We're in the middle of another offseason, and the Chicago Bulls are once again doing what they do best: not much at all of consequence. No major additions or meaningful shift in direction, just the same commitment to a roster that has already proven it is not good enough to contend and not bad enough to tank. At this point, Bulls fans are undoubtedly beyond frustrated.
This team has been stuck in neutral for the better part of the last decade. And what makes it worse is that they are not even pretending otherwise. The front office appears to be comfortable with being a play-in fringe team, and if there is a plan in place, it does not seem like one that involves winning anything meaningful.
Plenty of fans were hoping this offseason would finally bring some clarity. Maybe the Bulls would tear it down and get serious about a rebuild, or perhaps they would try to make a real push toward contention with new pieces and a stronger supporting cast. But instead, the team seems to be choosing the one path that continues to leave them stuck right where they have been.
The Bulls still don't have a clear direction
The lack of urgency is the most baffling part. The Eastern Conference has never been more wide open. The Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers are both going to be without their top players next season, and an opportunity has become available to make a playoff push. And yet, the Bulls are still content to run it back, even when they haven't finished in the top eight the last three seasons in a row.
This is not a team built to win now, and it's not really a team built for the future. It is just a team that exists, with no real identity or clear vision. There's not a lot of reason for the fanbase to reasonably believe that anything will change, either.
There comes a point when the fanbase has every right to check out. This is one of the biggest markets in the NBA, and the Bulls are not supposed to be irrelevant. But irrelevance is exactly where they have landed, and the front office has not shown much aggressiveness to get themselves out of this situation.
Until something changes at the top, nothing is going to change on the court. Fans are understandably tired of watching this team wander aimlessly, and the only thing worse than watching a losing team is watching one that hasn't shown you they have a plan for the future.