I typed up a bunch of shit explaining the rationale for why this is necessary then deleted it because it should be self-evident to anyone who’s been paying attention to the Bulls for at least a few years (and even more so to someone who’s been paying attention for decades) and I’m bad at formulating arguments. (edit: I guess I ended up typing a bunch of shit anyway. whatever)

The Reinsdorfs are terrible owners and care more about profit than winning. Yeah obviously it’s a business, but if the product sucks then why are we supporting it?

Remember, we’re talking about the guy (Jerry) who threatened to move the White Sox (which he’s said he cares about way more than the Bulls… can’t find the quote someone pls halp) to Tampa in the 80s unless the city and state helped him fund a new stadium.

We’re talking about the guy who will NEVER go into the luxury tax to fund a winning team (which is almost necessary in today’s NBA) or spend a dime more than he has to.

We’re talking about the guy who famously advised another baseball exec to finish in second place every year and recently echoed that sentiment:

The most striking statement had to do with what he thinks the fan base wants in a team.

‘‘I think the important thing to fans is, while they want you to win championships, they want to know that when they get down to the last month of the season, you still have a shot,’’ he said. ‘‘You’re still playing meaningful games. If you can do that consistently, you’ll make your fans happy.’’

The discerning Sox fan will see in that quote shades of the advice former Marlins president David Samson said Reinsdorf once gave him.

‘‘I was 32 years old, in baseball for my first of 18 years,’’ Samson said in 2019. ‘‘And [Reinsdorf] said: ‘You know what? Here’s my best advice to you: Finish in second place every single year because your fans will say, ‘‘Wow, we’ve got a shot, we’re in it,’’ but there’s always the carrot left. There’s always one more step to take.’ ’’

Samson’s quote caused a huge stink. The Sox moved quickly to deny that Reinsdorf ever said such a thing, knowing that an owner who settles for second-best isn’t a good look for a franchise. But Reinsdorf’s comments Monday in front of a group of witnesses at the Milken Institute Global Conference sounded very much like what Samson insisted he once said.

Literally nothing is going to change until the Reinsdorfs sell the team. AK will get thrown under the bus. Billy will get thrown under the bus. The players will get thrown under the bus. Are they blameless? Are they faultless? Obviously not, but they’re playing for an organization that does not care about winning and ultimately will not support them in doing so. The Bulls will either find a new GM (EVP of basketball operations whatever), a new coach, new players who will all meet the same resistance. (or maybe AK can go the GarPax route and get spared just for displaying loyalty to the throne)

Anyway, what the fuck? Why is anyone supporting this? The Oakland A’s fans had a massive grassroots campaign recently urging their owner to sell the team. It didn’t work, and the jerk-off is moving the team to Vegas anyway, but it got a lot of traction and visibility. We gotta at least try.