This past year Joakim Noah became a defensive and rebounding machine.  Another perfect reason why the Bulls should get Bosh.  Bosh and Noah are almost the complete opposite.

Bosh is an absolute go to man offensively.  He has a fully developed low post game and can step out and hit a 15 foot jumper.  Bosh plays decent defense, but could get better in a system set up by Tom Thibodeau.

Noah is an a defensive hustler.  He doesn’t stop on a play and knows what he is doing.  When he was healthy this season,  he was easily grabbing 13 boards a game.  Noah can’t step out and hit the 15 jumper but he is a monster on the offensive boards for put backs and easy baskets.

These two are a perfect front court duo.  For the first time since I’ve been a Bulls fan (1990), the Bulls would have size down low with scoring skills.  Elton Brand might count, but he was never on Bosh’s level.

Bosh has become one of the best big men in the NBA while playing for the awful Toronto Raptors, who have had no one on their roster to help him.  They tried with Hedu Turkoglu, but he did not play well at all this season.  Bosh has averaged 20 ppg for his career, but this year finished with a career high 24 ppg.  He set another career high this season by grabbing 11 rebounds a game, his career average is 9.  Other career averages include one block, 80% from the free throw line and 50% from the field.

Bosh has been named to the All-Star team five times in his seven year career. Only seven years?  Yeah,  he is only 26 years old and has plenty of basketball left in his young career.  Like I said with David Lee, the Bulls want to sign a talented young player who will sign for a six to seven year deal.  After getting nowhere in Toronto and seeing the assets the Bulls possess, why wouldn’t he want to come to Chicago?

There would still be a little money left over to pick up a three point shooter.  Not much money, but enough to get a player who will step in a game and knock down a clutch basket.

These are the two areas the Bulls must improve on.  Bosh is the answer.  We need him just as much as he needs to play for a good team in a good market to get some exposure.  Let’s face it,  he doesn’t get much in Toronto.

I say, get Lebron James, Dwyane Wade or anybody else who has been in this countdown only if Bosh refuses to come to Chicago. Bosh all ready listed the Bulls as one of the five places he wants to play for, so there is no way he would refuse, another team would just have to make a better offer.

We need a big man who is a top scoring option, can play defense and is a complimentary player to Noah.  This is why, Bosh is the best option for the Bulls to climb out of the rut they have been in for the last four years and gain eastern conference elite status.

The ninth selection in the Bulls top 10 summer free agent options is a go to low post offensive player but can’t play defense at all.

The offensive sunny spot but defensive black hole is none other than the Phoenix Sun’s Amare Stoudemire.

Inside the paint, he is explosive, whether it’s throwing it down or hitting a low post jumper.  In his eight seasons, he averages 21 ppg while shooting 58% from the field.

At 6-10 and 250 pounds, he would be an inside scoring option the Bulls have not had in some time.  I would venture to say the early 2000′s with Elton Brand when he was a rookie and a second year player.  Stoudemire is more athletic and explosive.

He has been to the playoffs five times, so he has more post season experience than all of the Bulls except Brad Miller and Lindsay Hunter. Amare could add veteran leadership as a needed guy instead of off the bench or in street clothes like Miller and Hunter.

Many will say Steve Nash is because of this, but I don’t think Nash gets there without the inside presence of Amare. Stoudemire shows up in the playoffs as well, averaging 24 ppg.

The main problem with Stoudemire coming to Chicago is definitely his defense.  He is a the dark whole in the Sun’s low post defensive core.  Opponents know to go at him because he is going to foul, the Sun’s will have to double (leaving a shooter open) or another low post scorer could simply take him to the hoop.

On the boards, he plays little for his size.  At 6-10, he should be able to get more than 9 rebounds a game, although he is 15th in the league this year with 732.  He doesn’t get a lot of blocks for his height, with 83, he is 30th in the league.

The Chicago Bull’s upside to Stoudemire’s defensive problem is that they have a great defensive low post player in Joakim Noah and a solid one in the making with Taj Gibson. Noah, when he was healthy, was leading the league in rebounds for a little while,but held on to second place, behind Howard, for most of the season.

Wouldn’t one great scorer and one great defender be great for the Bull’s roster?

Right now, they don’t have anybody to be a solid inside option.  The Bull’s offense is a one trick pony, guard play.  If a shot is missed, Noah will get a board.

Stoudemire would allow the Bulls to spread the floor.  He would draw double teams meaning there would be an open shooter.  I don’t think the Bulls know what an uncontested shot is at this point.

On defense,  the Bulls would definitely have to work on helping.  The guys would have to rotate in efforts to strip the ball or cause a turnover.

Of course,  this would only work if the Bulls pick up a shooter or two.

IS AMARE’S OFFENSE NEEDED OR IS HIS DEFENSE TOO MUCH OF A RISK?

I agree the Bulls fell apart in the second half of the season.  Trades, injuries and a head coach who should have never got the job justify their losing ways. Joakim  Noah was hurt for almost two months, Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng have all missed games.  John Salmons, one of the Bulls top scorers, was traded; same as a key defensive player in Tyrus Thomas.  Enough said,  I get Redmond’s point.

But to blame the NBA and the playoff structure for the Bulls having a chance to get in is crazy.  Eight teams on each conference is perfect.  Some of the most memorable series have been 1 against 8.  Remember the Utah Jazz against the Sacramento Kings, the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks and more recently, the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors.

The playoff structure works well.  There is no need for tampering.  The games are exciting to watch.  Even if they are blowouts, we get to see the real dominant teams.  No one thought the Orlando Magic were going to make it to the finals last year until they dismantled Philadelphia in the first round and successfully challenged the reigning champions, the Boston Celtics.

I think those series are needed.  One, it prepares the young guys for the harder seven game series they will face later in the playoffs.  The earlier series help gain confidence and exposure to the bigger stage.  This isn’t the regular season anymore, nerves grow.

Plus, why blame the Bulls, or the NBA for that matter, when it is the team’s owner and the general manager who build the roster and the basketball program.  When the Bulls have a horrible team,  I blame Jerry Reinsdorf for spending his money on bad players and John Paxson for making the decision.  Each team can be held accountable for their own actions.

The Bulls shouldn’t get blamed because the Pacers, 76ers, Knicks, Pistons, Wizards and the awful Nets can’t win games.  Shouldn’t it be the 76ers for making the trade for Elton Brand who has been a huge bust.  Washington went through a fire sale. The Pacers have done nothing to help Danny Granger.  Joe Dumars traded their glue player, Chauncey Billups, for the don’t know what is going on Allen Iverson.  The Knicks put Isiah Thomas in charge,  we all know what happened with the situation in New York and the Nets,  no one knows where to start with their problems.

Each team has the same salary cap.  Each team has the opportunity to draft players out of college.  The bad teams have a better chance of landing a better player.  It isn’t the NBA’s fault when a team drafts a bust.

The number eight seed isn’t going to be playing for the NBA Championship anyway but they should be given some props for beating out the other eight teams.  If the eight only wins one game in the first series, oh well, they got things to work on for the future.

None of this is the Bull’s fault.  Does it suck for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Houston Rockets, who have better records than the Bulls but won’t make the playoffs in the Western Conference?  Of course it does.  They could have won more games.  They knew the strength of other teams in the west and didn’t exceed it.

If the Bulls get in, it is because they won more games then the teams below them.  Sure, they didn’t have a great year, but they did what they needed to do to survive.  Sometimes the cookie crumbles in your mouth and sometimes all over your favorite shirt.  This is how the world works, sports included.

I give the Sun’s general manager and former Bull Steve Kerr, a lot of credit.  Deng would probably be a good fit for the Suns, but it would be a horrible deal for the Bulls.  I said yesterday,  getting Stoudemire would not be a good idea, especially if it involves Deng.

Deng puts up 18 points a game all over the  court.   He can spot up for the three, drive in the lane and create his own shot.  The Bulls need to keep him.  Plus,  he is a solid defender and can play as a shooting guard or power forward when need be.

Trade Thomas if you wish.  I hate to see Hinrich go, but his 17 million over the next two years is reason enough to trade him.  Salmons is streaky and not a good defender, so trade him if you wish.  Do not trade Deng.

Deng would become like Ron Artest, Elton Brand and a younger Brad Miller.  We had them when they were young, traded them away and they became studs.  Deng has already developed into a decent player,  do not give away his youth for Stoudemire’s often injured body.

Anyway, those were Chicago’s staples of success in the 90′s. Most Chicago Bulls fans were acquired in the Jordan era and some have jumped off the band wagon since he left. The team still goes on and new players and goals come into place. The 2000′s had a few real bad years and some promising ones; some decent play makers and some horrible ones.

With that said, lets take a look to see what the Chicago Bulls have done for the past decade with a summary of each year including, all-stars, draft picks, big news, coaching changes and final results.

2000-2001

The decade began with the Bulls trying to landa free agent star to build a team around. Tim Duncan, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady and Eddie Jones were the players teams were looking at with high interest. None of them came to Chicago.

On the Bulls website, Reinsdorf is quoted to say it wasn’t Chicago but the other places were more compatible with what they wanted in their career.

The free agents they did get, Brad Miller and Ron Mercer, were viewed as role players. They helped the cause but they didn’t feel a team could be built around them.

Either way, the Bulls didn’t get the free agents they hoped for and relied on the draft to help the roster. They had two solid sophomores returning in 99-00, including,  co-rookie of the year Elton Brand (shared it with Steve Francis) and Ron Artest.

The Bulls had the youngest average age in NBA history with 22.9. The most experienced player on the team was 5 year veteran Fred Hoiberg who did little to nothing. Between the draft and d day trades they received 8 players.

With the fourth pick of a weak draft, the Chicago Bulls drafted Marcus Fizer. His rookie year he average 9.5 points and 4 rebounds. The 24th pick of the draft, Dalibor Bagaric, never got off the garbage time squad. In a draft day trade, the Bulls acquired Jamal Crawford from the Cleveland Cavaliers for Chris Mihm. Crawford shared minutes with Hoiberg and and second year guard Bryce Drew while Fizer sat on the bench waiting for Brand to give him minutes.

The young inexperienced Bulls fell to a depressing 15-67 record, the worst in Chicago Bulls history. They broke a string of bad team records. The two that sticks out the most would have to be a 25 game road losing streak and the home sell out streak stopped at 610.

Brand led the team with 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. The few bright spots were; Marcus Fizer named to the 2nd All Rookie team. Brand (as a sophomore) and one of the many rookies Khalid El-Amin played in the rookie game at All Star Weekend.

2001-2002

The past season had looked like a rebuilding project only thought to add a few more wins than 15 and advance the skills of Brand, Artest andMiller. This did not happen as all three of them were dealt away. The switch was turned from rebuild with youthto new direction with veterans as the season dragged on.

First the Bulls used their fourth pick in the draft to select center Eddy Curry straight out of high school. Then in what most fans called a shock or disappointment, the Bulls traded Elton Brand, (the nucleus of last years team) to the L.A. Clippers for another high school center Tyson Chandler. In the second round of the draft the Bulls took Trenton Hassel.

The Bulls struggled again with their young athletic squad, finishing the season with a 21-61 record. With these bad performances piling up, Head Coach Tim Floyd resigned on Christmas Eve with a 49-109 overall record in four seasons. Bill Berry filled in for four days until former starting center for the Bulls, Bill Cartwright took over.

In February, the Bulls took a makeover route to acquire experience. In a massive 7 player trade, the Bulls sent Miller, Artest, Ron Mercer and Kevin Ollie to Central Division rival Indiana Pacers for Jalen Rose, Travis Best and Norman Richardson.

After the trade, Rose was pronounced a team captain and leader in attempts to build a structure of the young players on the Bulls. Rose, in a interview on the Bulls team website, said he was happy with the trade and ready for the challenge.

“I’m excited about it,” Rose said. “I embrace the opportunity. Every kid dreams about standing in this position talking about having an opportunity to take a team to a championship level.”

The transition seemed to work out as the Bulls had their first 3-game winning streak in two years.

Bill Cartwright was extended as head coach for 3 years and Fizer played in the All-star rookie game as a sophomore. Also, Hassel was named as rookie of the month. Rose led the team with 24 points and 5 assists a game. Miller grabbed the most boards with 8.4 a game.

2002-2003

There was massive amounts of hope for the 7 player trade to bring the Bulls to a respectable position in the league and maybe even a winning season.

With the 2nd overall pick in the draft, the Bulls picked up Duke point guard Jay Williams who was known for his offensive awareness and a high octane scoring punch. The Bulls also added Roger Mason Jr. and Lonnie Baxter in the draft. Chicago’s free agency adventures landed them 9 year veteran Donyell Marshall.

With Williams and Rose in the back court, the Bulls had a one-two combo who could match athletic ability and skill with any other duo in the league. Picking up Marshall brought a 3-point shooter with a solid NBA body who could play the 3 or 4.

The lottery draft picks, trades and free agent contract signers did not help. The Bulls continued their losing ways. They started the season 2-0 for the first time since 96-97. After the 2 wins, the Bulls crumbled, winning one more game in the next 39. They did get it together throughout the end of the season but it was too late as they finished with a 30-52 record.

Having 4 losing seasons and becoming an old man (64), Jerry Krause retires as executive. He was responsible for building the championship Bulls during their two 3-peats in the 90′s and was named NBA executive of the year twice.

Team owner, Reinsdorf, had worked with Krause for many years and said he was sad to see him go in an interview on the Bulls website.

“Jerry Krauseis one of a kind,” Reinsdorfstated. “He brought with him a vision of how to build a champion and he proceeded to create one of the most dominant champions of all time. No basketball fan in America can begin to imagine the World Champion Chicago Bulls without his imprint.”

Former Bulls point guard John Paxson was named as Executive Vice President to succeed Krause a week later. He helped the Bulls win their first 3-peat, then retired as a player in 1994. Paxson was then hired as an assistant coach andhelped the team to a NBA record 72-10 season. After coaching along side Phil Jackson, he resigned to pursue a career in radio broadcast for the Bulls. Paxson has been involved with the Bulls since 1985 as a player, coach and now a suite.

In an interview with Bulls.com, Paxson proclaimed what Chicago has meant to him and how happy he is to manage the team.

“I am really excited to accept this challenge andlook forward to working with the basketball operations staff,” said Paxson. “The Bulls organization has meant a lot to me over the years and getting the chance to help lead the team back to the upper echelon of the NBA is a true honor.”

As a rookie, Williams recorded a triple-double with 26 points, 13 assists and 14 rebounds. This feat helped secure him as a very valuable player for the Bulls. Williams averaged 10 points and 5 assists through out the season. Rose once again led the team with 22 points and 5 assists a game. Marshall made his big body useful grabbing 9 rebounds a game.

In December, Williams was named rookie of the month and was on the All Rookie 2nd team at the end of the season . He also played in the rookie game at All Star Weekend with Tyson Chandler.

2003-2004

The 2003-2004 season was much like the year before. Trades and draft picks built a roster with young athletes and experienced veterans. There was excitement that hadn’t been around the Bulls since they won championships. Unfortunately, the rest of the season shaped up the same as well. Promising players were no longer in the red uniforms and the men who tried to teach them the game were no longer standing on the sideline.

Kirk Hinrich, from Kansas, was added to the roster with the 7th pick. Hinrich, a decent defender and offensive set up man was collected after Williams was listed as out for the season after a summer motorcycle accident. Also, Hinrich would take some ball handling duties from Rose to lighten his load.

Then in a free agent move bringing the fans murmur of enthusiasm to a roar; Scottie Pippen was once again a Chicago Bull. Pippen played for the Bulls for 11 years and was a key piece to the six championships. He was also named as one of the 5o Greatest NBA Players and was a 7-time All-Star. Nearing the end of his career.

Pippen, in an interview on the Bulls website, said came back to his original stomping ground to help the team turn around their losing ways and grow a proper mental aspect for the game.

“I think I know how to win games in the NBA. It may sound simple, but both winning and losing can become a mindset, and I won’t accept losing—ever. Whether it’s on the floor, in the huddle, at practice or just demonstrating a winning leadership, I plan on helping this team win,” said Pippen.

The pick-ups didn’t seem to change anything on the scoreboard. The Bulls started to a 4-10 season. The record helped shove another coach out the door as Cartwright was pulled off the sidelines. His replacement would be ex-NBA player Scott Skiles.

Skiles was a point guard for 5 different teams between 1986-to-1996. Skiles currently holds the NBA record for most assists in a game when he dished out 30 during a game in 1990. The same year he was named the most improved player of the year. After his playing career had ended he was an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns before he took a two year break from the league. The head coaching job for the Chicago Bulls was a challenge pursuing enough to get him back on the sideline.

Now it was time for the big trade. The Bulls sent Jalen Rose, Donyell Marshal and Lonnie Baxter to the Toronto Raptors for Antonio Davis, Chris Jefferies and Jerome Williams.

The Bulls struggled to a 23-59 record. But as last year hoped for the positives to accumulate to next year. The few things that did look like a contender was being formed is when Jamal Crawford dropped 50 points in a game and Hinrich turned out to be an assist machine. His 7 assists a game ranked him number 7 in the league and helped him become the only rookie to post a triple-double. He was named to the All Rookie First Team and played in the rookie All-Star game.

Crawford led the team with 17 points a game and added 5 assist. The new Bull, Davis, and Tyson Chandler both grabbed 8 rebounds a game.

2004-2005

The end of the 2005 season was the best in 6 years as they finally made it to the play-offs. Skiles defensive focus turned out to be a change the underachieving Bulls had needed.

Paxton helped out Skiles on the other side of the ball by drafting UCON’s net scorcher Ben Gordon with the third pick. Then acquired Duke’s one and done Luol Deng in a previous arranged trade. In the second round, the Bulls selected another Duke player in point-guard Chris Duhon.

Then Paxson signed and traded last years leading scorer, Jamal Crawford. Paston saved money and got some experienced big men out of the deal. Crawford and Jerome Williams were dealt to the New York Knicks for Dikembe Mutombo, Othella Harrington and to make sure there was still a Williams on the team, Frank Williams.

Shortly after the trade, honored veteran and one of Chicago’s most loved athletes, Scottie Pippen chose to retire after 17 years in the NBA.

The Bulls also picked up Argentina’s Andres Nocioni. A foreign prospect who had played for 4 oversea teams but never a squad in the NBA.

0-9 was the Bulls starting record that sent those chilling memories of past wasted seasons but Skiles and the Bulls proved they were not the under showing team they had once been. In January they went a league best 13-3 and by the All-Star break in February they were at a .500 record.

The defense was the main component for these victories. The team held 26 consecutive opponents under 100 points to set a positive franchise record. All the records set previously in the decade were all negatively showing bad performances.

Deng and Gordon were named to the All Rookie first team. Gordan was the first rookie to ever be named NBA Sixth man of the year and rookie of the month for three consecutive months. The two star rookies were joined by Kirk Hinrich in the All-Star Rookie Game.

The team had finally made a team with the intangibles, mindset and athletic ability Paxson had been trying to do. Skiles coaching regime added the extra pieces to get them to the play-offs. He was named Eastern Conference Coach of the month in January.

The team was 2nd in the league in average attendance and posted 11 consecutive United Center sellouts to close out their productive year. Although they did get eliminated in the first round by the Washington Wizards, the Bulls showed a promising future.

The Bulls had a inside-outside balanced offense as Hinrich and Eddy Curry both averaged 16 points a game. Hinrich also led the team with 6 assists and 2 steals a game and for the 2nd year in a row Chandler and Davis dominated the Bulls rebounding stats.

2005-2006

In this season, the Bulls showed the previous year was not a fluke. They made it back to the play-offs on the efforts of their young talented team gaining a few years of experience. Gordon, Hinrich, Deng, Nocioni  and Chandler developed into a team with all the individual pieces knowing what part of the game they needed to perfect for the Bulls to win.

In previous years, they had bad records so they knew they didn’t have the right piece to the championship puzzle. With the reach of the same success level and all signs looking towards better in the future, the Bulls decided to keep expiring contracts.

Scott Skiles was offered an extension and re-signed. Chandler andHarrington resigned. Curry was signed to a new contract but then traded with Antonio Davis to the New York Knicks for Michael Sweetney, Tim Thomas and Jermaine Jackson, a first round pick and 2 second round selections.

Curry was becoming slow and not developing further from last season and Davis was nearing the end of his career. The trade gave them a front court youth in Sweetney, a scoring veteran in Thomas and 4 additional pieces.

Gordon continued to became an offensive presence and moved to the top of the Bulls go to guy list. He made 9 three pointers in two games. The first game he set the franchise record with how many 3′s made. The second game he posted a perfect 9-of-9 from downtown matching an NBA record for 3 pointers made without a miss.

Deng, Gordon and Nocioni all played in the Rookie All-Star game. Coach Skiles was named Eastern Conference of the Monthfor the second year as he helped his team earn 2nd highest attendance record in the NBA and selling out 20 regular season games

In the first roundof the play-offs they met a Miami Heat team with superstars Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. The Bulls lost the series 4-2 but showed valiant effort. The Heat went on to win the championship.

Gordon led the team with 17 points while Hinrich average 16 points per game. Hinrichled the team for the second consecutive year with 6 assists and Chandler had the most rebounds for the third consecutive season with 9.

2006-2007

The Bulls wanted to build on the success from the last 2 years. Some of the players who had helped them reach the playoffs wanted large contracts. Instead of losing money by paying these players or losing the player with no equal or better value in return, the Bulls made trades. They signed a few cagey veterans and in the draft they went for an athletic defensive players.

The Bulls originally had drafted LaMarcus Aldridge from Texas but traded him to Portland Trailblazers for their fourthround pick of LSU’s Tyrus Thomas. In the trade they had also picked up Rodney Carney but traded him on draft day for Thabo Sefolosha, a native of Switzerland.

Then came the renovation. Ben Wallace was signed in free agency to be an inside defensive presence and Adrian Griffin to be the same on the perimeter. Othella Harrington was cut. Chandler was traded to the New Orleans Hornets for ring searching veteran P.J. Brown and J.R Smith. Smith was then traded to the Denver Nuggets for Howard Eisley and 2 second round draft picks. Deng and Gordon’s option was picked up and Hinrich’s contract was extended to a multi-year deal.

The first game of the regular season was a sign of how good of a team they have become when they defeated the defending NBA champion Miami Heat 108-66. The same Heat team who eliminated them in the first round a year ago. The 42 point deficit was the largest a defending championship team had given up on opening night in league history.

They went on to the playoffs for the third consecutive season after finishing with 49 victories, the most since the Bulls 1998 championship season. In a payback series, the Bulls swept the defending champion Miami Heat 4-0 and advanced to the semifinals where they met the Detroit Pistons. Detroit took out the bulls in a 4-2 series. During the season, the Bulls sold out all 41 home games and their 5 hosted playoff contests.

Thomas took part in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest and Gordon participated with other Chicagoan athletes in the Shooting Star Competition. Hinrich and Wallace were named to the NBA All Defense 2nd team and Thomas on the All Rookie 2ndteam. Deng was honored with the Sportsmanship of the Year Award for his donations and community service efforts off of the court.

Gordon (21 points per game), Deng (19) and Hinrich (16) all added their input offensively. Hinrichput up the most assists with 6 for the third consecutive year. Wallace did exactly what Paxson and Skiles wanted him to do.  He led the team in defense and hustle averaging 10.5 rebounds and 2 blocks a game.

2007-2008

A trip to the semi-finals made getting to the playoffs a necessity for the Bulls.  Everyone connected to the organization and the city of Chicago were now back to being Bulls fans.  When they won games, it was the OK, they can survive in the post-Jordan era.  When they lost, it was,  they will never win without Jordan. 

Head Coach Scott Skiles probably heard this continuously during his run on the Bulls side line.  Unfortunately for Skiles,  the pressure of bringing the Bulls to prominence caught up to him as he was let go after 4 years.  

Skiles was fired on Christmas Eve, and Jim Boylan was hired within days as the interim head coach. 

The Bulls finished 33-49 and did not make it to the playoffs after making it the previous 3 seasons.

Of course, the Bulls made roster changes in the off-season. University of Flordia’s JoakimNoah was drafted with a high lottery pick and Pittsburgh’s Aaron Gray was chosen in the second round.

Joe Smith was signed in free agency andthen traded with Ben Wallace and a 2009 second roundpick to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Shannon Brown and Cedric Simmons.  Adrian Griffin was also traded to the Seattle Super Sonics.

The Bulls looked forward to reach to their previous plateau of the semi-finals and hopefully move past it.  Helping out the Bulls would be a number one draft pick and the hiring of a new commander.

2008-2009

Paxson chose point guard Derrick Rose from the  University of Memphis with the number one overall pick.  Rose a native of Chicago came back home to play ball.

Vinny Del Negro was hired as the 17th head coach of the Chicago Bulls.  Del Negro played in the NBA from 1988 to 2001.  After his final season he covered the Phoenix Suns on the radio. 

Rose came ready to play as he lived up to expectations.  He led the team with 6 assists a game and was the third leading scorer, behind Ben Gordon and John Salmons.  He was named the Rookie of the Year and was placed on the All Rookie Team.

Brad Miller returned to the Bulls half way through the season in a trade with Sacramento Kings.  John Salmons joined Miller as new Bulls, while Drew Gooden, Andres Nocioni and Cedrick Simmons went to the Kings.

The Bulls went 41-41 and earned a 7th seed in the playoffs.  The defending champion Boston Celtics were their match up.  Their All Star, Kevin Garnett, was banged up so the Bulls were able to bang inside more than normal but it wasn’t enough.

Ben Gordon showed how he led the Bulls in scoring for 4 consecutive years against the Celtics. Gordon and Boston’s Ray Allen traded three point baskets the entire 7 game series.  It seemed like every game ended after an overtime or two.  The series has been labeled epic and one of the best in the history of the NBA.

Ending the season with a huge playoff series gave Chicago another dose of high expectations going into the 2009-2010 season.

2009-2010

At the current time,  the Bulls are not living up to the standards they have set for themselves the last few years.  Instead of playing 500 ball. they are sitting in the bottom tier of the NBA ranks with a 11-17 record.

In the off-season they drafted small forward James Johnson from Wake Forest and Taj Gibson from USC.

Bull’s lost their biggest offensive threat when Ben Gordon signed with the Detroit Pistons in free agency.  There was a dispute on whether the Bulls even offered him a contract. 

The team seems to be in turmoil with allegations of Del Negro losing his job because of his team not playing for him.

The season is young and the usual Christmas Eve firing has not happened.  Hopefully for the ultimate fan, the team can turn their season around and make it back to the playoffs.  The Bulls do show promise during some games but lack drive in others.  If the first option becomes consistent, there is talent to make a deep run.

The Chicago Bulls are just two days away from the 2008 draft. As you all know they have the number one pick, lets hope this pick ends up on this list as well, whether Rose or Beasley.

And now its your turn. Do you agree with me? Did I miss someone? Let everyone else know what you think about my list, and what your list would look like here.

1. Full House: The Bulls will have a plethora of gaurds and will want to move someone. After getting Larry Hughes in a trade with Cleveland in February, sharing minutes between Krik Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Hughes, and Tabo Sefolosha didn’t work well for either player. Sefolosha’s potential will make him an unlikely trade option, and Gordon’s jumper being the best of the team will make it hard to part ways with him. Hinrich and Hughes are left with huge contracts, which could make them are to deal though. Hinrich is owed $36.5 million over four years and Hughes is due $26.5 million over two years. Chris Duhon is an unrestricted free-agent and is unlikely to return.
2. Blockbuster Moves: Starting off really big would be to pursue Carmelo Anthony if the Denver Nuggets do look to move him. Anthony’s agent, Calvin Andrews, says the Nuggets aren’t shopping him, but after barely making the play-offs with the leagues third-highest payroll, and a 4-20 playoff record since 2003, the Nuggets are in need some sort of make over. Possibly acquiring Hinrich and Luol Deng can help the Nuggets become a little more defensive minded. If not that, theres the possibilty of the Elton Brand trade, but this time the Daily Herald had a little different opinion. With the Bulls sending Hinrich and Drew Gooden, instead of Hinrich and Andres Nocioni. Another forward who may be available is Charlotte Bobcats Emeka Okafor who is a restricted free agent. Although the Bobcats do not have much room for more guards. Inevititably, Hinrich could be traded for former college roommate Nick Collison and project center Johan Petro.

These are just some thoughts and rumors that could occur. What the Bulls inevitably end up doing could be decided by the other 29 teams. Read the full article at DailyHerald.com here.

Related Reading:

• Scenarios if the Bulls draft Michael Beasley

1. The Chicago Bulls keep the number one pick, and draft Michael Beasley.
2. This possibility we already discussed in an earlier article. The Bulls would draft Rose and trade Andres Nocioni and Kirk Hinrich for Elton Brand.
3. The Bulls trade pick to the Clippers for Elton Brand and the number 7 pick. With the number seven pick the Bulls then draft D.J. Augustin from Texas.
4. The fourth is a little out there, but the Bulls would trade the number one pick and maybe some players to Miami for Dwayne Wade. This would allow the Heat to draft Beasley and Rose with the number 1 and 2 picks.

These are for speculations on what the Bulls may do this off-season. They have a lot of options with the number one pick, and have a lot of control. Whether the Bulls keep the pick or trade it, they should definitely return the form of two years ago when they won 50 games.

After the Chicago Bulls won the NBA Draft lottery on Tuesday, the early favorites for their number selection is Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley. On Wednesday, general manager John Paxson confirmed this belief saying that the Bulls would only scout these two players.

If the Bulls were to select Derrick Rose with the number one overall pick, he would join a long list of Bulls point gaurds. Chicago already has Kirk Hinrich, Chris Duhon, James OnCurry, and Ben Gordon, although he plays mostly at the shooting guard position. If the Bulls are to retain and not trade the pick, one of these players will most likely be traded or cut. Hinrich or Duhon would be the likely players to be traded because the addition of Rose would give the Bulls three premier point gaurds. And early trade rumors have Hinrich being the one shipped out of town.

This trade would send Hinrich and Andres Nocioni to the Los Angeles Clippers for former Chicago Bulls number one overall pick and power forward Elton Brand.

Elton Brand, who was the number one overall selection by the Bulls in 1999, was traded to the L.A. Clippers for Tyson Chandler. Brand recently turned 29 in March, played in only 8 games for the Clippers in 2007-08 as he was hobbled by injury. In these 8 games, Brand aveged 17 points per game and 8 rebounds per game, down from his career averages of 20 ppg and 10 rpg. At 29 though, Brand still is young and could provide the Bulls with a veteran presence in the post.