Moving On Down

Yes, I had this post title recently, but the one noticeable difference is I didn't add a question mark to the end.  That's because the news became official earlier this week that the Bulls will be moving out of the Berto Center practice facility in Deerfield in the next couple of years.  The franchise will purely be part of Chicago as that's where the new digs will be.  There's a strong chance it will be on the Near West Side as part of a new entertainment and retail complex.  Did I mention that the United Center won't be far away either?  The move comes for the aforementioned economic reasons as well as the elimination of the grueling travel time between the current location and the game arena?

While the Bulls are looking toward the future and vibrant opportunities on the horizon, there's also a feeling of sadness as they prepare to leave the northern suburbs.  A great facility that ranks up there with the top ones in the NBA is about to be sold.  It's helped to put the town on the map.  Michael Jordan announced his first retirement there in 1993, followed by a media frenzy in the days leading up to his 1995 comeback.  Few bad things have been uttered about the place.  But there's the saying that all good things must come to an end.  I just don't think Deerfield residents didn't think it would come anytime soon.  And maybe the Berto Center wore out its welcome earlier than even the Bulls themselves projected.  They'll still have fond memories of the building and whoever buys it will most certainly keep up, running and vibrant.  It still looks like it has a lot of years of usefulness left.  There'll just be new occupants.  Yeah, it may not be a glamorous one, but as long as it generates some green for the local economy, everything will be fine.

Enjoy the next couple of years, Deerfield.  You'll want to savor every moment you have left with this franchise.