When the Chicago Bulls decided not to make any moves at this year’s trade deadline (for the third season in a row), fans were upset. They were, and still are, frustrated with the direction of the team. However, according to a conversation Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic had with a Bulls executive, they aren’t the fans the team is worried about.
Mayberry detailed his conversation as the lead-in to a recent mailbag he wrote. He noted that when mentioning the fans’ willingness to accept a rebuild and their discontent with the decisions, the Bulls executive countered with the phrase, “Your fans.”
No, not fans of Mayberry. The executive was referring to the fact that United Center is still packed every night. Those fans.
“But the comment wasn’t made to downplay anyone,” Mayberry wrote. “It was delivered to emphasize the difference.
“The Bulls fans the executive was referencing are paying customers. My “fans,” by and large, aren’t the segment that fills United Center on cold Chicago winter nights.
“That exchange, albeit brief, provided tremendous insight into the minds that make up the Bulls’ management.”
Chicagoans are still attending Bulls game. The team is still making a profit. And if the team is decent, then that will remain the same. So, no rebuild for the Bulls. For now.
