Chicago Bulls’ circus example of why John Paxson and Gar Forman need to go
The implosion in the Chicago Bulls locker room should convince owner Jerry Reinsdorf to finally get rid of John Paxson and Gar Forman.
Well, it’s certainly been a momentous couple of weeks. While the Chicago Bulls kept losing Dwyane Wayne wondered aloud about the team’s future. He then hinted that he could decline the player option he has and leave his hometown as a free agent.
Just Wednesday, Wade and fellow star Jimmy Butler tag-teamed and body slammed some of their teammates. They openly questioned whether their teammates even cared about playing, or if they just wanted a paycheck.
Of course, the circus wouldn’t be complete without a clown show, so Rajon Rondo put his money’s worth in, criticizing Wade and Butler (without actually naming them) on his Instagram.
"My vets would never go to the media. They would come to the team. My vets didn’t pick and choose when they wanted to bring it. They brought it every time they stepped in the gym whether it was practice or a game. They didn’t take days off. My vets didn’t care about their numbers. My vets played for the team. When we lost, they wouldn’t blame us. They took responsibility and got in the gym. They showed the young guys what it meant to work.Even in Boston when we had the best record in the league, if we lost a game, you could hear a pin drop on the bus. They showed us the seriousness of the game. My vets didn’t have an influence on the coaching staff. They couldn’t change the plan because it didn’t work for them. I played under one of the greatest coaches, and he held everyone accountable. It takes 1-15 to win. When you isolate everyone, you can’t win consistently. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not a bad teammate. My goal is to pass what I learned along. The young guys work. They show up. They don’t deserve blame. If anything is questionable, it’s the leadership."
Are the Bulls in competition with the Bears for the most dysfunctional team in Chicago?
The problem we have here is the presence of general manager Gar Forman and Vice-President John Paxson (aka GarPax). These are the guys in charge of setting up the roster and the coaching staff.
They hired a weak coach who lost control of the locker room. Also, the assembled a team of non-shooters and over-the-hill veterans. They failed in making draft picks in the last few years as well.
When is enough, enough?
Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf now has enough to bag both Paxson and Forman. If not now, then when? Paxson almost came to blows with then-coach Vinny Del Negro in April of 2010. The reason? Paxson became angry when Del Negro played Joakim Noah a couple of minutes over the minutes-limit the front office imposed.
Forman practically ran the next coach, Tom Thibodeau, out of town. His and Thibodeau’s relationship deteriorated to the point that even when sitting next to each other at an NBA Combine a couple of years ago, no words were spoken between the two. Forman fired one of Thibodeau’s closest friends and top assistant coach, Ron Adams. Thibodeau eventually openly defied the front office’s mandates until they finally dismissed him.
Now, this happens and things continue to go down the toilet.
It is difficult to say, however, whether or not Reinsdorf had enough as well. He is fiercely loyal to his henchman, er, front office personnel. He stuck it out with Jerry Krause through his battles with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Phil Jackson. Seeing how long he’s been silent on the actions of GarPax may indicate he’s on their side.
In the Thibodeau case, Reinsdorf issued a wretched press release almost dismissing Thibodeau’s success in Chicago.
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At some time, Reinsdorf needs to realize that the toxic existing at the Berto Center comes from GarPax. Until he does, the Chicago Bulls continue to go down the rabbit hole of embarrassment.