As the Luka trade set in across the NBA landscape, the Bulls finally made a move; Zach Lavine was traded to the Sacramento Kings. Finally… I couldn’t be happier. I mean, I could be happier… if the return the Bulls got for Zach was greater, but it’s the Bulls… we don’t get anything back in our trades. It’s not OK, but that’s the reality, and in this particular case, I really don’t care.
It was a mistake eight years ago… to trade for Lavine. Getting rid of Jimmy Butler, and yes I know he’s turned into a super diva now, was a big mistake. Lavine never lived up to what we thought his potential could be; he was never a true #1. Zach was a nice player, don’t get me wrong; he just wasn’t HIM. He wasn’t a true NBA superstar; he could never make that transition to a #1 player in the league. The best he was able to do was bounce between a 2 and a 3, which for the Bulls, just wasn’t good enough. We haven’t had a 1 for a long time… well, frankly, since #1. DeRozan was a #1? No. Maybe another 2-3. The absence of a true number one player on our roster is about all you need to know about the recent success of the Bulls franchise.
Was it Zach’s fault that we traded for him? No. Was it Zach’s fault that we paid him a max contract? No. This is all on the Bulls… the mistake in trading for him, the mistake in signing him to the max, the mistake in thinking we could have traded him at any point in the past few years for something of value… The Bulls thought Zach would lead us into a successful period of Bulls basketball, and in fact, he did the complete opposite. I’m not going to go digging right this second to find proof, but I’ve read it before; Zach was on top of the list of the NBA players with the lowest winning percentage. Sure, #8 provided us many highlights over the years; he had great drives and dunks, he would have games where he was lighting it up from behind the arc, and even lead the Bulls to some nice wins. He seemed like a nice enough guy. Yet, for me, he is the on-court symbol of the Bulls mediocrity over the last 8 years. I’m not quite going to go “hate file” on his ass, but… his patented jog down the court whether it was a make or miss, whether the opposing team was on a fast break or just half court… his unique ability to take the hardest shot possible with 15 seconds left on the shot clock… his inability to hit the big shot, time and time again… completely surrendering that responsibility to DD during his years. Zach was a good player, he just was never great, no matter how many of his stats/Bulls records you want to throw at me. The eye test, the win-loss record during his tenure… I had seen enough.
So yeah, I’m happy, and no, I’m not upset about the return… nobody would take this guy for the last 2-3 years!!! We finally found a sucker to take him and his salary!!! Where do the Bulls go from here? Who knows, but just remember… we weren’t going anywhere as it was. Saving max dollars over the next couple years, opening up playing time for other players on our roster… that’s enough for me. No hard feelings Zach; wish you the best of luck in Sac Town, but… you will not be missed. Later eight…
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