That's right. According to Forbes the Lakers have passed the Bulls as the most profitable team in the NBA this year posting a 51.1 million dollar operating profit relative to the Bulls paltry 51 million dollar operating profit.
This is when heads roll. This is when changes are made. The Bulls have dominated the profit column of the NBA for the past decade, but they've been knocked down a peg. Luxury tax? We're not paying a luxury tax. It's time to slash payroll down to nothing. It's time to raise season ticket prices while offering 2 for 1s and dumping tickets for $5 in the secondary markets.
Okay, the previous paragraph was written with a high degree of sarcasm out of personal pain watching my seat prices go up while they dump tickets for nothing on the secondary market meaning I can't sell my tickets if my life depended on it. This is one Bulls fan who's not too amped on renewing next year.
Head's aren't going to roll because the Lakers are number one. If the Bulls ever stop to look at their profits then I'm sure they're giving themselves a bunch of high fives.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm always up for a team making money. I understand it's a business, but whenever Forbes does this report each year it always leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. The Bulls have insane profits relative to the rest of the league. If you add up their profits over a 10 year period, they're probably close to double the next closest team.
I'm okay with them banking huge amounts of money, but we talk about fiscal responsibility with the Bulls more than just about any team in the league while banking massive profits year after year after year. It's not like we're the Grizzlies where if they spend money poorly the franchise will lose 200 million over the next five years. This team could make a half billion in the next decade if it were run by monkeys.
I don't see it often because I know it won't happen. I don't think it's worth complaining about repeatedly when you know it won't change. However, when this report comes out each year, I'm going to take the chance to get up on the mountain top and scream it out.
PUT SOME DAMN MONEY BACK INTO THE TEAM REINSDORF AND PAY THE F'ING TAX. LET YOUR PROFIT MARGIN FALL FROM 51 MILLION to 30 MILLION FOR A FEW YEARS AND GIVE US A BETTER PRODUCT ON THE FLOOR.
Steps off soap box, calms down, prepares for another five years where we'll make moves planning around the luxury tax rather than paying it, and promises not to bitch about it again until Forbes tells us how much more money we made then every other team next year.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Tags: chicago bulls, forbes, luxury tax, profits
Wow, Jerry Rein$dorf couldn't be angrier about this. I've never seen any businessman penny pinch as much as he does with the Bulls.
He will raise ticket prices, not sign a significant FA, and he will make sure that the bulls make the playoffs as a 7th or 8th seed every couple years or so, to get the playoff revenue. Its the perfect formula for him. Forget about firing del negro, the lowest paid coach in the league, and forget about adding an expensive FA like Wade Lebron Bosh. He will settle for Udonis Haslem and call it a summer.
And you can also forget about firing Paxson, whom he loves deeply.
When people stop coming to games and stop buying his merchandise thats when he will spend however I dont think he will ever spend enough to make us legit contenders. Jerry is the owener who is ok with 1 round or 2 rounds of playoff basketball because it gives the fans hope and makes him money but he would never take that money and invest it to get to the finals and we are left looking like fools.
I always though an owner feels he has to spend some to re-attract fans with some signings when the team is poor. If profits go down he cannot put out a crap product because than profits will continue to drop and he would need a reason to get the fans back.
Agreed, however the only way for the fans to let the owner know that the product is not satisfactory is to stop spending their money on it. That is the only way he might change how he does business. The only other option would be for him to sell the team or have somebody else take over his duties.
He is not going to sell this team, he uses it to fund his true love the white sox.
also charity stripe one thing i learned about Chicago is that people dont go there for the product they go there just for the hell of it. There are not many fans at the game just people in there suits there for some food and drinks.
I wrote a reply but it got deleted somehow.
Chicago fans always misplace the blame. They want fiery coaches like Ditka and Skiles, and if they don't get that fire they will call for head like people are doing with Lovie and VDN now. They hardly ever blame management or ownership. So the bad decisions continue for years, and no changes are made where it matters - at the top.
Weren't the Chicago Bulls third anyway? I thought the Lakers past the Knicks, not the Bulls.
http://blogs.bulls.com/chicago_bulls_blog/2009/12/bulls-blown-out-again-in-echos-of-tim-floyd-era.html
good stuff from Sam on Rose.
Back to the 2010 SALARY DUMP Plan.
If the Bulls were to dump Hinrich, Salmons and Thomas, that puts their total salary around $22 million. Wouldn't that allow them to sign 2 of the BIG 4?
My suggestion, as always, is Wade and Bosh.
PG - Rose
SG - Wade
SF - Deng
PF - Bosh
C - Noah
MrHappy, with that line up. I would get a bulls logo tattooed on my right calf.
Not sure if there down there as I didnt really look at the bottom of the list but the Clippers have seem to be spending (Baron Davis, Chris Kaman, trade for Camby, expensive head coach). The Thunder are going to have to shell out some big cash in 2011 and 2012 to retain the rights to Durant, Green, Westbrook. Grizzlies have added some salary with Zach Randolp and we will see how they treat Gay, Mayo, and Gasol when there contracts run up.
How would they absolutely know for sure that a particular move would get them real deep in the playoffs? Jerry Reinsdorf would be making that decision, and how can anyone trust the judgement of a man who highly values Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng, but at the same time trashes a guy like Ben Gordon.
i agree with you, i guess what i'm saying is that it is a no-win situation for the die hard fans like us.
I think Doug's right about fans not really budging Jerry one way or the other. He's set in his ways and he's not going to change at this stage of his life. He's shown that he'll spend above the cap but not mess with luxury tax unless it means a championship-level team. If anything, fans walking out means he might spend under the cap. He's a stubborn SOB.
That doesn't mean I think fans are necessarily wrong to be upset with him and his ways, only that I don't buy this notion that Bulls fans can somehow throw their weight around and produce results, that team won't win as long as the fans go to the games.
i bet Jerry spent alot of money when mj and scottie were here. But they also made alot of money as well! It takes money to make money. So please go get us Mr.Flash and CB4
During the dynasty years, pippen was playing on a $2m salary. He was unhappy when kukoc came on board and was making more. JR was the same cheap bastard he is today.
JR will always get his money because Chicago fans just love their teams. Even if you guys wanted to, you couldn't just leave the Bulls, the Bears etc etc. Its just in Chicago to just love their team. And JR is cashing in on it.
The Bulls still being top 3 in attendance during the worst 6 year stretch in basketball history isnt enough to convince you, nothing will.
Its frustrating but we can only hope we just luck into an amazing situation and everything starts to click.
It's a business...
For many of us, basketball is more than a business. I have memories of being one of only two white guys playing street ball at 3 AM on Saturday mornings after work near 18th and State. Taking off work boots and lacing up gym shoes after 10 hours of loading boxes at UPS. Playing until sunrise. Somewhere in the 1970's.
Some of you grew up with stars in your eyes as Michael Jordan made you proud to be a Bulls fan.
Some of us never saw Jerry Sloan, Norm Van Lier, or Johnny Red Kerr play Bulls basketball.
Those days are gone.
Jerry Reinsdorf is the IRS tax accountant who grew up to own the Bulls. He worked for it, he earned it. He can do whatever he wants to with it.
Just don't confuse Jerry Reinsdorf with anyone who ever played basketball and loved it. Jerry is a Michael Jordan of business ventures. His game is the profit margin, and he's very good at it.
Just don't get confused about being a Bulls fan.
If Reinsdorf does anything with the Bulls, it will be because he can increase his profits somehow. So, don't hold your breath this year or next.
It's just a business.