In My Humble Opinion...NBA Thoughts by Girish Mirchandani

It’s been a while since my last blog and I decided it was time to let my growing reader base (from 6 to 10 people) know that I'm back.  Things are better now--I guarantee you are going to sleep well tonight. A few thoughts that have been on mind about my hometown Bulls, Phil Jackson, and the a few snippets about the NBA in my humble opinion

Let's start with Phil Jackson.  He is getting ripped apart for his "vacation" on his ranch.  Could Phil be recharging and accessing his higher self to come up with a solution to his head coaching vacancy and how he can guide the Knicks to the playoffs?  Possibly.  Or maybe Phil has a stealth plan behind the scenes regarding a coach that he has on his radar like Terry Stotts?  I believe the whole rumor that he is only considering Rambis is false.  If Phil wanted Rambis as his coach, why did he even hire Fisher?  I believe that Phil is a strategist and has a plan to bring on a world class coach and get the Knicks set up for success.  Would you seriously bet against the Zen Master? Trust comes to the forefront here.

Moving on to the Spurs; age really caught up with them.  They are an awesome team. I love their style, commitment to excellence, and their humility.  It’s looking like Duncan is very close to the end and knowing that the organization has such a strong culture of winning, I believe they will retool quickly.  This roster took them very far and they could contend with a few tweaks.  I believe the perfect scenario for them is to sign Dwight Howard and vice-versa.  Dwight needs the Spurs and they need him.  Imagine what Pop will do with a committed Dwight Howard playing next to LMA (La Marcus Aldridge)? I am not a big Dwight Howard fan but with the right culture and a coaching staff that is truly world class, he could get back to a new version of his younger self. Billy Donovan can coach.  Before the playoffs started, would anyone have thought the Thunder to pick apart the Spurs in 6 games and win?  Donovan doesn't seem to get rattled and exudes a calming presence, which produced great results with his team.  The Warriors/Thunder series is highly anticipated and will be fun to watch.

Finally, let's discuss my Bulls.  If you are a Bulls fan, you may have decided that watching old episodes of Murder She Wrote and Matlock marathons on Lifetime was more fun vis-à-vis the end of the 2016 regular season for this Bulls team. The verdict is still out on Hoiberg and management is clearly supporting him.  I believe the Bulls are going build around Bulter and he is not going anywhere. Bulter is a 2 way player and an all-star.  What can the Bulls get in return for him?  They might get some nice young players as part of a package but I don't believe a team will swap an all-star for another.  And Butler was home grown in Chicago and yesterday he was at the combine hanging around with Hoiberg and the team’s staff.  If am GarPax, here is what I would do: trade Rose, don't sign Noah, trade Dunleavy, let Gasol walk, and find a locker room leader.  The Bulls need a new voice.  When Noah went down and Hinrich got traded, the team fell apart. Maybe go after a Jason Terry (championship experience) type who won't take a lot of minutes but has seen a lot and can own the locker room and teach Butler how to lead. (BTW, I don't know if Terry is a good leader but someone like him).  Then the Bulls need to find a starting 3, and I believe, the biggest flaw in their roster this past season was a having a 35 year old starting small forward coming off back-surgery to compete against the elites.  I also suspect that the Bulls will trade Derrick Rose and use his expiring contract for leverage to maybe move up in the draft or find a center that they can build around.  Felicio ended the season on a strong note and they can find a younger starting 5.  Hypothetically, they can have a 2 headed monster (Felicio and a new center) to round out their roster. Hopefully with the luck of the draft, the Bulls could have a completely retooled line-up. They have a lot of talent and with some new pieces, they can get back into the winning groove.

To conclude, this blog is dedicated to my Dad who as some of you might know recently had a stroke but is recovering very well...a true inspiration.