Sports is drama. Being a fan of the Chicago Bulls for the last several years has been the equivalent of watching your best friend go through bad break-up after bad break-up.

Any Chicago Bulls fan that has been aching for another championship since the historic run the team had in the 90's will tell you that Fred Hoiberg is not fit to coach in the NBA and that the franchise is in basketball purgatory. Those same fans will also tell you that General Manager Gar Forman and Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson progressively ran the team right off the tracks over the last four or five seasons.

Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune

The reality is that while there are small truths in all of these fan chirpings, there is a much bigger issue at hand with the storied franchise of the Bulls and it is a problem that will haunt them no matter where they go for the foreseeable future, whether it be the playoffs, or the lottery. Gar Forman & John Paxson hired Fred Hoiberg but failed to supply him with weapons to run his system effectively.

Pace and space. Shoot three's. Run up and down the floor. These are just a few of the things Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg preaches. There is nothing wrong with a philosphy such as Hoiberg's, especially in today's NBA. But how do you become successful when the players that are put on the team do not embody what you need to run a Hoiberg-style offense at all?

Trading Derrick Rose, although a very depressing end to a muddy relationship, was a necessary part of moving forward in the Chicago Bulls organization. Forman, just a few days ago, spoke about wanting to become younger, more athletic on the floor. Rajon Rondo will be 31 near the All-Star break of next season and Dwyane Wade will be 35. Rondo shot 36% from three last season, while Wade shot 15% and even Jimmy Butler shot a lousy 31%. Fred Hoiberg is going to have to try and get the grumpy, old men to run the floor and launch 3's like they are playing in an All-Star game next year and it isn't going to be pretty.



Steve Mitchell / USA TODAY

These moves by the front office don't suggest a need for actual youth or athleticism, but rather a plot to put names in the minds of fans and try to save face after the core of the franchise was dismantled this off-season. "Come see Rondo and D Wade live with the Bulls in 2016!" It almost feels like Forman and Paxson are trying to get fans to come and watch a horrible 2006 NBA remake of a team.

As unfortunate as it may be, what the Chicago Bulls 2016-17 season will be is a great window dressing by the powers that be, and real change is yet to come.





