Trying to Get There

Here’s a true confession—I never rooted for the Bulls during the 1990s. Jordan Rules, Last Dance, I always wanted them to lose. South Siders are known to hold a grudge. For me, it was Jerry Reinsdorf tearing down Comiskey Park and going on rich man’s welfare; God forbid he use his own money to build a mall. Yes, I also rooted against the White Sox in the 1993 playoffs against the Blue Jays, so credit me with consistency: one owner, two teams, one grudge. But having a child who loved baseball and Frank Thomas—not necessarily in that order—changed me over time. Only Clare never really cared about basketball, and that allowed me the futile pleasure of rooting against Superman and his supporting cast (Yes, I’m talking about you, Scottie). Old habits are hard to break. I laughed as Jerry Krause replaced a dynasty with a who’s who of dysfunction. I never warmed to Derrick Rose or Tom Thibodeau. For Jim Boylen, see Krause, above. But things change, or can, if you let them. I would now rather see the Bulls win than not. How good are they this season? At 21-10, they have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, 2-1/2 games behind Brooklyn, and they own the fifth-best winning percentage in the league. So, there’s that. Billy Donovan looks like he knows how to coach and the new front office how to rework a roster. Anybody miss Lauri Markkanen? As ever, injuries could disrupt things, and age. Center Nikola Vucevic is 31, power forward DeMar DeRozan 32; bodies wear down over time, especially once they hit the age of 30 (don’t I know?). But shooting guard Zach LaVine—averaging 26.4 points per game—won’t be 27 until March; point guard Lonzo Ball is 24; and rookie Ayo Dosunmu has another month of being 20. So, there’s that, too. All in all, color me intrigued, slowly intrigued.