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"Man, I used to love the Bulls, but with Michael Jordon gone they just aren't the same. This year I'm rooting for the Lakers to go all the way. That guy Kobe. He can really play. I think he's going to be the next Jordon. Yeah, the Bulls management is horrible. How they could let Michael Jordon go is beyond me. Go Shaq!"
I can't tolerate bandwagon fans. They are the antithesis of sports. Why watch a game if you're only rooting for the winner?
That being said, not every fan criticizing a coach or a player is a bandwagon fan.
I was more than willing to give Gregg Popovich a chance after he fired Bob Hill. After all, I thought, this is a guy who won't settle for second round and out. His was the kind of mentality that we needed, the "don't settle for less than complete success" mentality.
At the same time, I realized that this was a guy that no other GM in the league would have hired as a coach. He had no head coaching experience and the assistant coaching experience he had wasn't with winning teams. He had the mentality, but he had to know that with his resume and with the talent he had put together that anything less than "complete success" would put him into the line of fire.
Well that's where he is . . . in the line of fire. He has two former number one picks, a three-pick and a four-pick. He has put together a terrific bench. We have arguably the overall best talent in the league. We have stars and solid role players with winning experience.
And what is our record versus playoff bound teams?
8-9
And what is our record against the contenders? (West - Utah, Portland, Houston, LA... East - Orlando, Indiana, Miami Atlanta)
2-4
Not exactly "complete success".
And while Pop was extremely quick to blame the coaching under Hill, I've yet to hear that coaching has played at fault in any losses since he took over. It's always the players and he's not afraid to name their names. Just once I'd like to hear him name his own.
So when fans call for a new coach. It isn't that they're bandwagon fans, its just they want the same thing he did . . . complete success.
By Bill Pryor
What are your thoughts on Bandwagoning Fans? Step on the Soapbox and have your say.
