Falling Star

The soap opera that is the Chicago Bulls touched on Jabari Parker this week.  New coach Jim Boylen has decided the 6’8” Parker doesn’t match up well against other forwards, so it’s the bench for the 23-year old Chicago native until hell freezes over or he impresses people at practice.  Fat chance that.

The Parker story is just plain weird.  Going back to high school, Parker seemed to have a can’t-miss future.  Where other players change schools looking for a program that meets their skill set, Parker stayed put for four years, and then he chose Duke.  Maybe staying just one year in college was a mistake.

Regardless, Parker entered the 2014 NBA draft and was picked second overall by the Bucks.  Four years later, he came to the Bulls as a free agent with a reputation for community involvement.  What could possibly go wrong?  Only something did. 

  I thought the two ACL injuries might have had something to do with Milwaukee’s decision cut ties with Parker until I saw him on the court; let’s just say he has a physique by Pillsbury.  Then I noticed that Parker is what you might call a one-dimensional player.   The two-time Illinois Mr. Basketball doesn’t bother with defense any more other than to wave at opposing players as they drive past him.  You gotta try, my friend.  

Another disappointment was Parker’s treatment of the media.  He didn’t exactly shine in interviews, or he shined as much as two and three word answers allowed.  He said more concerning his demotion this week, only it was like he forgot to use logic to connect his sentences.  “I’m a basketball player.  Everybody knows.  I especially know for myself.  I just have to stay ready,” Parker told reporters Thursday, as quoted by the Trib’s K.C. Johnson in his story on Saturday.

He went on to say, “Everybody is telling me the truth, and that’s just to stay ready.  They’re not telling me things I want to hear.  They’re no pointing fingers.  And personally, I know I’ve done my job to embrace Jim [Boylen] as the head coach.  I’ve been nothing but welcoming of him.  And that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”

If all the above wasn’t confusing enough, Parker offered more:  “I do my thing to work hard and I do what’s expected of me.  And I’ll continue to do that. That’s what keeps me satisfied.  This shouldn’t dictate the way I work.  It’s bigger than just playing at this moment.”  I honestly have no idea what any of this means.

Did the knee injuries turn Parker into an embittered bench player, or did everyone—Parker included—overestimate his talent and his personality?  I can’t say, beyond noting what a strange season this has been for the Chicago Bulls.