The Bulls homestand is not going well. They are on a 3 game losing streak, having just dropped 2 games in a row to the not-so-good Orlando Magic. The only player on the team that appears to give a damn is tough guy extraordinaire, Alex Caruso. His energy and production on the court forced Billy Donovan to move him into the starting lineup, replacing Torrey Craig at the 4 spot.
What else is going on with the Bulls this week? Oh yeah, and Zach LaVine asked for a trade.
I guess that’s burying the lede, but in reality, LaVine has been playing like he wanted a trade ever since that players only meeting after the first game of the season.
So, Zach wants out. The rest of the team, sans Caruso, seems to be a bunch of listless zombies going through the motions on the court. Billy Donovan is throwing every lineup out there he can think of, trying to jumpstart the dead offense, but nothing is working. It’s ugly right now on the Westside.
The Zach Rumors
I guess we got to look at these Zach trade rumors, huh?
Which team is currently at the top of the LaVine rumor list? The Los Angeles Lakers. They have a combination of players with salaries that could match Zach’s, and a love for going after any and every disgruntled star, but beyond that not much else. The Lakers do not have any valuable draft assets until… *checks calendar* … the year 3078 or so, and any of their good, young players (i.e. Austin Reaves) are probably considered untouchable. I think the Bulls can do better than a trade with the Lakers.
According to Shams Charania and Darnell Mayberry of the Athletic, other teams that might be interested in LaVine include the Miami Heat and Philadelphia ’76ers. Unfortunately, Philadelphia is in much the same boat as the Lakers when it comes to “future draft capital.” It’s all tied up in other deals. They don’t have a pick to trade until sometime much closer to 2030 than 2024.
Of the three teams, Miami is the most promising when it comes to draft picks and good players that might be available in a trade. But does Miami actually want Zach LaVine, or are these the three teams that Zach would like to play for? Is he just using his representation, Klutch Sports, to signal his desires through the media?
For me, the fan, I don’t really care which it is. I’m sad Zach wants to leave.
He is not a great player, true, but for the last 7 years he’s been the face of the Chicago Bulls. He has been the most exciting, dynamic, and fun player to watch. Even with his maddening flaws, he still put on the jersey every night and balled out to the best of his abilities, and that’s what made him an Olympic Gold Medalist and 2 time all-star. He always came back after every offseason a better player than the season before. He put up with incompetent teammates, coaches, and front offices. Zach LaVine has been a very good Chicago Bull.
People will disagree with me, and argue it never translated into winning, and that is undeniable. But I have a great respect for LaVine and what he tried very hard to accomplish here in Chicago.
The inability of LaVine to consistently win is a big problem though. I’ve mentioned this before, when LaVine first came to the Bulls, the thought was planted in my head that LaVine was a super-athlete that just so happened to play basketball, not a basketball player that just so happened to be a super-athlete. Over the past 7 years, there has been very little to change that distinction in my mind.
I think it’s Zach’s fundamental lack of understanding when it comes to spacing and sharing the ball. I’m not saying I’m a genius at this either, but Zach has never really displayed that he understands even the basic flow of his teammates and opponents on either end of the court. This lack of basic basketball awareness is his Achilles Heal, and the reason he has yet to become a superstar.
That’s not to say he hasn’t worked on his awareness, or gotten better at it. He has, but the gains he’s made in an area of the game that is second nature to the vast majority of the league, hasn’t been enough to propel him to the next level. LaVine has made great use of his super-athleticism, shot making, and the opportunities he has been given/made for himself, but he is not a basketball savant. His lack of basic basketball awareness, on both ends of the court, is usually his undoing.
Again, if the trade ever happens (it seems inevitable at this point), I will be sad to see LaVine leave. I like him for his bravado. I like him for the commitment he’s made to getting better every season. I like him for trying his hardest to pull this sorry franchise back to some semblance of respectability. And I respect his decision to pull the plug on this team, the Front Office certainly hasn’t shown any willingness to.
The Bulls organization have been running their heads into the same brick wall for the past 3 seasons, and finally LaVine has had enough. Maybe I was too harsh in my criticism of his awareness, because Zach gets it. He understands and acknowledges the truth that the Front Office and Coaching Staff are too afraid to confront. This team ain’t it.
Something has to change.
Zach LaVine, in backing slowing toward the exit, is once again leading this organization and pushing them to get better. The Mid Three do NOT work. At least, not at this point in their careers and with the coaching and roster around them. Nobody can argue with that. LaVine is just the first person in the room with courage to finally do something about it.
So now we wait for the inevitable. It might happen today, or maybe after December 15th when last summer’s free agents become available to trade. We might have to wait until mid January or the trade deadline itself. But one thing is certain, Zach LaVine wants out, and he’s going to find a way to get what he wants.
Until he does, thanks for reading, thanks for subscribing, and GO BULLS!
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