Considering how the Bulls have been battling of late, it鈥檚 a wonder that they were actually regular fodder for late-night comedy fare at the start of the season. Forget the positive outlook the front office tried to imbibe heading into their 2018-19 campaign; with questionable signings juxtaposing uninspired sideline direction, they were slated to once again be on the wrong side of dysfunctional. The replacement of underwhelming Fred Hoiberg with erstwhile assistant Jim Boylen as head coach did little to stem the swoon; in fact, it was exacerbated by the newly minted mentor鈥檚 military machinations.
And then came clarity — or, at the very least, small steps into it as the season progressed. After bull sessions (pun wholly intended) and continual communication between Boylen and his charges shed more light on the method behind the madness of his coaching style, the Bulls began showing improvement on the court. It also helped that executives Gar Heard and John Paxson went about providing him with talent that fit his system and firmed up the pecking order. The acquisition of Otto Porter Jr. at the trade deadline has been a decided boon, and not simply because it wound up unleashing the best parts of cornerstone Lauri Markkanen鈥檚 game.
True, the deal comes at a cost to the Bulls. Beyond the departure of Jabari 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 pay players to play defense鈥 Parker and perennial enigma Bobby Portis, they鈥檝e tied themselves to Porter鈥檚 contract, deemed expensive for a hardworking third wheel at best. On the other hand, there can be no arguing with the immediate results; including yesterday鈥檚 dramatic victory against the vaunted Sixers, they鈥檝e gone a heady seven and five since the roster change. Over their last 10 outings, only the Bucks, Raptors, and Pistons — all bounds for the playoffs — have sported better records in the East.
Admittedly, the Bulls will have to wait a while, make that a long while, before they come close to reliving their glory days during the Jordan Era. They鈥檝e long relinquished their status as a desirable destination for free agents (hence their willingness to use up much of their salary cap space on Porter), and they continue to possess infirmities that prevent them from contending with consistency. That said, they鈥檝e stopped being a punchline. Finally, they鈥檙e trying. Finally, they鈥檙e trending in the right direction. And, perhaps one day sooner rather than later, they鈥檒l be able to live up to their name.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994.
