It’s the end of an era From this Bulls fan’s perspective, it’s the 2nd best era of my lifetime. For the last 5 years we have been treated to having the MVP on the roster, all-stars, NBA first teamers, the DPOY, the Coach of the Year, the best regular season record in the league and at times, the Bulls have been legitimate title contenders. The Bulls were one of the top teams in the NBA again. They were relevant. On the other hand, it’s a story of potential never fully realized in many ways, as the title eluded the Bulls and we only got one playoff run with a MVP level Rose. Sometimes, you just have to get through the best player in the NBA, Lebron James, and these Bulls have never been able to do so. If you were a fan of the MJ Bulls as it was happening, we now know what it was like to be a Cavs or Knicks fan in that era. It is now fairly apprarent that Rose isn’t MVP level anymore and it is going to be a struggle to get into the top 5 PGs in the NBA list again. Noah and Gasol are declining. Gibson is showing to be a bit fragile and has a ceiling on what he can contribute. The Bulls strength during this era has often been a competitive advantage at the 4 and 5. They don’t have that anymore, as Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mosgov made quite apparent. Moving forward, the Bulls have to build with Rose, Butler and hopefully Mirotic continues to develop and McDermott can become at least an average NBA player, hopefully more. Perhaps a new coach will install a dynamic offense and get the most out of the guys above and take the team to great heights. Unless you have the talent though, it doesn't really matter much who the coach is, as long as they have a baseline NBA coach competence. As for Thibs, I have almost as much respect for him as I did for Phil Jackson. He always impressed me with his ability to get the most out of guys, maintain a solid locker room and by and large have his act together running the team and preparing for opponents. A highly competent, driven man. He’ll have several jobs to pick from for a reason. The Pelicans always seemed like a natural fit to me given his defensive schemes and their personal. That’s a more attractive roster to be coaching going forward anyway, so it should be a better spot for him. And now we’re left with GarPax and whatever rookie coach / former Bull they decide to hire. Total crapshoot. Ultimately, the coach isn’t really that important in terms of winning the title. Is David Blatt great? Did Coach Spo just become a poor coach overnight? There are few “value-add” coaches in the NBA. I feel that Thibs is one of them, but I know people disagree with that. I fear that, given that he gets the most out of players, our player personal department won’t seem as great as many feel once the value-add coach is gone. The pessimistic side of me thinks we Bulls fans might have to gear up for a slide to the miserable NBA middle again. The Bulls org seems content with that. Make the playoffs and perhaps win in the 1st round is the acceptable business model. Stay under the tax. Keeps the arena full, interest high but you don’t have to go crazy. Let’s hope Rose, Butler, Niko and McDermott can take us somewhere meaningful and that GarPax is as great a front office as many feel they are. Paxson has been cashing checks for many years and the only time he’s had any NBA relevance is with Thibs getting the most out of his guys. It will be interesting to see what happens going forward. Niko and McDermott will finally get the playing time many have been clamoring for. Whether the Bulls are a relevant NBA team again anytime soon remains to be seen.
Our only hope of championship is if the players can do it in spite of a front office that manages the team like it's constrained by being a small town market.
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/5/...-ending?_ga=1.200600430.1506444887.1420834181 If the Game 6 blowout is Thibodeau's last with the Bulls, it may also be the end of the Kirk Hinrich era in Chicago. And what a fitting end it would be. Hinrich played 20 minutes in Game 6 -- more than any other Chicago reserve, and about twice as much as all other guard reserves combined. In those 20 minutes, Hinrich logged one shot (a missed three), one block, one personal foul and absolutely nothing else. The Bulls were -29 in Hinrich's 20 minutes and +8 in the 28 minutes he was on the bench. And this was against a team that lost Kyrie Irving in the second quarter. This was largely against Matthew Dellavedova. Kirk Hinrich produced essentially nothing for 20 minutes and got scorched by Matthew Dellavedova in an elimination game. He might be back next year, too, as he holds for a $3 million player option. Hollywood couldn't write it any better.
After watching last night's game, I can't get sentimental about this era that's ending. Actually, I don't consider that an era has ended. The era ends when Rose is gone/done.
Rose isn't even the best player on this team. I think you have to be at least the best player on the team to be era-worthy.
Rose is the only bona fide superstar the Bulls have had since the dynasty. I'd say that it unquestionably remains the Rose Era, but you clearly question it. You seem to tie the era to a coach. In the NBA. With zero championships or even Finals appearances. Really?
Rose is not a superstar. He's not even an all-star right now. He's not even the best player on his own team.
Really! Its a core group. Thibs - effective Noah - effective Gibson - Rose (at times) - Jimmy - Deng. The erosion of this era started with the Bulls dumping Deng. It ends with the firing of Thibs. The Bulls are moving in a different direction. Rose and Jimmy will be core pieces (at least until Rose's contract is off the books). There will be a new coach with a new philosophy. Jen Swanson and Paxson will still be around too I imagine. Niko and McDougy are supposed to be core pieces. The big guys will fade off into the sunset even more. The smear is over. If Thibs gets to coach Anthony Davis he'll be going to a better place.
OK, I get it. You're living in the moment. I'll rephrase counselor. Rose has been the only bona fide superstar the Bulls have had since the dynasty. Better?
If in the moment is after the 2011-2012 season, sure. Honestly, the Derrick Rose era has been a burst of greatness followed by near - constant frustration and a bad contract. If the Bulls are doing battle with a PG worth 18.8 million dollars this whole playoffs is a different story.
I disagree. Rose is one of the main players and Butler is as well should we even resign him. Noah was the heart and soul of this team. Last season he was honorable mentioned for MVP. This season he was a shell. Will he ever be the same? If the answer is no, then it is the end of an era for Noah
