In happier and healthier times, Bulls officials and Jimmy Butler might sit down to discuss the merits of skipping Sunday’s All-Star Game to rest a sore heel — referring to his right foot, not Butler.
The heel contusion caused Butler to miss four of five games before he returned Tuesday night to lead the Bulls past the Raptors and, with eight days off after Thursday’s Celtics game, the injury figures to benefit from the idle time built into the schedule.
Too many bright lights shine in New Orleans for the budding celebrity on the cover of this week’s ESPN The Magazine with Chance the Rapper to resist the All-Star trip — but Butler handling NBA paparazzi poses fewer risks than trying to beat Kawhi Leonard off the dribble, even in a meaningless game.
Besides, Butler taking the weekend off would remove any chance of re-injuring himself before the Feb. 23 trade deadline — maybe the last significant date left in the Bulls’ season.
Consider the confluence of events that makes this an ideal time for the Bulls to maximize the return for their greatest asset.
It began with the Tribune reporting last week that Bulls vice president John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman will keep their jobs after this season, no matter what. That alone serves as a mandate to rebuild. Given Bulls roster realities, the urgency to start over outweighs the need to squeak into the Eastern Conference playoffs as the No. 7 seed.
If Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and his son, Michael, the Bulls president, see no reason for change after three years of disappointing dysfunction, chances are they never will. So Paxson and Forman have a responsibility to position the Bulls for long-term success instead of just first-round playoff exits. With that pressure of making the postseason lifted, they face an opportunity — and perhaps an obligation — to do whatever’s necessary to put the Bulls in a legitimate spot to compete for a championship again within the next five years. Even if that means parting company with Butler, much the way Reinsdorf’s White Sox sacrificed Chris Sale.
Whether you believe that GarPax deserve to return is moot now. The debate is white noise. All that matters now is how Paxson and Forman respond to their reprieve. They clearly have the benefit of time, courtesy of the Reinsdorfs, so why not use it wisely to help the Bulls escape NBA purgatory?
John Paxson, Gar Forman Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune
Since Bulls executives John Paxson, and Gar Forman will be back next season, they must rebuild the team, starting with trading Jimmy Butler.
Since Bulls executives John Paxson, and Gar Forman will be back next season, they must rebuild the team, starting with trading Jimmy Butler.
(Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)
Apathy at the United Center threatens with or without Butler from a fan base fed up with the wrong kind of drama in the post-Thibodeau Era. A common thread through all the dramatic locker-room twists, it bears repeating, is Butler, whose ego makes it fair to wonder how coachable he has become. Jimmy being Jimmy has guaranteed nothing more than mediocrity.
To stockpile picks from what is expected to be one of the deepest drafts in years — to get younger and more athletic in today’s NBA — the Bulls need the Celtics to consider Butler the player that puts them over the top in the Eastern Conference. The guy who, paired with breakout star Isaiah Thomas, poses a 1-2 punch potent enough to combat the Cavaliers’ duo of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
As much as the 30th selection of the 2011 NBA draft admirably worked himself into one of the NBA’s top 12 players, as hard as stars are to find, the Bulls still might have no playoff appearances to show for Butler’s two best seasons.
Maybe the Bulls will wait until the NBA draft June 22 to execute a seismic deal for Butler when teams know the exact draft order. Or maybe the Bulls can take advantage of the Cavs’ sudden vulnerability in the East to convince the Celtics now is the time to strike.
Reports indicate the Celtics won’t trade the rights to the Nets’ 2017 pick, likely to be a high one, but perhaps that thinking will change in the coming days. Deadlines tend to alter philosophy and spur action. Teams in the East sense weakness in the Cavs, who clung to a 21/2-game lead over the Celtics in the East heading into Wednesday’s games and face the next six weeks without injured forward Kevin Love.
The Raptors reacted with the acquisition of Serge Ibaka from the Magic for Terrence Ross and a first-round pick. The Wizards have won nine of 10. So have the Celtics, in town with a chance to see Butler firsthand.
Rumors persist about the Bulls dangling center Robin Lopez and guard Doug McDermott for picks or acquiring 76ers center Jahlil Okafor, a 21-year-old whose skills are worth trying to rehabilitate in his hometown. But the biggest potential deal looming over the franchise still involves Butler. The absence of the front-office’s assurance that Butler will remain a Bull suggests trading him could be a matter of when, not if. Or at least it is an idea they consider worth exploring. And they should exhaust every option.
Whether it happens later this month or in June, the inevitable conclusion remains something more obvious every day to anyone who has stayed objective: At this point, Butler can bring the Bulls closer to a championship by leaving Chicago rather than staying.
dhaugh@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @DavidHaugh
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