This is the time of the year when we pretend that the Bulls are fighting for a playoff berth. We’ve been doing this for three straight seasons now, and the more subdued among us have become accustomed to the counterfeit suspense, the faux excitement and the negligible heart-rate increase. Accustomed to, but certainly not a fan of.
The NBA Play-In Tournament is the artificial ingredient of the league’s postseason. If the tournament started today, the Bulls would be a 10th seed, which means they would have to win two play-in games to earn the grand prize of being an eighth seed in the adult-table playoffs.
The hardest part for a reasonable person, for a critical thinker, is to listen to the breathless updates on the Bulls’ march toward the Play-In Tournament. Just because there’s a carrot at the end of a stick doesn’t mean that carrot is worthy eating. But some people need their pretend vegetables. I don’t think this is a matter of a sucker being born every minute. This is a matter of some people being born with the cheerleader gene. They see a competition, any competition, and they hurry to hooray.
This reminds me of the “Seinfeld’’ episode in which George declares himself “Costanza, Lord of the Idiots’’ during a New York Marathon watch party. A few steps away, a woman cheering on the runners screams, “You’re all winners!’’
“But suddenly a new contender has emerged,’’ George says.
Still, the problem here is neither the Play-In Tournament nor the people who enjoy it. The problem is the Bulls, who can’t get any traction as a franchise. The tournament exposes them for what they are, a team ever on the outside looking in. They were the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference last season and the 10th seed the season before, but didn’t advance out of the Play-In Tournament either time. If the tournament started today, they’d play the Magic, the ninth seed. If they won that game, they’d play the winner of the Heat-Hawks game for a spot in the first round of the playoffs.
Nothing says “playoff basketball’’ quite like a stew of Bulls, Magic, Heat and Hawks.
The Bulls are 26-38, so no matter how big a fan you might be of the team, there’s no shame in calling them what they are – not good. Being 12 games under .500 doesn’t suggest an organization turning things around. And the opportunity to participate in a phony play-in tournament – one that trafficks in all the “feels,’’ as the kids like to say – doesn’t change the reality of a franchise that can’t seem to figure things out.
There is some excitement about the young group that has emerged since the Zach LaVine trade last month. Josh Giddey (22) and Matas Buzelis (20) have at least drawn some attention away from the failed Big Three experiment of LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic. But that doesn’t necessarily point to success ahead.
Where, then, are Bulls fans supposed to put their faith? Hope for the franchise being a destination for star free agents died a long time ago. It doesn’t mean it can’t happen. It means an asteroid hitting the planet is more likely.
A front-office housecleaning? That doesn’t seem likely, either, given that vice president Arturas Karnisovas hasn’t been relieved of his duties yet and that CEO Michael Reinsdorf is the son of unchangeable owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Things either stay the same or stay the same too long. The Bulls last made the playoffs in 2021-22 and before that 2016-17. Both were first-round ousters.
What about building through the draft? It’s probably the best route to success for the Bulls, but it’s a crapshoot, especially where they’ve been picking and especially with who’s been doing the picking.
Should Bulls fans start to think about choosing another team to follow? That doesn’t seem realistic, and it would be an affront to the concept of loyalty. The Cavaliers have the best record in the NBA, but, alas, Cleveland is a five-hour drive from Chicago.
Suddenly, I’m starting to rethink my feelings about the Play-In Tournament. Perhaps I was too rash in criticizing it. In general, just because something is thrown in front of you to watch and cheer for doesn’t mean you should.
Unless it’s the only thing there is.
So, go, Bulls. Beat the mighty Magic, who at 30-35, aren’t a losing team but a team on a journey of discovery. And then onto either the Hawks or Heat, two exemplary opponents.
You’re all winners!