Bulls Better Put Money Where Mouth Is With Presti
The Bulls are looking to add to their front office this offseason. That’s the only thing we know for sure. How much influence they’ll have over the organization with John Paxson retaining his job remains to be seen. But that’s not stopping Bulls fans from thinking that maybe, just maybe, their team realizes a new and prominent voice in the front office is necessary for future success. Wouldn’t that be nice?
The reason many fans have somewhat positive vibes is the report that the Bulls’ top target is Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti. That’s a big thought for any team, let alone a team stuck in the middle like the Bulls. After all, this is the man who made the Thunder a powerhouse and has helped them continue as a team that knows how to win, even after the core that did everything except win a championship broke apart completely. Because of him, the Sooner State has one of the NBA’s most rabid fan bases, unlikely as the location is.
Presti was a popular choice for the Bulls’ front office in my recent roundtable. That happens when you end up drafting three consecutive MVPs. He’s unlikely to strike gold like that again, but he wouldn’t need to repeat that in order to succeed in Chicago. All Bulls Nation asks right now is for someone to make the Bulls a regular winner, which could finally allow them to attract premier free agents that would make them legitimate contenders for the first time since before Derrick Rose’s ACL tear.
But the question is will Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf break the bank in order to attract Presti to the Windy City? If they’re ever going to throw a lot of money at anything, this is it. Though it might not be the marquee free agent the Bulls have starved for forever, one of the best basketball minds out there can put the pieces in place to make something like that eventually happen. All the Reinsdorfs and John Paxson have to do is offer him all the money he wants, no strings attached, and this is a done deal.
To make all of this happen for real, the Bulls are going to have to divert from practices that have hamstrung their ability to go for broke so many times before. Jerry Reinsdorf needs to be convinced by someone (he won’t convince himself) that it’s OK to spend big money on an executive to better your franchise. If this is his son’s team after he dies, doesn’t he want to put his son in the best position to succeed? It might be the only card someone will be able to play, and there’s no guarantee that will even work.
The Bulls also need to accept the reality that if Paxson hasn’t built a championship team after 17 years on the job, he’s not going to now. It’s OK to change the hierarchy and not put blind faith in someone who has employment for life because he hit a 3-pointer 27 years ago. Bump him upstairs if you want, but let Presti be in charge of building the roster. Though Paxson and Presti both have zero championships as executives, Presti has the more appealing track record, and all bets are off there.
The worst thing the Bulls can do is have this story leak just so their fans can back off on their “Fire GarPax” campaign. It would prove they never intended to do anything of significance all for the sake of keeping their family together. Just as bad would be if they didn’t do anything because of their self-imposed financial restrictions that no franchise hoping to succeed would abide by. If this is nothing more than noise, it’s a sports felony.
Fans weren’t going to let up on calling for changes in the front office or start selling out the United Center again, so why disenchanted an already disgruntled base more? You’ll win a lot more people over if you pony up the dough and make the biggest management acquisition in Chicago since Theo Epstein. And they’ll be even happier if the moves Presti makes are so obviously not influenced by the old guard that they won’t even know the old guard still is there. That’s how much someone knew would mean to everybody.
Presti is closer to a contender in Oklahoma City than he would be in Chicago, so it would be understandable if he preferred to stay on the road less traveled. But if he really wants to secure his legacy, he’ll come to Chicago and show he can build a winner in a big market, too, one that has been hungry for something good to happen with its supposedly iconic NBA franchise. If he does everything right in a sports-obsessed town like this, he’ll never have to pay for a drink there again. The challenge is there waiting, but will he take it, and will the Bulls do what’s required to make it happen?
