ChicagoSportsBlogs : Non Compete

Doug Collins was fired? Already?

Without ever being hired?

What the hell is going on in the West Side? Is John Paxson completely insane? Is Reinsdorf? Who should I believe is responsible for this debacle? I can't stand it any more. I'm going to write a letter to management. Here goes:

Dear Chicago Bulls,

Hi. I'm a fan that stopped paying to see the Bulls after Jerry Krause and the Tim Floyd mess. It isn't completely their fault. I stopped caring about NBA basketball awhile ago. It wasn't Jordan's retirement that did it for me either. It was his return with that other team. It was also the crappy play on defense, the selfish play on offense and the lack of pure skill. What happened? I got older and the ballplayers got younger. And younger, and younger...etc. I'm not a bitter old man, and I will not use this letter to talk about the hay-day of Chicago basketball. What I will use this space for is to tell both John Paxson and Chairman Reinsdorf that they've blown it. This coaching vacancy has spun completely out of control. You can't make a decision, and when you do make a decision (D'Antoni) you drag your feet allowing the Knicks to swoop in. The Knicks are also a mess, and when the hottest new coach in the league decides to head to ever-friendly NYC instead of coming to the Bulls, well...you can figure it out. The rest of the league has been muttering under it's breath about how Chicago basketball is a joke. 

The consipracy theorists had a come to Jesus moment when you won the first pick in the draft this year. Of course the league "needs" Chicago to be great again, they said. They need something to remind people of the old days. The GOOD OLE days. Something like a Lakers and Celtics final. What are the odds? (Pretty good actually since the Celtics signed KG, yet another example of a player that you couldn't sign ,and the Lakers have the greatest player in the league with Bryant) I don't buy into the conspiracy. I do buy into the fact that the Bulls organization is at the most critical junction in its history. I'm not being dramatic. You guys need to get your heads out of the sand and realize that this pick is a gift. This is your Elton Brand do-over. This is the opportunity to grab a game changer. This is the time to get another franchise player like Pippen. (I'll never ask for another Jordan.) The problem is that we don't have a coach.Who is going to provide the leadership and the vision for this new young player? Doug Collins? Doug smelled a rat. He took the extra few days since the story first leaked to see how much the Chicago media hated the idea of his return. He figured it out. He came to his senses. I think we would have welcomed his son more. (Chris is an assistant at Duke)

This leaves the organization and the future of Chicago basketball at a standstill. That jeopardizes my ability to get back into the game. Why would I spend my hard earned cash to go to a Bulls game when the organization isn't taking the steps necessary to build a winner. The White Sox had a crisis like this a few years back and they figured it out pretty quickly. Kenny Williams should walk over to Paxson's office and explain to him that a strong leader, and young talent can carry you for a long time. It may even win you a championship.

The bottom line is that I can't get excited about this Bulls team. It needs to be reshuffled. We need a strong coach that will motivate these millionaires. We need the executives in this organization to realize that the #1 pick in the draft is going to be wasted unless we get someone that can drive the product to the next level. Until then, my money and my time are going to teams that have dedicated themselves to working hard and winning. (White Sox, Cubs, BlackHawks!)

Good luck Pax. It is a shame you took your good start and flushed it down the toilet with these shennanigans.