Bulls fans no longer have the NBA playoffs to distract them from the ugly offseason that awaits. By all logical accounts, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo will return. Jimmy Butler won’t be traded. Nikola Mirotic will be re-signed, and next season’s roster will look very similar to the one that managed 41 wins and a first round exit as the 8th seed.
In their season-ending press conference, front office partners Gar Forman and John Paxson assured the media that coach Fred Hoiberg will return for the third year of his five year deal. They also gave the impression that their bosses, Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf, have faith in the GM and VP moving this Bulls team in the right direction. Fans in Chicago are starting to give up on the hope that either of the individuals who make up the cringe-worthy “GarPax” label will ever get canned and replaced.
Scholarships Revoked
Enter Joe Cowley, perhaps the biggest “stir the pot” member of Bulls media. The Chicago Sun-Times reporter, known for his willingness to say things others with press credentials won’t, appeared on 670 The Score’s Mully & Hanley Show Tuesday morning.
When asked to give Bulls fans a silver lining for the future, here’s what Cowley said:
“One thing I think Bulls fans should hang their hat on, I definitely think that the lifetime scholarships that have been handed out under Jerry Reinsdorf are about to be revoked under Michael Reinsdorf. People are being watched closely and I’d like to say that a couple people better get their résumés ready.” – Joe Cowley
Well that’s certainly something. It’s widely known that Michael Reinsdorf has taken over the day-to-day operations of the Bulls from his father Jerry, who’s 81 years old. The Bulls owner has always been a hands-off guy, very loyal to his employees. That’s true for his White Sox as well. But Michael? He’s a businessman, and perhaps a more ruthless one than his father. He’s all about this Bulls team making money. If fans start to abandon their loyalty (it’s already starting, actually) Michael won’t let some soft feelings get in the way of making changes to correct those financial losses.
The big question is: when might this happen? Cowley makes it sound as if GarPax – though he doesn’t mention them by name, the “couple people” isn’t very subtle – are on much hotter seats than Bulls fans previously believed. Will another .500 season and first round playoff exit next year be the final nail in the GarPax coffin we’ve all been waiting for? Will Michael have to convince his father that firing and replacing their longstanding front office is the right move? Jerry might be removed from the daily operations of the team, but as long as he’s breathing he still has the final say.
My advice for Bulls fans would be to take these comments for what they are, and nothing more. Cowley has a habit of saying lots of things before all the rocks are turned over. Sometimes he’s right, and he looks like a genius for being the first to say so. Sometimes he’s wrong. But Michael Reinsdorf putting GarPax on a much shorter leash than his father is definitely believable. Let’s hope Cowley’s right about this one.
The NBA draft is fast approaching, GarPax. Choose wisely.
