I feel the craziness going on in the financial markets is an excellent metaphor for what is happening with the Bulls.  This sub-prime mess was caused by lenders not accurately understanding the true value of the loans they were giving out.  The lenders thought the thousands they loaned out today would be millions in a few years.  Turned out those thousands they loaned yesterday are probably worth zero in a lot of cases today.

Similarly, while GM John Paxson heads into the year he thought he had a team that could contend for the Eastern crown, turns out his team will probably miss the playoffs.

I got the inspiration for this column reading an article about one of the best GMs in sports: Billy Beane of the Oakland Athletics.  What separates Beane from the pack is his ability to get the most wins out of a limited payroll.  Over most of this millennium he has competed with the Angels, Yankees, and Red Sox of the world, while spending millions less than they do.

"I got off the plane from the winter meetings, I said to David, `Who are we kidding?" Beane said.  "We can't let hope be our strategy here.  That's what we're doing...We can't waste another year.  If this needs to be done, it needs to be done…

"Our status quo as we stood going into the season was mediocrity at best.  That's my opinion.  If anything we're taking a step back with the idea we have a chance to build something very good for a long time...The cost of indecision for us probably would be a bigger mistake."

The Bulls are in the same place as Beane's A's.  They just do not have a roster capable of competing for a title in the current NBA.  It is time to give up and rebuild.  Trying to salvage a few years of making the playoffs would be a "bigger mistake."

To understand why I think it is time for the Bulls to give up on the majority of their current roster and start over, I will take a completely subjective look at the assets of all the teams in the NBA relative to the Bulls.  The time frame will be from today through the next two NBA seasons.  That is to say, I will divide the NBA's teams into three categories: better assets, same assets, and lesser assets.  All of those categories will be relative to the Bulls.  For example, the Boston Celtics are in the first category: better assets than the Bulls.  That means I think the Boston Celtics have better assets today and they will continue to have better assets until the 2010-11 season.

Any teams in the 'better assets' category have a superior chance of winning the NBA title than the Bulls for the defined time period. Teams with lesser assets have less of a  chance for the title than Chicago.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?