Markkinen.

27:08They were hoping

27:09to develop camaraderie

27:11within this new,

27:12younger locker room,

27:13as this was supposedly

27:14the beginning of a new era.

27:15And then,

27:16Bobby Portis punched

27:17Nikola Muratich

27:18and both of them

27:19got traded.

27:20In 2018,

27:22he took Wendell Carter Jr.

27:23with the seventh pick.

27:24In 2019,

27:26Kobe White

27:26with the seventh pick.

27:28And right before

27:29the 2020 draft,

27:30Foreman got fired

27:31and Paxson got replaced,

27:33signaling the end

27:35of the Gar-Pax era

27:36in Chicago.

27:38While Foreman and Paxson

27:39both had a strong start

27:41to their tenures,

27:41their reputations

27:42declined over time.

27:44With constant bad decisions,

27:46bad draft day trades,

27:47and overall some bad luck,

27:49the results did not

27:50meet the expectations.

27:52Since Paxson joined

27:53the organization in 2003,

27:55the Bulls made

27:56the conference finals

27:57just one time

27:58in this 17-year span.

28:00They did make

28:01the playoffs a lot,

28:02but in most years

28:03they had no shot to win,

28:04which we soon found out

28:05was by design.

28:07Because this leads us

28:08to the biggest culprit,

28:10the owner,

28:11Jerry Reinsdorf.

28:13Around 2020,

28:14David Sampson,

28:15the former president

28:16of the Miami Marlins,

28:17made an appearance

28:18on Dan LeBetard's podcast,

28:20in which he explained

28:21what Jerry Reinsdorf

28:22told him years ago.

28:24He said Jerry told him,

28:25here's my best advice to you,

28:27finish in second place

28:28every single year.

28:29Because your fans will say,

28:31wow, we've got a shot,

28:32we're in it.

28:32But there's always

28:33the carrot left,

28:34there's always one more

28:35step to take.

28:37When this reached the public,

28:39this sparked outrage

28:40among the Chicago fan base.

28:42It confirmed the suspicions

28:43they had on why the team

28:44wasn't trying to make

28:45any big moves recently.

28:47From 2016 until 2020,

28:49the Bulls were near

28:50the bottom of the league

28:51when it came to

28:51spending money on players.

28:54Yet, it didn't matter

28:55how little they spent

28:56in free agency.

28:57They still maintained

28:58near the top in attendance

28:59every single year.

29:01And near the top

29:02in revenue generated

29:03each year because of

29:04how strong the Chicago Bulls

29:05brand is.

29:06It doesn't matter

29:07how long they stay mediocre.

29:09They could be as bad

29:10as they want,

29:11their team still makes

29:12a sh**ton of money.

29:13With no chance of being

29:15in financial trouble

29:16and relocating,

29:17which is something

29:17that very few teams

29:18are able to get away with.

29:20It's a blessing

29:21and a curse.

29:23Knowing that no matter

29:24how bad your team is,

29:25they'll still remain

29:26in Chicago until

29:27the end of time.

29:31Trying to, you know,

29:32improve our team

29:33and try to be competitive.

29:36And, you know...

29:38Anyway, with the

29:39departure of Garpax

29:41and the arrival

29:41of Arturis Karnishevis

29:43and Mark Eversley,

29:44this massive change

29:45in the front office

29:46was supposed to spark

29:47a new beginning.

29:49What really happened

29:50was a continuation

29:51of the same problems

29:52and the same mediocrity

29:53that plagued the Bulls

29:54for much of the post-MJ era.

29:56But if there's one difference

29:58between this administration

29:59and the last

30:00was that they actually

30:01did try and put in effort

30:02to build a competent team.

30:04Probably because

30:05Reinsdorf got a lot of flack

30:06for his comments.

30:08The first decision

30:09of Karnishevis

30:10and Eversley

30:11was to fire Jim Boylan.

30:13He was the coach

30:14for a few years

30:15and every player

30:16on the team hated him.

30:17In particular,

30:18he had it out

30:19for Lowry Markkanen.

30:20Markkanen was a young prospect

30:22with great potential

30:23but Boylan was so overtly

30:24harsh on him

30:25and reduced his role

30:26so much

30:27that it stunted

30:27his development.

30:29He eventually became

30:30an all-star

30:30but not in Chicago.

30:32Then, they hired

30:33Billy Donovan

30:34to be his replacement.

30:35With his experience

30:36and reputation

30:37for getting along

30:38with the players,

30:39it seemed like

30:39a good enough choice.

30:41But it was when

30:42the 2020 draft approached

30:44where their first major mistake

30:45was made.

30:46They took Patrick Williams

30:48with the fourth pick.

30:49Now, it wasn't this pick

30:51by itself that was bad

30:52because teams make mistakes

30:54and draft busts

30:55all the time.

30:55But the fact that

30:56they gave him

30:57a massive $90 million

30:58extension

30:59after his rookie deal

31:00expired,

31:01this killed them.

31:02He showed no signs

31:04of being worth this much

31:05but they still gave him it.

31:07Fast forward a bit

31:08to the 2021 trade deadline

31:10and this was the first sign

31:11where fans quickly realized

31:12what this new front office

31:14was trying to do.

31:15They actually had no intentions

31:16of rebuilding from scratch

31:18like what Garpax

31:19or even Jerry Krause

31:20tried to do

31:20all those years ago.

31:22This new front office

31:23had the desire

31:24to build a contender

31:25right away

31:26and their first major transaction

31:27happened in March of 2021.

31:31They traded a ton of assets

31:33which included

31:34Wendell Carter Jr.

31:35and two future

31:36first round picks

31:36which turned into

31:37Franz Wagner and Jett Howard

31:39to the Orlando Magic

31:40in exchange for

31:41all-star Nikola Vucevic.

31:44Even at the time

31:45this trade had mixed opinions.

31:47Sure, Vuce was a great player

31:49but he had already

31:50reached his peak

31:51in Orlando.

31:52It was clear

31:53he wasn't number one

31:54option material

31:55so to mortgage the future

31:57for him

31:57seemed like a shot

31:58in the dark.

31:59Then a few months later

32:01in 2021 free agency

32:02they legitimately went

32:04all-in.

32:12Signing DeMar DeRozan

32:14Lonzo Ball

32:14and Alex Caruso

32:16all in a single summer.

32:17This created a roster

32:19that looked very, very good

32:21with a great player

32:22at every position.

32:23When questioned

32:24about his intentions

32:25Arturis made it clear

32:27they were looking

32:28to win the championship

32:29in the next few years.

32:31And right when

32:32the season started

32:32this roster was put

32:34to the test.

32:42The Bulls blasted

32:43out of the gates.

32:44With DeRozan

32:45leading the way

32:45they held the number one

32:47seat of the conference

32:47for a good month or so

32:49including a nine game

32:50win streak

32:51with every single player

32:52exceeding well above

32:53what anyone had envisioned.

32:55Nobody thought the Bulls

32:56were going to be this good.

32:57However, as the season

32:59progressed

32:59the Bulls fell back

33:00down to earth

33:01and the turning point

33:02happened when Lonzo Ball

33:03went down

33:04with a season-ending injury.

33:06Lonzo was very important

33:07to this team

33:08way more important

33:09than most people thought

33:10because he was a true

33:11point guard

33:12who made the offense

33:13run so much smoother

33:14and defensively

33:15dude was phenomenal.

33:17Him and Caruso

33:18suffocated the perimeter

33:19and combined with him

33:21having the best

33:21three-point shooting season

33:22of his career

33:23losing him

33:24was catastrophic.

33:26The Bulls

33:27eventually made the playoffs

33:28as a lower seed

33:29but it wasn't

33:30a very competitive series.

33:31What started

33:32as a promising year

33:33tricked the organization

33:35into thinking

33:35this team

33:36had more potential

33:37than they did

33:38because in reality

33:39that early season dominance

33:41was nothing more

33:41than a flash in the pan.

33:44Ultimately

33:44they poured

33:45too much faith

33:46too many resources

33:47into building around

33:48a core that already peaked

33:50and wasn't good enough

33:51to keep going.

33:52For example

33:53here's what their payroll

33:54looked like

33:55in the 2022-23 season.

33:58Nearly 90%

33:59of the salary cap

34:00was committed

34:01to these four players

34:02one of which

34:03Lonzo sat out

34:04for multiple seasons

34:05due to knee problems.

34:07Keep in mind

34:08this was right after

34:09they signed

34:09Zach Levine

34:10to an absurd contract

34:115 years

34:12215 million dollar

34:14maximum.

34:15That is the kind of money

34:17that should go

34:18to an S-tier superstar

34:19not a B-tier star

34:20like Levine

34:21who had no ambitions

34:22to lead this franchise

34:23anywhere.

34:24He started coasting

34:25after he got paid.

34:27This was the core

34:28they got stuck with

34:29and they committed

34:30so much money to them

34:31that they didn't

34:31want to give up

34:32and desperately tried

34:33whatever they can

34:34to salvage this.

34:35The sunk cost fallacy

34:37was strong here.

34:38Over time

34:39they managed to develop

34:40several young players

34:41in the process.

34:43Guys like Kobe White

34:44and Ayo Dosunmu

34:45became very good

34:46but not good enough

34:47to push this team

34:48back to the playoffs.

34:49They lost in the play-ins

34:51several times

34:51just barely missing out.

34:53While it wasn't

34:54their intention

34:55to be a fringe

34:56playoff team

34:56they inadvertently

34:58created what

34:59Jerry Reinstorf desired.

35:00A team stuck

35:01in mediocrity

35:02that keeps selling tickets

35:03but never good enough

35:04to compete.

35:07By 2026

35:08the Chicago Bulls

35:09once again

35:10pushed the reset button

35:11firing their entire

35:13front office

35:13after making just

35:14one playoff appearance

35:15in six seasons.

35:17They blew up the roster

35:18and traded away everyone

35:19even their younger guys

35:20hoping they could

35:21start over

35:21and try again.

35:23It seems like

35:24whatever the Bulls

35:25try to do

35:25whether it's slowly

35:26building through the draft

35:27or speeding it up

35:28in free agency

35:29regardless of who's the GM

35:30it all ends the same way.

35:33Ever since the end

35:34of the Michael Jordan era

35:35it's been a never-ending

35:37cycle of misery

35:38and mediocrity

35:39fueled by bad decisions

35:40and even worse luck.

35:42This brings us

35:43to where we are today.

35:45At the time I'm making

35:46this video

35:46the Bulls are trying again.

35:48They managed to secure

35:50some good young players

35:51and got rid of most

35:52of the roster

35:52from the previous era

35:53but you can never predict

35:55how any of this

35:55will turn out.

35:57Will it simply be

35:58a waiting game

35:59until they luck into

36:00a superstar in the draft

36:01just like how they lucked

36:02into Derrick Rose

36:03all those years ago?

36:05Until the Bulls

36:06shed the label

36:07of mediocrity

36:07and become a consistent

36:08playoff contender

36:09they will forever

36:10be recognized

36:11as the franchise

36:12that started and ended

36:13with Michael Jordan.

36:16Anyway

36:17that's all folks

36:18I hope y'all enjoyed the video.

36:19thank you all so much

36:21for watching

36:21and as always

36:22I'll see you next time.

36:25Peace.

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