Personnel decisions
The Bulls’ front office gets a bad rap amongst fans. Some of it is definitely justified, but sometimes the front office deserves some credit for making good decisions.
When the Bulls decided to sign Zach LaVine to a 4-year, $78 million contract, it had Bulls fans divided. Some thought it was the necessary move, others thought it was too much money for an up-and-down youngster. The concerns were valid, but it’s clear now that inking LaVine to a long-term deal was the right move. He had a career-year offensively and showed signs of improvement on defense.
Drafting Wendell Carter Jr. was definitely a good move as well. There were a number of talented players available for the Bulls to take with their first-round pick (Mikal Bridges, Collin Sexton, Kevin Knox), but after seeing Wendell protect the rim, move his feet on defense and operate in the pick-and-roll, it’s clear the Bulls drafted the right kid.
Chicago made some other good moves during the season. They got a nice package in return for Justin Holiday, and they turned Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker into Otto Porter Jr. The Porter trade was heavily scrutinized for a while, but after seeing the Bulls’ offense with Porter in the mix, it was clear this was the right move. Otto gave the Bulls something they desperately needed – a quality wing who can defend and stretch the floor.
Perhaps the most controversial personnel decision of the last year was bringing Jabari Parker to Chicago for a trial run. It didn’t work out (as previously mentioned, Parker was involved in the Otto Porter Jr. trade), but it was still a good idea to give it a try. Parker’s contract had a team option on the second year so at the very worst, the Bulls would’ve kept him for the remainder of this season and then let him walk. All in all, not a move that had lasting effects.
The worst personnel decision the Bulls made this season was firing Fred Hoiberg. The timing didn’t make sense and replacing him with Jim Boylen definitely didn’t make sense. None of it made sense.
Outside of the coaching moves, though, the Bulls’ front office had a pretty nice year.
Grade: B-