Table the Tank-Talk

Many Bulls fans missing the point during a refreshing ‘17-’18 season

In a decent amount of my writing I reference my friend Peter Bonello. A big reason for that is you always remember where you are for big sports moments if you are a lifelong fan. And I remember being at Peter’s house when the Chicago Bulls pulled the trigger on the Jimmy Butler trade on draft day, and then drafted Lauri Markkanen out of Arizona with the №7 pick. ESPN decided to have their analysts do — the almost always wrong — compare a rookie to an established player game. Jalen Rose (he of the new Instagram account) is one of my favorite people in the world. He is one of the few NBA players who I can actually remember getting an autograph from, during his time with Chicago Bulls. But he destroyed my world June 22nd, 2017 when he told me the Bulls had just drafted the next……Channing Frye.

My exact words were “Are you f***king kidding me?!”. Of course, like everyone else I overreacted. I actually watch a decent amount of college basketball, but my main concern was Markkanen would never rebound well enough to stay on the floor, something I couldn’t have been more wrong about.

On top of decent rebounding numbers (nine per 36 minutes), Markkanen has brought his healthy 3-point attempt rate to the pros. After attempting 43.4 percent of his shots from 3-point range in his lone year in college, he is attempting 49.6 percent of his shots from 3-point range in the NBA. This makes him a premier floor spacer, as he is hitting 36 percent from deep, right at the league average. What has made him truly special is his ability to take bigger defenders off the dribble. Markkanen has earned the nickname “The Finnisher” with huge dunks and dazzling pre-game displays. But whether it if bringing the ball up the court (which he now does on occasion), posting up a smaller defender, or blocking the seven-foot, three-inch Kristaps Porzingis, he has shown the ability to do just things everyone projected as his weaknesses.

Notice, how many great things I was able to say about Markkanen just over half a season into his NBA career? This is all to get to the point that….the tank is dead. It is tough pill for many Bulls fans to swallow, and trust me, I get it. I am not one of those delusional people pushing for the Bulls to make the playoffs. Making the postseason does get Chicago’s young talent some very early postseason experience, but that comes nowhere close to the value of moving higher in a loaded 2018 NBA draft.

“The tank is dead” is simply a statement acknowledging what we all know. We can put to rest our old idea that the Bulls, post-Butler trade were going to be a train-wreck capable of having excellent odds of securing a top-3 pick. Head coach Fred Hoiberg has turned the corner in year three with Chicago. Despite having easily his lowest win percentage, he has gained respect in NBA circles as he has a young Bulls squad playing hard, and executing his offense the way he has always envisioned. As of January 26th, the Bulls are shooting 30.6 3-pointers per game, eighth in the league. Last season Chicago was 29th in the league in 3-pt shots attempted per game. A leap of 21 spots would be insane, and it would show how giving Hoiberg players to properly run his system has to become priority number one from here on out. Ideally, your franchise is trying to do this anyway, but that is exactly the point that a decent chunk of Bulls Nation is missing.

If by this point in the post, you agree with me that over anything else, the ultimate goal is to get Fred Hoiberg the best possible players to run his system, then you understand that getting a top draft pick is awesome, but not necessary. Remember when the Chicago Bulls won the NBA draft lottery in 2008 when they had a 1.7 percent chance of winning? Right now popular draft site Tankathon.com gives the Bulls a 60 percent of netting the No7 pick (exactly where the Bulls selected Markkanen). But they have a 3.6 percent chance of getting the №1 pick. This is actually more than double the chances the franchise had when they netted the selection that got the franchise-changing talent that was Derrick Rose.

Sooooo, the points are:

A) Being one of the 14-worst teams in the league gives you a pretty decent chance of selecting a very good basketball player.

B) They are at least six possible franchise players in the 2018 NBA draft, and in my opinion there are really seven to ten players who can change the fortunes of an NBA franchise. And the Bulls need one of those guys who fits Hoiberg’s system.

C) Chicago has two very clear holes at small forward and center. Bulls management can go with any number of approaches, including best player available. But if they are trying to truly round out their core, they will most likely be able to get a top-3 C or SF at the seven through ten spots in the draft.

It is pretty clear the Bulls are in a good spot as far as their outlook goes. I talked about how depending on how things go, Chicago can end up with a prospect like Mo Bamba, Miles Bridges, his teammate Jaren Jackson Jr., Michael Porter Jr., or Kevin Knox. But the reason the Bulls are in a position to thrive without tanking is Zach LaVine, and recent NBA Rising Stars selections Kris Dunn and the aforementioned Lauri Markkanen. The trio is averaging 43.3 ppg in their brief time together. While Markkanen is putting himself in the Rookie of the Year race, Dunn has made himself into a respectable shooter. Dunn’s tenacious defense helps launch the Bulls fast break attack. It also helps cover up for the defensive woes of LaVine, who is scoring 24.6 points per 36 minutes while hitting 40 percent of his threes.

The 2017–18 Chicago Bulls are not shaping up to be what the critics (myself included) expected. They are a tough team that plays hard every night. Their strengths are keeping teams off the free throw line, maintaining a high pace of play, and executing an effective 3-pointer-based offense. Hoiberg has been able to get creative and flex his coaching muscles this season. And much like the Brooklyn Nets, Hoiberg’s young Bulls are shaping up to be the “Houston Rockets of the East”, meaning they could be on their way to being one of the NBA’s best offenses. One day.

So if there is one thing I want you to take away from this post as a Bulls fan, it is this: enjoy this season.

I hate looking back on sports history and remembering being on the wrong side of things. Yes it was great to hate those LeBron James-led Miami Heat teams, but not great to hate them and underrate them to the extent that you don’t understand you are witnessing NBA history. Using that comparison, if the Bulls keep adding good players to this team, they could one day soon become championship contenders. It would be pretty uncool to look back and remember complaining all the way through a season in which the Bulls started to establish a positive identity that could have long-lasting effects.

So sit back and relax. Enjoy the 2017–18 Chicago Bulls, a sneaky NBA League Pass watch. A team that plays with pace, shoots 3-pointers like a modern NBA-team, and yes, has youth and athleticism. I don’t want the Bulls to make the NBA playoffs. But if they snagged an eight-seed, I would honestly say “well, whatever….” and just do my best to enjoy an unexpected outcome in a league where many people feel there are no more surprises. But if Chicago doesn’t make the playoffs — as expected — they will be able to get a good player in the 2018 draft no matter what. So I think it is definitely time to table the tank talk. Talking about acquiring a player with franchise-player potential is great, but I would encourage Bulls fans to enjoy the one they already have.