Roundtable With Bulls Experts From Around the Web, Part II

Last year, right before the Bulls fired Fred Hoiberg, in fact, I gathered some prominent Bulls experts from various parts of the internet to talk about the state of the team. Fifteen months later, things have gotten more problematic for the Bulls, so I brought back most of last year’s panel to discuss what has gone so wrong this season. Give all of these guys a follow once you’re done reading this.

EM — Erick Montoya, Pippen Ain’t Easy

RP — Ryan Piers, Hoops Habit

DM — Darnell Mayberry, The Athletic Chicago

VV — Vijay Vemu, Blog a Bull

LM — Luis Medina, Bleacher Nation

FP — “See Red” Fred Pfeiffer, Chicago Bullseye

1. At what point did the Bulls’ season go off the rails?

EM: For me, the Chicago Bulls’ season went off the rails early on into the season when they couldn’t communicate Otto Porter Jr.’s injury correctly. Did he break his foot, or did he sprain it? Will he be out a couple weeks or a few months? This type of miscommunication should’ve never happened and now Porter — who hasn’t played since Nov. 6 — hopes to return this season after saying that he’s close to 100 percent after the All-Star break. But it might be a little bit too late as the Bulls are 18 games under .500 with 26 games remaining.

RP: Somewhere around the end of November. When they lost to Golden State on Nov. 27 and Lauri Markkanen only scored eight points, you could tell something was up.

DM: The first Sunday in November. The Bulls were on the road, playing at Indiana. You remember the particulars. The Pacers were without Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner — and won by 13 points. The Bulls, playing at full strength in the seventh game of the season, led for only 90 seconds. For the remainder of the contest, they were thoroughly outplayed and outclassed. That’s when I knew. That’s when it became clear for everyone to see. This year’s Bulls were not only pretenders but dysfunctional. Subsequent embarrassments only confirmed them as such.

VV: The loss to Golden State in November was the moment for me. The Bulls were looking for some momentum coming into that game, and this was the perfect opportunity for it. The Warriors were without their best players and record-wise, were one of the worst teams in the league. This seemed like an easy win for the Bulls in what was a relatively easy start of the season schedule. But instead, Chicago fell short on both sides of the ball. They let the Warriors shoot nearly 38 percent from three and got out-rebounded, 54–42. It was a bad loss for the Bulls that night, and any of the goodwill generated in the summer had completely vanished.

LM: Opening night. When the Bulls got 35 points and 17 boards from Lauri Markkanen and they still lost, I had a sneaky suspicion that something ominous was on the horizon. Losing to the Kemba-less Hornets when your team has postseason aspirations was a bad look.

FP: The Big Red Train was teetering from the start, but the season finally went off the rails completely with the Dunn injury. Up until that time, the Bulls could at least throw an elite perimeter defender at the opposition’s best scorer and keep most games remotely competitive. The good defensive metrics for much of the season were almost completely due to the efforts of WCJ and Dunn. With both players injured, especially Dunn, the train flew completely off the tracks and into the abyss that separates Dunn and the next best defender on the Bulls. We’ve been the worst defensive team in the league since the Dunn injury, a drastic departure from earlier in the season.

2. Had the Bulls stayed completely healthy throughout this season, would they have looked more like a playoff team, or is what we’re seeing what we would have gotten anyway?

EM: Going into this season, there was a lot of optimism from the Bulls that they would fight for a playoff spot this year although there were still some lingering questions about how the players would react to Jim Boylen’s new play style. Early on before Porter was lost due to a sprained foot, you could see the players actually playing for each other and embracing Boylen’s style of play that he wanted to implement. You could see improvement on the defensive side compared to last year. They were a gritty, defensive team that pushed the ball further improving their pace of play and increasing the amount of 3-point attempts. I really thought they would be in position for a 7–8 seed later on in the season. Unfortunately, the injury bug hit the roster early on.

RP: If they stayed completely healthy, this team should have at least four or five more wins. That puts them about even with the Orlando Magic in the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. I think a healthy Porter would have helped with the team’s chemistry. Wendell Carter Jr.’s defense accounts for 1.5 win shares alone. For what it’s worth, this does appear to be a borderline playoff team in the East when fully healthy.

DM: My only reason for believing health would have resulted in anything different is the state of the Eastern Conference. The bottom nine teams are so bad that the final two playoff spots aren’t even a source of pride. And this team was healthy for the majority of the season. Otto Porter playing in only the first nine games was a significant loss. But it wasn’t like he was contributing to winning with the way he was playing anyway. He’s also a role player rather than a star, which has long been my issue with the Bulls acquiring him and his hefty contract. He doesn’t move the needle. Not like a superstar. He helps good teams, and the Bulls proved long ago this year’s team isn’t that.

VV: I think they would have been better and possibly closer to the eighth seed. That looked to be their ceiling coming into the season. Despite Chicago’s moves this summer, there were still a lot of teams which were better than them in the East. If everyone was healthy, the Bulls would probably be near the Nets in terms of record. While there would have been well justified apathy about getting the seventh or eighth seed in a conference with the Bucks, it would still have made the rest of the season a lot more interesting.

LM: Yeah, probably. But they were 3–6 when healthy, and while that’s not a great sample, it wasn’t a great showing. In the end, so many of the Bulls’ losses come down to coaching. Or, specifically, putting players in the best position to be successful. In the end, I simply can’t trust Jim Boylen to do the little things.

FP: Porter had a horrific start to the season…an awful first four games, but in four of the next five, he shot 25-of-30 (83 percent) and 11-of-17 from 3 (64.7 percent). Porter would have been extremely helpful for a team lacking in two-way talents. During those first nine games, the Bulls lost large second-half leads in four of their six losses, including a 19-point lead against the Lakers. Young and talented teams have a tendency to do that. (Bad teams don’t build large second-half leads). The Porter injury, and the injury to his backup (Hutchison), were devastating, but only because Boylen refused to play an acceptable backup option in Valentine. Coach’s insistence on playing his adopted son, Ryan ArcICan’tPlayThe3, at the 3 had disastrous consequences for team wins and morale.

Despite Boylen’s efforts to the contrary. Otto Porter Jr. playing at his career numbers would have yielded enough wins for a seventh or eighth seed in a conference with six good teams. Unfortunately, Otto Porter Jr. is like “The Last Jedi”….we were all excited about the possibilities. Sure, there were some good moments, but in retrospect, you look back with resentment and anger due to the lost opportunity and disappointing supporting cast (for his left foot).

3. How has Jim Boylen contributed to the Bulls’ current state?

EM: Currently, I think Boylen has negatively impacted the players on this roster outside of Zach LaVine and Tomas Satoransky. Take Lauri Markkanen, for example. Boylen has made Lauri into a spot-up shooter. We all know that Lauri is his best when he takes his defenders off-the-dribble and creates his own shot. I hate to say it, but given Lauri’s recent play because of Boylen, I was hoping that the Bulls would at least explore trading him at the trade deadline.

Additionally, he doesn’t want to give impactful minutes to rookies, Coby White and Daniel Gafford. He benched the team’s best 3-point shooter, Denzel Valentine for reasons unknown. Other than his witty postgame quotes, Jim Boylen has been the wrong coach for the Bulls ever since their 50-point blowout loss to Boston last year.

RP: Nobody, outside of Zach LaVine, is developing. The players don’t seem to love him. His decisions regarding the rotation are confusing. Look, for all the hatred the front office absorbs, GarPax have done pretty well over the past years with the exception of the Porter-Bobby Portis trade. WCJ seems to be a smart pick. They commandeered multiple, franchise pieces for Jimmy Butler. And most of the franchise cheered the Coby White selection. But it’s not working out.

DM: Well, they’re doing a lot of losing on his watch. He’s 36–78 since taking over in early December 2018, a .316 winning percentage. It’d be one thing if the Bulls were showing clear progress under Boylen, either individual player development or substantial strides as a group. But they’re doing neither. Little they’ve done has been impressive or in any way noteworthy this season. They’ve beat up on bad teams and gotten their brains beat in by the good ones. That’s their identity. Whatever it is Boylen and his bosses believe he’s doing well hasn’t been carried out nearly enough to change that.

VV: He has been on the sidelines as they have lost, and the errors are glaring. Chicago has been poor in third quarters, showing a lack of adjustment from half to half. Also, they have stuck with the same aggressive defensive scheme, too, despite some teams absolutely torching Chicago because of it. The young guys haven’t taken a step up in terms of development, and that’s on the coaching staff, as well.

LM: He’s basketball Terry Bevington. Enough said.

FP: Jim, by all accounts, is a fine soul, but he’s not a head coach. In today’s game, you need to be constantly selling a vision to the media, the fans, the front office, the owner, and most importantly, the team. He’s only managed to sell effectively to the front office and owner.

Jim clearly favors “football” players, but despises others with superior talent. When pressed earlier this season on why Denzel Valentine wasn’t playing, Jim responded, “Because I said so.” Jim’s denigration of a well-liked team leader in the press was not the right way to handle the question. Valentine worked hard to return from ankle surgery. I’m sure Jim’s refusal to play him created resentment from Denzel, but it also sent a “hard-guy” message that turns off today’s generation. The correct answer: “Denzel is a valuable member of this team. He’s a fantastic shooter and he’s going to get a chance…he just needs to stay ready. And he will, because Denzel is a professional and we’re happy he is back with our team.” This isn’t hard.

Jim’s also failed with two other primary responsibilities: allocation of minutes and timeout allocation. He asked his players to adapt their talent to the system, instead of adapting the system to the talent. Big picture, he’s just not a head coach. Jim flew too close to the sun, and his wings were singed. He’ll never again dance on the main stage, and he will be forever destined to awkward glances at libraries, laundromats and other locales where only the lonely abide. Or he may get hired by the Knicks in the offseason to run their defense. I’m hoping for the latter, because he’s a great guy, and in the end, that’s what matters most.

4. Now that the Bulls are looking to add to their front office, who is the best candidate?

EM: If I was the Bulls front office, I would completely clean house and start fresh. A couple names that come to mind are Masai Ujiri and Sam Presti. A fan favorite and current president of basketball operations for the Toronto Raptors, Masai helped lure in Kawhi Leonard and assembled a supporting cast around Kawhi that would bring Canada their first ever NBA title.

As for Sam Presti, he basically drafted three MVP-caliber players in Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Now at the time, who knew that these three would become the players that they are now, but the amount of scouting Presti had to do on them and receive input from everyone within the scouting department; that’s what’s really caught my eye and why I think he’d be a good fit with the Bulls — who are also looking to improve their scouting area.

RP: Right now, there seem to be four names everybody likes. Masai Ujiri with the Raptors will be a hot commodity going forward. Sam Presti in Oklahoma City is not only a great drafter, but can keep a team afloat during rebuild years. Golden State GM Bob Myers is regarded as a key cog in that team’s success. And Mark Cuban will always be everyone’s favorite. Any apples from their trees are worth a serious look.

DM: Does it matter? Seriously, if the Bulls are simply reshuffling the deck and ultimately trusting the same people who already are in their building — and have been for nearly two decades — what difference will it make?

VV: If the Bulls are truly going to look for someone to help turn this franchise around, they need to also give them more power within the organization. If it’s just an office re-structuring then one addition, then it could be tough to sell to assistant GMs who are looking to step up in the ladder. One name I think was interesting would be Dan Tolzman of the Toronto Raptors. He’s been their assistant GM and VP of Player Personnel for a while, and the results are showing. Toronto has developed a number of quality players and built up a title contender through their G-League team. If you give him full reigns of the show, could that be enough to entice him to come to the Windy City?

LM: What’s Sam Hinkie up to these days? Even if you’re not a fan of the #LoseTodayForABetterTomorrow brand, Hinkie was a Daryl Morey guy with an analytics background and an eye for young, high-upside talent. That’s my off-the-wall pick to click.

FP: It starts and ends with Masai Ujiri. I’d put on the full-court press in order to bring him to Chicago, and ask for and enable the considerable persuasive efforts of former President Obama…Oprah…whatever it takes. I have to believe Kawhi’s departure from Toronto had to sting at some level, and although the Bulls may never sign the elite of the elite, we’re still better equipped than Toronto. I would also be fine taking a chance with a young executive from an overachieving franchise. Although people won’t admit it, GarPax did a pretty good job in drafting talent. The Butler pick at №30 may be the best pick in the past 10 years, and their top-10 picks have usually been hits. It may be surprisingly difficult for a new GM to beat their record in drafting talent. We’ll see.

One name often bandied about as a potential replacement is Sam Hinkie. Hiring St. Hinkie would be a massive mistake. No GM has ever received more positive praise for such a pathetic “on the job” performance. Hinkie was the only GM to pass on Giannis twice. He traded away Jrue Holiday for relative garbage. Hinkie also passed on Porzingis for Okafur. He made Philly as desirable a location for free agents as Baghdad. And for what? It’s 2020, The Process continues, and Philly still hasn’t played in an Eastern Conference Final, and it likely won’t this year. Pound sand, Hinkie Lovers.

5. Can Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen still be franchise players, or are they better suited as role players?

EM: Zach and Lauri are franchise players for this Bulls team, just without Jim Boylen as coach. Zach has shown the ability to put up buckets, and I can’t imagine what this team would look like without him on this roster.

Lauri Markkanen can be a franchise player for this Bulls team if he can elevate his game to the next level. I think Lauri needs to work on what he can control and not what the organization is telling him to do — which is being a spot-up shooter. Control only what you can control, and whether that’s checking into practice early morning to putting up some shots before everyone else, do it. Setting that mindset that you can be the best player on this roster, and it all starts with the work ethic Lauri puts in because it doesn’t matter if Boylen plays him an ‘x’ amount of minutes. If he can’t hit his shots, he doesn’t deserve to play in the clutch moments.

RP: I think Zach LaVine is a good №2 player on a team primed for a deep, playoff run. His PER (19.7) is about even with Paul George (20.3), close to Russell Westbrook’s (21.1) and slightly better than Donovan Mitchell’s (19.3). So he has been good enough to be the second-best player on a good team.

Lauri Markkanen has regressed mightily and plays eerily similar to Nikola Mirotic. In his fourth NBA season, Mirotic averaged 15.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. Markkanen is averaging 15.0 points and 6.5 rebounds. Mirotic is out of the NBA, but at least he had a cool beard.

DM: LaVine at least has the mentality to be a franchise guy. Markkanen doesn’t. I do wonder about LaVine’s instincts. People love to pick apart his game. But his instincts at both ends, to me, are what separates him from other rising studs. Too often, LaVine makes the game a little harder than it needs to be, whether it’s his double clutching around the rim, his erratic defense or his insistence on making the home-run play. It seems he could grow so much just from cutting out or cracking down on some of those faults. As for Markkanen, I need to see a lot more after what we witnessed from him this season — a lot more!

VV: I would be more optimistic about Zach LaVine being a franchise player than Lauri Markkanen. We are in Year 3 of Markkanen’s career, and we can start to imagine what a ceiling looks like for his game. He could be a solid secondary option on a playoff team. LaVine’s ceiling is a bit higher than Markkanen, and that’s due to his ability to get better from each season. If he can keep working on being a more efficient player, then he can go places. Markkanen, however, has regressed, and it’s been a worrying storyline this season. But like LaVine, Markkanen has clear areas where he can develop and get better. This doesn’t mean that Chicago should give up on him.

LM: I think they’re role players. And that’s not a bad thing. I think Lauri has been miscast this season as a 3-point shooting 4 when he’s really a more versatile 4 who just happens to have the ability to shoot 3-pointers. There’s a distinction, and I’m not sure this coaching staff is using him properly. LaVine is what he is: A pure scorer who has the ability to heat up and take over games. They can be solid supporting players if they had a star. Together, they should have been enough to secure an eighth seed in a whack East. This is a missed opportunity.

FP: LaVine is getting close. He still plays a little too much “hero ball” for my liking at the end of games, and I prefer it when he facilitates a bit more, as he did in a win at Washington this season. But he’s pretty close to a franchise player on the offensive end. He’s definitely superior to what many rebuilding teams like Cleveland, NY have as their №1. I suspect he’ll be a top-15 player by the time he turns 26 or 27.

Lauri needs to hit that magical number of 38 to 40 percent from 3. All good things for Lauri come from his ability to hit the 3. He was abysmal to start the season, and he hasn’t remotely approached the player we saw last February. I suspect many of his problems are due to being relegated to a Kyle Korver role.

Lauri doesn’t have that selfish gene or “Get me the damn ball” attitude that is needed in order to become a true franchise player. I do feel he can be an elite 2 under a different coach.

6. Can Coby White evolve from his shoot-first style, or is this who he is?

EM: Coby White can definitely evolve from what we already are seeing from him now — which is a shooter. Let’s not forget, he’s only 20 years old. If Boylen plans to insert him into the starting lineup for the rest of the season, I guarantee you’ll see evolution in his game at first glance. Coby can push the ball and will fit well with Zach in the backcourt.

He led North Carolina in his lone season to the Sweet Sixteen and showed great leadership in how he played. He’s the greatest hype teammate anyone can ask for. The Bulls are lucky to have him.

RP: Yes. I think it’s time to hand Coby the reigns and let him be a floor general. Less minutes for Tomas Satoransky and more for White, please.

DM: I think he can. But will it be with the Bulls? He needs structure, and Chicago hasn’t exactly delivered it. Think of it this way. The Bulls drafted White with the seventh overall pick only to split his time with three other point guards and LaVine’s ball dominance. As a result, the point guard has spent his rookie season playing off the ball and serving as an off-ball scorer. White continues to come off the bench despite a season heading nowhere fast and still doesn’t have enough opportunity to run the team. White has had a few shining moments this season. But the more the season plays out, the more it seems like he’s not being developed properly.

VV: I think it’s too early to put a solid description of what Coby White can be for the Bulls. There are a lot of factors at play when it comes to his struggling rookie season. Development has been a thing everyone on the Bulls has struggled with, and that’s including White. Plus, there’s the jump from college to the NBA. The game may still seem a bit too fast for White. But he still needs to play more, as well. It’s better that you find out his skill set early on than later. I think the more minutes White gets either as the point guard or playing as the off-guard, it’s beneficial. Go and figure out what you have in your seventh overall pick.

LM: What is Coby White supposed to be? A distributor? Microwave scorer off the bench? Combo guard? I’m not sure he knows his role, and I’m unsure if the coaching staff knows what to do with him. My feeling is to let him figure it out as a reserve, rather than press him into a starting role he hasn’t earned yet.

FP: Coby has to, because his shooting isn’t worthy of “shoot-first”. I had major concerns about Coby’s shooting while watching his college game tape (Dunn had a better 3-point percentage in the pros last season than Coby had in college), and Coby’s shooting deficiencies have borne out as the season progressed. On most nights, Coby is either brilliant or terrible. It’s not unusual for a 20-year-old. By all accounts, he is a great kid with a great work ethic, so I expect him to get better this summer. But make no mistake, his current field-goal percentage of 36.9 percent and 33 percent from 3 is unacceptable and unworthy of the extended minutes he often receives.

7. Who has played the most without deserving it? Who deserves to play more?

EM: Luke Kornet and the rookies. Luke Kornet has played way too many minutes to my liking, and I don’t know how he is in Boylen’s rotation at this point this deep into the season.

The rookies, Coby White and Daniel Gafford, deserve to play more minutes because what else are you looking for in a 19–37 team? It would make no sense to not play your rookies with 26 games remaining. They’re young. Play them the full 48 if you have to. Develop the players you drafted. Plain and simple.

RP: It’s tough to say someone has played too many minutes because the team is loaded with injuries. Luke Kornet is a good pick. I’ll go with Satoransky. He’s not part of the franchise’s future. White should be. Let’s see what White has, move him into the starting lineup, and get Satoransky in the gym.

DM: Luke Kornet has been given the longest leash without proving much. The supposed sharpshooter is shooting 29 percent from 3. In his first 10 games, Kornet was even worse, connecting on 22 percent from 3. Yet he still served as the backup center, averaging 11.3 minutes over that span. For the season, Kornet is averaging 15.5 minutes. Daniel Gafford is averaging 12.8 minutes. I rest my case.

VV: Daniel Gafford. At the start of the season I could see why Chicago was more faithful in Kornet, but it’s time to play Gafford. Wendell Carter Jr. is still out, and Cristiano Felcio can’t be starting. Gafford has proven to be a fun and energetic player when he’s on the court. The dunks are great, and he looks like he can develop into a solid roller towards the rim. It’s time.

LM: So many guys have played more than they deserve due to injuries, so I don’t think it’s fair to answer that. As for who deserves to play more? I feel as if Thaddeus Young has been underutilized. Had the Bulls used him the way Indy did last season, I think the team would have been better off. The 24 minutes per game is his fewest since his rookie season back in 2008. And his 1.2 win shares represents a career low. He’s the guy I think of most when I think about the mismanagement of this roster.

FP: I like the kid, but Ryan ArcIShouldNotBeInTheRotation shouldn’t be in the rotation. He’s the beloved adopted son of Jim, who continues to play him because he likes football and takes charges. Denzel Valentine should have received all of Ryan’s minutes this season, but Denzel doesn’t play football and he hits too many 3s. This is life in the bizarre world of Jim Boylen.

8. The Bulls made no moves at the trade deadline. Who can fetch them the most value this offseason?

EM: This answer really depends on who they decide to bring in as the new GM and what they decide to do with Jim Boylen, Gar Forman and John Paxson. Are they gonna hire from within or bring someone in who knows the league and has a good relationship with players league-wide?

RP: I think the league still values Markkanen. I guess many fans and maybe even the front office does, as well. He’s just not doing it for me. Anyways, if you draft James Wiseman, maybe deal Markkanen for pieces.

DM: I’ve written that Markkanen still holds the most value given his age, controllable rookie-scale contract and continued intrigue. Wendell Carter Jr. and LaVine would be second and third in my book. But I don’t think the Bulls are ready to entertain including any of them in trades.

VV: I think if the Bulls were to trade Lauri Markkanen, they could get the most value in terms of assets back. The league still values players who can stretch the floor, and he’s just that. Despite his cold shooting spurts during the year, Markkanen is still one of the top shooting big men in the league and the mechanics of his jumper are solid. It’s a smooth release, and he shoots it pretty quickly. Space and pace are still a thing and used in the right place, Markkanen could be a good №3 scorer for a really good team. Chicago could net a lot for him.

LM: LaVine, Markkanen, and Wendell Carter Jr. are the players that could fetch the most in return in a trade. Maybe White has some value as a guy on a rookie deal some coach thinks he could fix. Young has some sneaky value as a veteran leader who would thrive in a different environment. These Bulls have pieces, but they’re short a star (and a coach who knows what to do with actual pieces).

FP: I know there was general outrage about the Bulls not making a deal at the trade deadline, but that probably was the correct move. Every player has a “trade floor” and a “trade ceiling”. If you are going to make a trade, you would ideally like to move a player near their ceiling to maximize ROI. I would argue only Dunn and LaVine were near their ceiling, and Dunn’s knee injury immediately sent his value to the floor. For example, the Bulls traded Jimmy Butler near his trade ceiling, and the Timberwolves traded Butler near his trade floor, and this was reflected in the players returned to their respective teams. The Bulls clearly didn’t want to trade LaVine, and I would like to keep our only proven scorer on the team.

LaVine can clearly bring back the most in a trade, since he is on a bargain deal relative to his proven ability to score. I still hold out hope that Lauri can finish strong and renew league-wide faith in his abilities. In reality, most of these players will probably end the season near their floor, so moves are unlikely, even for a new GM, unless our №1 pick is attached to it.

9. What can we most reasonably expect from the Bulls for the rest of the season?

EM: I expect for Coby White to be inserted into the starting lineup and see his game blossom. I expect Daniel Gafford to play meaningful minutes. I expect Zach LaVine to put up big buckets with a depleted roster the rest of the season. And I expect that we will land in the lottery once again. Fingers crossed that we don’t land №7.

RP: Get White in the starting lineup, monitor the impressive development from Carter Jr. and see if you have anything in Otto Porter. More significantly, you have to improve the chemistry under Boylen. He is under a massive contract.

DM: A good draft selection. The franchise won’t have many other desirable avenues to significantly improve its roster. Barring a bold move nobody anticipates, the current core appears to be the nucleus of next year’s squad. But the Bulls can hit on their draft pick. Markkanen, Carter and White all look like players, and all were taken with the seventh selection. Another seventh overall pick would be devastating after another disaster season. But that doesn’t mean the Bulls can’t make the best of it.

VV: Develop the young guys and pray to the lottery gods once again. The Bulls are once again stuck in a tough position. They aren’t really good enough to make the playoffs and aren’t bad enough to be one of the worst teams. With the eighth seed looking more and more unlikely, the development of the future core should be a priority. That may mean a lot more Coby White and Chandler Hutchison. But once again, they have to hope things bounce their way come May.

LM: Losses, an appearance at the NBA Draft Lottery show and obsessive college prospect watching in March.

FP: At the turn of the century, I was part of a very successful 50s and 60s cover band called Gigglewater. We played Elvis-Beatles-Chuck Berry-Stones…all the classic songs from that era. We developed a major following on the South Side. I don’t like to brag, but we were probably the greatest cover band since Sha Na Na.

I finally secured a premier gig in Wrigleyville to open up for Little People Wrestling, thinking that was the name of the band. I invited everyone I knew. Many dear friends and family came to our first major show on the North Side of the city, but when we showed up, there wasn’t a band, but an actual ring, with little people who were wrestlers on it.

Fans of Little People Wrestling were not our primary demographic. The attendees were primarily drunk, young morons who weren’t really interested in hearing us play “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Surfin’ USA”. Fisticuffs soon ensued between the band, the crowd and wrestlers.

I’ll spare you the grim details, but I was beaten viciously by a little person with fists of iron. What had promised to be a step on the road to musical stardom instead turned into a nightmare, with a crazed little person screaming expletives at me…and calling me a derogatory name for a cat in front of my family, friends and fiancée. I drove home emasculated…tears in my eyes…depressed and crestfallen…with broken dreams and broken amplifiers. That ride home seemed to last years.

This Bulls season has been one massive fight with Meathead the Little Person/Wrestler. And for the next two months, we’re all driving in my car, heading home without pride or mirth. Godspeed.