BULLS

During the 1984 NBA draft, the Portland Trail Blazers had a tough decision on their hands. They held the rights to the #2 pick and Hakeem Olajuwon had just been drafted first overall. They needed a big man but Michael Jordan was also available after a successful season at UNC. The Blazers took their time and eventually decided on center Sam Bowie. The Chicago Bulls took Jordan with the third pick and the rest is history. The Bulls had only won one division championship before Jordan (1975) but their fortunes changed soon after. Jordan put up amazing individual stats in the late 1980s but the team didn’t advance to the NBA Finals until 1991. The Bulls won championships from 1991-1993 and 1996-1998 with a two year hiatus in between that many will contribute to Jordan’s “retirement” to pursue a baseball career that never materialized. After the last championship, the team was essentially disbanded by ownership and the last six years have resulted in zero playoff appearances and five last place finishes in the division. The Bulls are full of youth and potential and are coming off another successful draft in the hopes of rebuilding for the future and making a playoff run in the depleted Eastern Conference.

The Bulls will play in the newly realigned Central division with Indiana, Detroit, Cleveland, and Milwaukee in what can be considered the toughest of the three eastern divisions. Detroit is coming off a championship season where they might have gotten even better and Indiana is always a favorite in the conference. Cleveland has LeBron James and a batch of youngsters who could compete for a playoff spot again this season and Milwaukee is the best potential playoff three seed no one knows about. The Bulls finished last season at 23-59 to end another disappointing season under Bill Cartwright and Scott Skiles. Skiles took over before the all-star break and showed that he’s capable of leading a team from the bench much like he did as a guard in the league for many years. Jamal Crawford led the team in points, steals, and minutes played last year but he was traded to the New York Knicks in the off-season. That deal was the only one that the team made to prepare for this season after what would have to be considered a successful draft.

The Bulls finished with one of the worst records in the league last season which entitled them to one of the first draft picks in the 2004 NBA draft. During the lottery, the world watched as the Bulls ended up with the third overall pick. The consensus among many scouts and coaches before the draft was that the top two players chosen would be high schooler Dwight Howard and UConn big man Emeka Okefor, but no one knew which would go where. After some massive pre-draft trading, the Bulls acquired the #7 pick from Phoenix and Charlotte moved from #4 to #2 behind Orlando. The Magic took Dwight Howard and left the expansion Bobcats with Emeka Okefor who they were pleased to take. The Bulls, in their familiar spot at #3, took UConn guard Ben Gordon who excelled in the final four en route to a national title alongside Okefor. At #7, the Suns were delighted to see Duke swingman Luol Deng slide all the way to them and the Bulls acquired him in a deal that had already been determined prior to the draft. Deng is strong enough to handle himself down low as a power forward and quick enough to step back and hit the deep shot or blow by his man on the perimeter. The Bulls followed that up by drafting Duke point guard Chris Duhon in the second round. Duhon will likely be a backup in the league but he can will a team to a victory and he’s a proven winner, something the Bulls needed desperately. Duhon will backup Kirk Hinrich at the point who will likely team up with Gordon and Deng at the two and three. Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry are the probable PF and C for the team this year for a team that could be one of the youngest and most explosive groups in the league.

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