In life, in all aspects of it, there exists a drastic difference between change and change just for the sake of change.
When the latter becomes the agreed line of strategy — the pivot, the plan — confusion and doubt set in. When the latter is done, there are often more questions left than answers.
For the Bulls, an organization we’ve been screaming about — often directly at — for not making any significant or necessary changes the last two offseasons, to finally decide that this was going to be their Summer of Change only to make the moves they’ve made so far be their definition of change has made the latter our conclusion.
For the actuality that there has been “change,” we can only say, “Thank you.” But now that we have early evidence of what change looks like to them, we can only plead, “Make it make sense.”
The Alex Caruso trade for Josh Giddey.
The exit of Andre Drummond with the entrance of Jalen Smith.
The $90 million extension for Patrick Williams.
The drafting of Matas Buzelis.
Then there’s the change-in-wait that exists in the form of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan and the suppositious return of Lonzo Ball. Changes where at this rather late stage of NBA free agency, no decisions have been made.
So . . . our early takeaway from this is supposed to be exactly what? That there’s a youth movement in play that’s about to be the team’s theme for the next five years, one that will put the Bulls in position by 2029-30 to compete against the Celtics, Knicks, 76ers, Pacers and Cavaliers and maybe-finally beat the Heat in a play-in game? That by then the duo of Giddey and Buzelis will have turned into one that could honestly compete against Jaylen Brown/Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Maxey/Paul George, Jalen Brunson/Mikal Bridges and Tyrese Haliburton/Pascal Siakam, and the Bulls’ best “non-tandem” player is going to be on par with Joel Embiid or Kristaps Porzingis or Donovan Mitchell or Julius Randle or Jimmy Butler for whatever team they’re playing on in the Eastern Conference at that time?
If this is the supposed outcome of what their current interpretation of change is supposed to be, God bless us. We’ve heard all of the stories of there being no market for LaVine and a reduced one for DeRozan combined with how a move is now “imminent” for him because of the Giddey exchange for the homey AC Fresh (also of note: low-frequency stories of the team possibly moving on from Nikola Vucevic as its starting centerpiece, which is a whole extra story), only to be met with how the lack of closure on those stories becomes the only food for us to feed on when “Change” is Option 1 on the menu and “Change: Just for the Hell of It” is the Option 2 vegan alternative.
At worst, “change just for the sake of change” in a Summer of Change is supposed to look like this: With the relationship between LaVine and the Bulls being in divorce court since February and mad rumblings and reports coming out of Cleveland all off-season about the Cavs’ “situationship” with Darius Garland — with both of them sharing the same representation (Rich Paul of Klutch Sports) — and according to the “experts” both having very low trade value and contracts that no other teams want to take on (one has three years left on a five-year, $215 million deal signed in 2022, the other has four years left on a five-year, $197 million deal signed in 2023 and 2024-25 cap hits of $43 million and $36.7 million, respectively), with Garland being 24 years young and LaVine being 29 years old, with the Bulls in need of volume scoring in the backcourt and the Cavs in need of the same at the wing . . . you get where this is going, right?
Equal change, breath-of-fresh-air change, change-of-scenery change. Harmless change over harmful change. Too much like “why not?” Or not enough of it. That’s not dandruff falling from your scalp as you scratch it trying to figure out exactly what the Bulls are doing. Those are flakes of, again, confusion and doubt. Just trying to make it all make sense.
There is a wordless children’s picture book from the early ’70s by author Pat Hutchins called “Changes, Changes” that forces the characters in the book, as well as the people engaging in the book, to “use their imagination to adapt to each situation they encounter.” It’s about the power of self-sufficiency, early-childhood decision-making and early-stage critical thinking.
It’s a book that once experienced lays the foundation for adults to know in life that change is inevitable and how one adapts to change and applies change shapes what their future has a chance to be.
As of July 5, 2024, no one in any decision-making position for the Bulls can show that they’ve taken the lessons of change from a seminal children’s book to heart. Or to mind. Or put them in theory or practice. If they’ve even read the book. Which as of July 6, 2024, until something changes for the sense of purpose as opposed to just for change itself, indicates that the Bulls are on their way to becoming the Pistons.
