Forman simply declining to show their franchise faces on national television.

If Butler were the superstar he began believing he was this season, maybe one of the high lottery teams would trade their pick for him, his huge contract and his new persona.

As things stand now, Butler will be back here unless trade winds surprisingly blow in their direction.

As for the lottery, it wasn’t a preposterous to think the Bulls could move up. In 2008 they had a 1.7 percent chance to go from ninth to first and — bingo! — they hit the jackpot.

The next thing anyone knew, the Bulls drafted Derrick Rose, he became the youngest league MVP ever and life was good.

But the next thing anyone knew after that, fate scrambled Rose’s knees and head and the Bulls landed back in the lottery.

This time the Bulls had a 0.5 percent chance at No. 1, believe it or not the same chance the Cubs have of winning a World Series in my lifetime.

Meanwhile, the Bulls had a 1.8 percent chance to climb into the top three overall, the same chance the Bears have of acquiring a true franchise quarterback in my lifetime.

But it’s spring and baseball isn’t the only sport in which hope springs eternal.

As evidenced by Mr. Lustig and Ms. Ginther, no law prohibits a person or team from winning multiple lotteries.

But the Bulls didn’t.

The Bulls mistake was not monopolizing lottery picks by concocting a Ponzi scheme in which they traded Butler to every team positioned ahead of them.

The Bulls stayed at No. 14 in what many consider a two-player draft — LSU’s Ben Simmons and Duke’s Brandon Ingram.

The thought flashed through my mind that maybe one of the two teams at the top — the 76ers and Lakers as it turned out — would want a two-time, two-way, too-confounding player like Butler in exchange for its pick.

I ran that idea past a longtime NBA observer who scoffed and mentioned that the league noticed Jimmy Butler’s limitations as a player and leader.

Tuesday night the Bulls learned his limitations as a lucky charm.

mimrem@dailyherald.com