It’s time for the Bulls’ front office to admit the rebuild is a failure

Bulls coach Jim Boylen has to speak with the media every day, so of course there will be some get-my-message-across moments.

The latest came in the wake of the Bulls dropping to 4-10 with their loss Monday to the Bucks.

The Bucks had Giannis Antetokounmpo and, well, the Bulls didn’t.

‘‘We missed plays at the rim, we missed open shots, we turned it over,’’ Boylen said of the unit he closed the game with. ‘‘I thought we chased the ball a little bit instead of settling down, calm down a little bit, which is a learning moment for us.

‘‘They have a guy [Antetokounmpo] they can go to that can get them a bucket, which is what good teams have. I’ve been on those teams. We’re figuring out who that guy is, and we’re learning how to play that way. We’re not there yet.’’

That has been the flaw throughout the Bulls’ rebuild. The front office is under the misguided belief that a roster made up of good role players and a couple of potential All-Stars is playoff-worthy, as it insisted at the start of training camp in September.

But relying on guard Zach LaVine and big man Lauri Markkanen to close games hasn’t worked, and there are no signs it will. The Bulls have been selling their rebuild on hope, but the eye test remains the eye test. It’s not happening.

LaVine is a 38 percent shooter in the last three minutes of quarters this season, and Markkanen has been a mess in the fourth quarter of games, shooting 29 percent overall and 21 percent from three-point range. The Bulls have no go-to guy.

‘‘I’m still developing two young guys,’’ Boylen said. ‘‘Zach missed a year and a half [with a torn anterior cruciate ligament]. Lauri was hurt last year; he’s basically played two years. I’m going to keep trying to develop them to come in and win games. I believe in both of them. I believe they are important to what we’re doing.’’

But what exactly are the Bulls doing? They are force-feeding an offensive philosophy of shooting three-pointers despite having few, if any, consistently solid shooters. They are ninth in the league in three-point attempts (35.4 per game) but 26th in three-point percentage (.327).

Now here’s what’s going to happen: The Bulls will go on a hot streak in February or March. Whether it’s the schedule or because they’re facing teams that are injured, they will put together a solid stretch. And they will feed it to fans as ‘‘the turnaround.’’

What it will be, however, is more false hope being sold during a meaningless month on the schedule. Victories come easier when there’s no pressure, but the Bulls will push it as promise.

So what’s the solution? This franchise needs a change. Whether that means a shakeup in what has been an untouchable front office or a major trade, something has to be done. Staying the course with what has been on display the last three seasons is embarrassing.

Then again, it’s apparent this is an organization that doesn’t embarrass easily.