There are 9 games left in this development season. The Bulls have lost 5 games in a row (it feels like 50). I know in my mind that losing is the plan. The plan sucks when you watch the games. The loooong games. They stretch into infinity. An infinite number of Felicio running hooks, Cam Payne no-look passes, and Denzel threes. Losing is the plan. Turnover begat turnover. Losing is the plan.
I sit and watch game after game (the loooong games), “analyzing” plays and players. But I don’t know what it means when Noah Vonleh gets more minutes than Lauri Markkanen. Losing is the plan. Turnover begat turnover. Losing is the plan.
We sit and wait for a draft pick to save our team from the depths they’ve voluntarily spiraled to. Can they be “saved” if they put themselves there to begin with? Losing is the plan. Turnover begat turnover. Losing is the plan.
This franchise is trying to build a ladder out of all the careers they’ve walked away from, a ladder back to a relevance they voluntarily walked away from…
Nikola Mirotic, stack him up
Taj Gibson, stack him up
Joakim Noah, stack him up
Loul Deng, stack him up
Tyson Chandler, stack him up
Elton Brand, stack him up
Jamal Crawford, stack him up
Jimmy Butler, stack him up
Tom Thibodeau, stack him up
Derrick Rose, stack him up
Building a ladder to assuage their wounded pride. Building a ladder to escape the very hole they dug themselves. Losing is the plan. Turnover begat turnover. Losing is the plan.
We should’ve never worried about the Bulls ability to tank, they’ve been tanking for nearly a decade. When losing is the plan (Losing is the plan), turnover begets turnover (Turnover begat turnover), and you lose… your identity as winners, confidence in your abilities, trust in your players, trust from your players (and the rest of the league), your integrity. Losing is the plan.
When losing is the plan… Robin Lopez wastes the best season of his career on shooting threes. Losing is the plan. When losing is the plan… Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris turn into Doug McDermott, who then turns into Cam Payne. Turnover begat turnover. When losing is the plan… the league chastises your franchise for losing. Losing is the plan.
There are 9 games left in this development season (looooong games). The number of seasons it takes to get back to relevance, the number of careers it takes to build that ladder,
Robin Lopez, stack him up
Justin Holiday, stack him up
Paul Zipser, stack him up
Cristiano Felicio, stack him up
Cam Payne, stack him up
Bobby Portis, stack him up
Denzel Valentine, stack him up
Kris Dunn, stack him up
Zach LaVine, stack him up
Fred Hoiberg, stack him up
–
Lauri Markkanen, stack him up
…stretching into infinity.
Losing is the plan. Turnover begat turnover. Losing is the plan.
The Worst Records in the NBA:
1. Phoenix Suns 19-55 .257
2. Memphis Grizzlies 19-54 .260
3. Atlanta Hawks 21-52 .288
4. Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic 22-51 .301
6. Brooklyn Nets 23-50 .315
7. Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings 24-49 .329
9. New York Knicks 26-47 .356
RokDeez Bulls Blog 