You really have to hand it to the
Bulls. Not only are they circling the
drain, they’re stinking up whatever premises they play in, too.
Consider that the team is 11-37
after having lost eleven of their last twelve games. Seven of those losses have been by twelve or
more points (28, 17, 12, 37, 30, 14, 20).
Head coach Jim Boylen thinks his guys have to play harder. Boylen also wants them to play slower, which
helps explain why their 101.1 scoring average ranks second from the bottom in
the NBA. Boylen is basically trying to
run a half-court offense with a run-and-gun roster. Good luck with that.
And good luck with trying to avoid
team shellshock. Zach LaVine is getting
that thousand-yard stare, at least around reporters, and Kris Dunn may not be
far off. This is some of the collateral
damage of tanking, if only sportswriters were honest enough to admit it. Losing now for future gain is always risky
business. To paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen,
I’ve seen Theo Epstein, and neither John Paxson or Gar Forman is any Theo
Epstein. But there is a bit of good news
for Bulls’ fans, and it comes courtesy of the United Center.
Right now, the team ranks seventh
out of thirty in home attendance. The
worse that gets, the more Bulls’ ownership feels it. That’s because Jerry Reinsdorf is part-owner
of the UC, along with Rocky Wirtz of the Blackhawks. (Technically, the Bulls and Hawks share
ownership). Unlike with the White Sox, the
public hasn’t giftwrapped a stadium for Reinsdorf and Wirtz; there’s no
sweetheart lease to insulate them from falling attendance. More losses translate into smaller crowds and
a bigger drag on revenue.
That, if nothing else, will
motivate real change. I think.
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