I fire everybody and want to maximize FA appeal so I am completely cleaning house... Plan 1a) Doug Collins as ceremonial GM, steal one of the best young assistant GM and have Avery Johnson as coach Plan 1b) Larry Brown as ceremonial GM and actual coach, and steal one of the best young assistant GM Maybe not the best for the long term but best for July 1.
I can't imagine how Pax survives this. Perhaps he sticks around as Reinsdorf's personal flunky, but they almost have to hire someone who's untainted by the stank of this mess. If you just fire Vinny, then what? What respectable coach is going to come in here and get pushed around by the GM? I can't see a guy like that coming in. For that matter, does this help or hurt our chance to get a big FA? That was a rhetorical question. Leaving aside anything else, Pax seriously damaged this team's position the other day. I think Collins is the fairly obvious choice. I wouldn't want him as a coach, but his affiliation with team USA and his TNT tenure have brought him a lot of respect and connections around the league. He's a hell of a basketball mind too, and he has the trust of Reinsdorf. That last point is probably the key. Perhaps it wouldn't work with Collins as a coach, because coaches have short-shelf lives, but being management with the Bulls is like lifetime employment, apparently. I think Brown, on the other hand, is exactly the sort of guy Reinsdorf would never hire. I don't know if the rumors about Kevin Pritchard are true, but he seems like a good combination for a team with strict financial limits because he likes to stockpile draft picks. That's really the way to go with the Bulls.
With Scott Brooks success in the league with the Zombie Sonics (as Bill Simmons would call them) I wouldn't mind seeing the Bulls go after a hot assistant - like Tom Thibadeau from Boston or my personal favorite Don Newman from San Antonio. As far as GM goes I'd like to see some fresh blood in there as well. These retro candidates have more of a track record of doing things wrong then right. If you want a new look Bulls team I think management should seriously consider being hungry about putting some fresh blood in these integral positions. Maybe Troy Weaver from Zombie land could be a viable candidate.....or Billy McKinney from Milwaukee. If you want to start fresh don't do it half way.
Kevin Pritchard should be on everybody's short list of GM candidates this summer. I'm still stunned that my Blazers seem to be planning to let him go.
Pritchard loved to spend Paul Allen's money. Reinsdorf isn't going to let him spend into the LT at all. I don't see him wanting to come here. I see Gar Foreman staying on as GM - his nose is clean, and the moves made since he became GM haven't been horrible at all. I liked the trades for Brother Abraham and then bringing in Miller and the new bearded guys. Also getting us max cap space was pretty slick. Which leaves the coach. If Pax is gone, I say keep Vinnie for at least one more season. If Pax is still here, it isn't going to matter.
