Organizations make roster-decision mistakes.
That’s the nature of the business, and all franchises inevitably swim in it.
Some deeper than others.
But mistakes made out of a pure lack of communication, or even worse, a defiant arrogance? Those are hard to move past.
Welcome to what far too often evolved into the Gar Forman Era.
The misses were happening much more frequently than the hits for the former Bulls general manager, and Cristiano Felicio was the poster child for Forman’s shortcoming becoming exposed.
Despite several assistant coaches warning Forman to stay away from investing too much into Felicio in the summer of 2017, the GM was hell-bent on showing not only the doubters in his own organization that he was smarter than them, but the rest of the league.
In Forman’s estimation, he was the one responsible for scouting and discovering the 6-foot-10 Brazilian, and he was the one that was going to extend him.
The concern the staff had was Felicio’s hands. They just didn’t work well. For his size, no doubt Felicio could move, but when catching a basketball was added into the equation it was like watching a newly-born giraffe try to walk.
Even former head coach Fred Hoiberg got involved, coming up with drills to try to improve Felicio’s hand-eye coordination.
Three seasons later, Felicio is a seldom-used reserve making more money than starters like Kris Dunn, Wendell Carter and Lauri Markkanen. Heck, Clippers super-sub Lou Williams was pulling in 100 grand less than Felicio this season.
For an organization contending and loaded with star power, $32 million mistakes can be covered up. For a rebuild, and now an organization backed into a salary-cap corner for one more season, well, there’s a reason new executive of everything basketball Arturas Karnisovas fired Forman his first day officially on the job.
The good news is the Felicio contract expires after the 2020-21 season. As does the contract of fellow big-man reserve Luke Kornet. Kornet was a Jim Boylen special last summer, mostly based on his analytics in New York the season before.
Kornet had an awful start as a Bull, but after surgery to clear up a sinus problem, actually started playing well. Then a broken bone was discovered in his foot, and just like that his first campaign with his new team was over.
Any wonder why the center position is a concern? Carter is undersized, Daniel Gafford is a rookie, Markkanen hasn’t shown an ability to consistently play minutes at the five, and that leaves Felicio and Kornet as depth.
Whenever the NBA decides the draft will happen, there’s a reason why 7-1 James Wiseman could be in play if the Bulls hit lottery luck and move into the top five.
The Situation: The Bulls lack depth in the middle — even in today’s small-ball basketball world, and will have even more holes to fill after next season when they can move on from the Felicio and Kornet contracts. Carter wants to play more power forward, and Markkanen has gone backwards in his development.
That leaves Gafford and a lot of raw ability as the only real piece off the bench looking ahead.
The Resolution: Yes, everything could change if the Bulls can finally hit lottery luck rather than roll sevens again, with Wiseman a possibility at four or five. Otherwise, it’s free-agent shopping come the 2021 offseason.
Bold Prediction: Carter will enter next season in the middle, but look for Gafford to fully embrace development under the new regime, and start pushing Carter for more playing time and possibly that position change he’s wanted.
