Jimmy Butler invited to USA basketball minicamp: report

OK, no doubt it ended badly (though the Bulls made the conference semis with Wallace), but it was a "make shit happen right damn now" move by Paxson.

It's clear that you don't like Paxson, but your reasons seem to change with the situation...it seems to be a retrofit thing. I think you just don't like Paxson. In any case, Paxson isn't a "wait and see" guy like you said. He's taken big-time chances like signing Ben Wallace, drafting Tyrus Thomas, letting Ben Gordon walk for nothing and trading a prime Kirk Hinrich for cap space. He's also made some moves that might be categorized as conservative. As with most good front office guys, he doesn't fit into a simple and convenient box. He's not as simple as you make him out to be.

 

Let's slow our roll there. Signing Ben Wallace wasn't some kind of bold move. He built cap space and overpaid for an established free agent. That's like giving him tons of boldness credit for signing Boozer. The Wallace move was an awful move, if he knew that the next move had to be dumping Chandler.

He didn't really let Ben Gordon walk. He offered him a big contract and Gordon said no. Later on Gordon changed his mind, sure, but that always seemed more like a personal decision at that point moreso than a Come To Jesus revelation about Ben Gordon. It always seemed personal at that point that one of his precious core was playing the FA game.

Trading Hinrich for Cap Space? Big time chance? Maybe, but Hinrich was already declining at that point. A total no brainer in what seemed like a decent chance at Lebron, Wade or Bosh. It seems like it left quite the scar on the heart of the Bulls org for whatever reason.

Drafting Thomas was the boldest move he's made, IMO, and was a welcome departure from the straight conservative decision making that has plagued the Paxson era. That one didn't go the Bulls way obviously and many consider that his worst decision, and it was pretty poor, but it at least was taking a risk.

This has improved once Paxson became GarPax. Less "right way" nonsense and more just normal NBA behavior.

No, I don't really like Paxson much. I don't think he brings any value to the table. Now he's been kicked upstairs where he can do less damage, except for undermining seasons where the team actually can make the NBA Finals by playing smear campaign games when the rest of the team is trying to win a title.

 

Sorry, but I've gotta call bullshit. That was absolutely a bold move. Hoping that an underachieving and immature #2 overall pick Tyson Chandler would instantly grow up would have been the safer play.

They could have kept Gordon. They decided no to. Yeah, they really let Gordon walk.

No-brainer because of Lebron, Wade or Bosh? You're missing the fucking point. There was no guarantee that the Bulls would get any of those guys. In fact they didn't get any of them. Still, Paxson TOOK THE RISK. He didn't WAIT AND SEE.

Seems to me that whenever you don't like a FO move, you attribute it ot Paxson. Forman gets all OK moves. It's been Forman's team for a few years now. I encourage you and all others to lose the "GarPax" thing and just go with Forman.

 

Not bold at all. They built Cap Space and overpaid the "best" free agent available.

Hanging on to the not yet fully developed Tyson Chandler over the established Ben Wallace would have been the riskier decision. Throwing a bunch of money at Ben Wallace was the safer play.

Same Gordon that Paxson did offer a big money contract to. It was a personal matter, IMO, not a basketball matter. You are right, they eventually let him walk, but only after they did offer him a large money contract. Thank goodness for Paxson that Gordon didn't say yes. If Paxson thought that Ben Gordon wasn't going to be a great NBA player, why offer him all that money?

Yowza. I do get your point, but its not really a bold move to dump a fading, overrated Hinrich. He wasn't a very good player at that point, and its a no brainer for a chance at any of those players. It was a no brainer to do that to get Boozer. It was good to just have Hinrich off the team at that point, as he was basically the focus of the organization and the epitome of the bad judgement of John Paxson. Hinrich was a solid player for a few seasons, but not a guy to build around or really care all that much about. The emotional scar this left on the organization speaks volumes as well. Other than a dynasty Bulls player, I've never seen a supposed to be tear-jerking video played in the UC for a player on his return other than Hinrich after this trade. Also, hanging your hat on a salary dump? Bold?

That's why his career honors are being named to the all-Rookie team and being named to the all-NBA defensive 2nd team one time.

Even I feel bad on how the fanbase has turned on Hinrich the last year. He is the perfect player embodiment of the Paxson Bulls though.

Sure, but then you get called on not giving Paxson enough credit for not exactly knowing the internal machinations of the Bulls FO. It seems like Gar and the team under him have a great deal of influence and its unclear what exactly Paxson does anymore, except strangle / smear / not get along with coaches, but I'm sure he has some say over player matters still. Things are better on this front under GarPax, IMO. The Bulls no longer seem like a strange, "right way" "no-headband" NBA outlier anymore and have made some really nice draft picks. And for a few years GarPax/Thibs had a legit NBA Title contender going. Hopefully things will still be like this going forward. It certainly wasn't before.

 

I look at Paxson in much the same way I do the White Sox Kenny Williams...both are still in the mix, but clearly not running things. Based on what I've read, the guy in the Bulls' FO who had the biggest problem with Thibodeau was Forman.

As you know, I've always been a Paxson fan. IMO, he changed the culture at a time it desperately needed changing and played a key role in returning the Bulls to respectability. However, he tried to win a title without a superstar and failed. Lots of FO-types before and since have met similar fates.

In any case, Forman's "the man" now. The sooner posters break the "GarPax" habit, the better.