Guess we will be content to get the 4 or 5 seed since we can't win it anyway. Let's continue the mediocrity. Whatever.
I really wish people would stop using the word "mediocrity." That describes the Chicago Bulls. We've won 3/4 of our games over the last two months, despite a never ending cycle of injuries. Pick your basketball analytics site, and we've got somewhere between the 4th and 6th best chance of winning the title.
A bunch of people on this site are spoiled and entitled. Seriously, barely four years ago we had an aging team that was needing its young, star point guard to lead it to the future. Instead, he wilted under the pressure, we were mediocre, and then tore his ACL. It was over.
We bottomed out. We hired a college coach out of a small school. Made at trade that, at the time, we hoped might produce a top 10 pick in 5 years. Maybe four years if we were really lucky. We continued to tear down the roster. We mourned when the lottery balls didn't go our way the following year, and had to settle for someone who played the same position as our now healthy star PG.
We continued to struggle, and then traded our star for what looked like 10 cents on the dollar. A single first, a second, some expirings, and a throw-in scrub. We then traded our only other decent veteran for another 1st.
And then we started to win. But we messed up again when, instead of playing for lottery balls, we traded for some sixth man, two years ago this week, for our team with a losing record. We'd gotten too good, too quickly, and it was going to kill our season. We'd be stuck in mediocrity. There's that word again.
And we lost in the playoffs. It was disappointing. Certainly we'd had a a fluky three months to end the season. We couldn't be that good again. And when all of the draft prizes went to other teams, for certain we were stuck. And then when we missed out on top free agents, it was written in stone: MEDIOCRITY.
And then the next year happened. And we won even more. That sixth man deadline acquisition turned into an All-Star (although we questioned if he'd earned it). We stood tight at the trade deadline, preserving our cash for any major free agent who obviously would never come, because we were mediocre.
And then we suffered multiple injuries and lost a competitive series in six games. 48 wins, but still mediocre. Then the draft lottery -- the third-best odds, and it was another mediocre showing with only the third pick.
Onto free agency, armed with enough cash to sign TWO All-Star free agents. Alas, we only signed one. Decidedly mediocre. Then into the season, which started began with a (really) mediocre 13-12 record, due to worse than mediocre health. Since then, we've upgraded to actual mediocre health, and have gone 24-8, but we're still mediocre? That sixth man who we moaned about trading for two years ago is going to get a lot of MVP votes, and it's mediocre? On top of that, we have an even better chance in the lottery in a better draft, and it's still mediocre? Next year we could have the same odds again, and it's mediocre? And we will have the room to sign another All-Star in free agency, but it's still mediocre?
Pretty soon I'm ready for the revisionist history of the Big 3 era to be called mediocre because we only won one championship -- yeah, we were title contenders, but mediocre ones. And after that the 80s -- sure, it was a bit of a dynasty, but a mediocre one.
Whatever.