Should Future NBA Owners Look To Buy The Bulls?
I think this has been a criminally misused asset for really since Jordan left when instead of going for the seventh title, they said, “Oh, no, we’re going to rebuild. We’re smarter than everybody.” And from that moment on, all they did was cheap out. And basically, they’re in the third biggest city. They’re just cashing all this revenue that you get from being in Chicago. All these people, these generations of people that grew up on the Jordan’s bowls or remember the great days. And so they keep their tickets and just kind of wait for something good to happen. And nothing good is going to happen with these owners. And I just feel like if I was like a cajillionaire, that would be the team I would try to buy because if you can reignite that team and rebuild them and tap into the the Jordan DNA and Pippen and the, you know, bring those guys back and give Jordan a ceremonial position and really like ignite it. I think that would be a really special franchise. And right now it’s not. I think it’s the worst situation in the
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40 Comments
I also think the fans are content with what the product already. It's reflected with the attendance numbers the past year.
Honestly, I’m not sold that Bulls fans give a shit. They got two 3 peats in 1 decade, and the only reason it split up was because the greatest of all time wanted to play fucking baseball for a year. They won the Powerball a kajillion times over. Until the Jordan era Bulls fans and their kids really truly age out and that era fades from memory I don’t think any changes will be made or even asked for.
Did Bill just decide to overlook the Derrick Rose era? They were literally a LeBron super team in Miami and Rose’s torn ACL in 2012, from possibly getting back to the finals.
Bill is right. The Bulls have been bad for long time. Since the last dance. They wasted their draft picks. Elton Brand didn't do much. Tom Thibodeau like to run down the starter. Look what happened to Derrick Rose. Just have to wait until till new owner.
Chicago is not a great sports city. People won't accept that but it is what it is. The Bears and Cubs are tourist traps. Nobody cares about the Blackhawks and Sox. The Bulls? Their arena's on the edge of the ghetto and yuppieville. Most generational Chicagoans live in the burbs and with crime being what it is, going into the city is something everyone with disposable income avoids.
Promotion and relegation solves this problem in every sport.
Exactly how it was with the Yawkeys and Red Sox before the John Henry Group. Like NE before the Krafts. Fans don’t want profitable teams, they want fun and winning teams. Winning owners makes all the difference.
This guy is saying what we all have said for YEARS!
Jerry Reinsdorf is well known as one of the cheapest owners in all of sports, but he let the other Jerry – Jerry Krause take all the blame for the Bulls demise.
Since Jordan 3 decades ago, Bulls have only been to the conference finals ONCE… and only cuz they were lucky the ping pong balls gave them Derrick Rose. Additionally, they haven't won a playoff series in the last 10 years.
Imagine telling Bulls fans after Jordan's retirement that their team was going to poor-mediocre for the next three decades.
I mean to be fair the bulls would’ve just been transitioning from the Derrick rose era had he not got hurt
Chicago Bulls were the team of my youth, I wish they were good…they are likable in a way Boston, LA, NY arent
Derrick rose getting hurt set the bulls back about two decades
Chicago’s had a barren spell in general of late.
* Bulls have been to the Playoffs twice since their 2014-15 ECF run….. and haven’t won a series.
* Bears have been to the Playoffs twice since their NFC Championship loss in 2010…. And haven’t won a game.
* White Sox have been to the Playoffs three times since their 2005 World Series… and haven’t won a series.
* Cubs last won a playoff game (not series) in 2017.
* Ignoring the COVID season, the Blackhawks last won a Playoff series in 2014-15.
The Bulls winning a title would be a boon to the entire region economically
Derrick Rose injury killed the 2010s. Lonzo injury killed the 2020s. The team was DESIGNED with Lonzo at the forefront, and you saw that for the only half of the season where he was healthy. #1 team in the EAST.
Tom Boerwinkle? Chet Walker? Love? Sloan? Van Lier? A huge history in hoops. Chicago. Those uniforms. Reinsdorf is sitting back and taking profits now, he feels he's already done his work.
As a Bulls fan of 50+ years, I wish Bill was wrong but he’s right. The only time the team does anything is when they draft a Jordan or Rose. Reinsdorf will never sell though so we have to hope they stumble upon greatness again.
Bulls were terrible forever before Jordan got there and have been largely terrible ever since he was done. Kind of amazing for one of the most dominant dynasties to never be anything but garbage other than their dominant decade.
Bill is dead right about this. Don't have to agree with every opinion of the talking heads. The Bulls need to be a top 3 franchise.
SG, when will we ID and name the Bulls’ post-Jordan curse? Based on Krause calling MJ's retirement bluff over Phil, I submit “The Sacrificial Goat” curse for your consideration.
They make money. What you don't get. They don't care
I would argue that they’re the third biggest NBA name outside even the US. Maybe even second behind the lakers. That brand is HUUGE
Bill is 100% right here and the NBA needs to force them to sell. What’s even crazy is Phil and MJ gave them and rest of league for that matter the Blueprint with 2 athletic 2 way wings surrounded by shooters to win.
Bulls had a 21 year old Elton Brand who avg 20 n 10 both years in league, with Ron Artest and Jamal Crawford on roster,
Plus the 4th pick with Shane Battier, Jason Richardson, Joe Johnson, Richard Jefferson and Eddy Curry on the board.
It went all downhill somehow after that draft.
Imagine if they would have just picked Battier or Richardson to pair with Artest and Brand for the future.
It’s never going to happen because no true superstar wants to follow in the shadow of Michael Jordan. That’s common sense. Bill Simmons is old and dumb
I am still a fan of the 90s teams I grew up on Cowboys and Bulls. I never left. I feel like for all the childhood enjoyment, I'm cursed as an adult. Main reason for both teams' failures: ownership. Just sad.
The Chicago bulls are the NBA version of the Dallas cowboys.
They lead the league in attendance every year. For a team that is banking on Dalen Terry taking a leap! Fans will always show out. There’s no incentive to try
Jerry reinsdorf is the worst owner in sports who hid behind the Jordan legacy.
I 100% AGREE!
100% the bulls
100% the Bulls owners are like the Cubs former owners the Tribune!!!!!
dunno why Simmons does podcasts with rusillo. There is no podcast without Rusillo !!!!!
If you take the jordan dynasty out of the bulls history, you have the equivalent of charlotte
Coby White and Buzelis are real bright spots to build upon. Get quality pieces around them and I can see them becoming a top 4 team in the east soon… But they probably won't.
It’s criminal for the #3 market to not be successful. I’ve been screaming this to people for 20 year. Doesn’t make any sense. Chicago is an amazing city
FACTS
The only reason the Bulls had a dynasty is because Pippen signed one of the worst contracts in NBA history.
Iowan and Bulls fan here. They need to stay away from Iowa State bs too!