I asked the question to you,  who would be a better for the Bulls, Kerr or Paxson.  Kerr dominated Paxson, getting 36 of the 52 votes.  I wonder if Kerr would beat Gar Forman, like he did Paxson. 

Steve Kerr was a back up point guard for the Bulls in the mid-to late 90′s and helped win a few championships with his sniper three point shooting.  Paxson did the same thing in the early 90′s. 

He did make some questionable trades like Shawn Marion to the Miami Heat for Shaquille O’Neal, but he made up for it by getting a second round draf pick, Sasha Pavlovic who is a solid back up player, $500,000 and a soon to retire Ben Wallace when he traded O’Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

This season, he made room in the team’s payroll to sign one of the big name free agents this summer. Paxson traded away a bad character guy in Tyrus Thomas to the Charlotte Bobcats  for two expiring contracts and a future first round pick.  He then traded John Salmons and a couple of second round picks for two expiring contracts.

Steve Kerr at a press conference

What if, he only did this for a year and decided he wanted an office job in the NBA once again?  Honestly,  he won’t jump back into it in the 2010-2011 season, because most guys like a break, but maybe he would want to come back the following year.  This  happens all the time in every sport.

Chicago could be a destination for him to go to.  Lets think about it.  John Paxson has been stuck in a rut for the last few years.  The Bulls finish the regular season right around .500, or, for the last two seasons, exactly at the average level with 41-41 records.

He has been the GM since 2003 and has only been past the first round once.  The only way he has got players who fans or management want to stay on the team is via draft.  He can’t make a deal to bring in players who will take the team to the next level.  If he fails to bring in Dwyane Wade, Lebron James or Chris Bosh during free agency, he needs to be fired.

There isn’t a single reason why they shouldn’t want to play in Chicago.  Money for their big contracts, Chicago has it.  Solid basketball players to play with,  Chicago has them in Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and possibly Kirk Hinrich.  Plus, who knows what other role players will be coming off of the bench next year.  Hopefully, someone who can shoot the ball. Only Paxson and the front office will.

Plus, the other teams with money to spend are not appealing.  New York has been in a tailspin for the past ten years.   There is nobody to help the big named free agents get an eighth seed, let alone an NBA championship.  Miami, has Wade, but if he leaves, nothing.  The Los Angeles Clippers seem to have some kind of lineup, but they always seem to do and always tank.

The New Jersey Nets are awkwardly enough the second best place to go besides Chicago.  They just hired Avery Johnson, great move, and have two solid players in Devin Harris and Brook Lopez. After them,  anyone can tell why they were the worst team in the league this past season.

Steve Kerr’s resume in Phoenix is impressive.  The Suns were just in the western conference finals, although some people had them being eliminated in the first round by the Portland Trailblazers.  Brandon Roy’s injury might of had something to do with the Sun’s dominance, but they won it sure handily.

Kerr did make a bad trade, sending Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to the Miami Heat for Shaquille O’Neal.  To his defense, their problem the previous year was they didn’t have a big man.  Kerr made an executive decision to make a change, Shaq simply couldn’t play with the run and gun Suns.

He made up for his blemish by trading him away to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ben Wallace, who will retire and be free money, Sasha Pavlovic, who can hit the trey, a draft pick and cash.  He got more than enough value out of the decaying O’Neal.

Kerr would be a good general manager for the Bulls.  I think Paxson deserves a final chance, but if he fails to make this roster look spectacular on paper, then fire him and pursue Steve Kerr.

His statement sparked some interest to see if any players have worked for the team after retirement.  I knew John Paxson, Johnny Red Kerr, Norm Van Lier and a few others had returned to work with the Bulls, but I didn’t know the full lineup.

Norm Van Lier

I contacted the Chicago Bulls office, and exchanged emails with Bull’s public relations man,  Shaun Hickenbottom.  He was able to give me a lengthy list of ex-players who work or have worked within the organization or have been an ambassador for the Bulls in the community.

Jerry Sloan, now head coach of the Utah Jazz, played for the Bulls for ten seasons 1966-1976. His #4 jersey was the first hung in the United Center. He returned to be a scout, assistant coach and eventually head coach for three seasons 1979-1982.

Jerry Sloan

Norm Van Lier played for the  Bulls from 1971 to 1978.  He became a television pre-game and post-game analyst for the Bulls in 1992.  Van Lier held the position until he passed away in 2009.

Johnny Red Kerr played basketball from 1954 to 1966.  He was selected by the Bulls in the NBA expansion draft in 1966 but opted to retire.  He was the Bulls first head coach, reaching the playoffs in the first two years of the team’s existence.  He left, then came back to work in the front office.  He began commentating in 1975 and continued until the 2007-2008 season.  He passed away the same day as Van Lier.

Bob Love played in Chicago for eight seasons, 1968-1976.  His #10 jersey was the second hung in the United Center rafters.  In 1993, he became the director of community relations.

Bob Love

Randy Brown was a member of the Bulls during their second championship three-peat, 1996-1998.  Brown was hired in July of 2009 as the Director of Player Development.

Sidney Green was the Bulls fifth overall pick in the 1983 draft and played in Chicago until 1986.  In September of 2009, Green was hired as Player Development Assistant.

Mike Brown, not the Cleveland Cavaliers ex-coach,  played one season with the Bulls 1987-1988, in his eleven year career.  He has been an assistant coach working with power forwards and centers since 2008.

Pete Myers played for the Bulls in 1986 and then came back to be the starting shooting guard during Jordan’s first retirement during the 93-94 and 94-95 seassons.  He was hired as a scout and was an interim head coach when Bill Cartwright was fired in 2003 and in 2007 when Scott Skiles was let go.  In-between his two short stints as interim coach, he was an assistant.

Bill Cartwright was the Bulls center during their first championship three-peat from 1991-to-1993.  He became an assistant coach for Phil Jackson and was a member of the coaching staff when they won championships in 1997 and 1998.  After Jackson left and Tim Floyd was hired and fired, Cartwright was the head coach for one full year and two partials.

John Paxon played in Chicago from 1985-to-1994.  He was a large contributor for the first three-peat.  He was an assistant coach under Jackson, then went to radio.  In 2003, he became the Vice President of Basketball Operations replacing Jerry Krause when he retired. On May 21st, 2009, he was replaced by Gar Foreman as general manager. Now, he is only titled as the VP of Basketball Operations for the Chicago Bulls.

B.J. Armstrong played for the Bulls from 1989-to-1995, winning three championships.  He returned for one season, 1999-2000, and then retired.  He was then named as an assistant to former-VP of Basketball Operations Krause.  Once Paxson took over, Armstrong became a scout and later became an agent.  He is currently Derrick Rose’s agent.

Bill Wennington was a center with the Bulls during their second three-peat.  He is now a radio color commentator for the Bulls.

Stacey King was also a center who won three championships with the Bulls.  He was a member of the team during the first three-peat.  King is currently a television commentator for the Bulls on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

Lindsey Hunter was waived from the Bull’s roster March 3rd of 2010 after two seasons of service 2008-2010.  He was immediately hired as a Player Development Assistant.

The players who are or have been ambassadors for the Chicago Bulls in the community are:

Scottie Pippen

Artis Gilmore

Tom Boerwinkle

Dickey Simpkins

Dave Corzine

Mickey Johnson

Toni Kukoc

Derrek Dickey

Brad Sellers

Jay Williams

Johnny Back (Assistant Coach)

Wade can’t even add Pippen to his statement because he still represented the Bulls during events and speeches around the Chicago community.  The Bulls have had a large list of players who have come back to the organization in one form or another.  Many of them being members of the championship teams.

Michael Jordan is not on the list.  Okay.  Many superstar players work for another organization if they stay in the business.  Pippen and Armstrong came back to the Bulls at the end of their careers so they could retire as a Bull.

The involvement the ex-players have with the Chicago Bulls shows all sorts-of-signs of loyalty towards their players, especially the ones who helped win championships.

Wade said Jordan and Pippen are no longer in the organization and it is because of the Bulls not being loyal to them.

Bulls General Manager Gar Foreman said people are misinformed about the organization if loyalty is a question during this year’s free agency.

Wade hasn’t took back his comments but has said the free agents are going to have a summit to discuss where everyone is thinking they’re going to go.

It might have been a good idea to do this before he made the comments.

I think Wade is uninformed.  Many Bulls have come back to the organization in some way or another.  John Paxson is the current Executive Vice President of Basketball Operation.

There hasn’t been any sign or statement within the organization or from MJ and Pippen proving Wade’s theory true.

Retired Bull’s General Manager Jerry Krause may have had a play in this disloyal debate.  Phil Jackson and him didn’t get along.  Still, there isn’t any reason to blame an organization for one man, who isn’t even in the company anymore.

Unfortunately, I think this means Wade is not going to come to the Chicago Bulls.

It could be a good sign, because I don’t know if Wade and Rose would have worked well together. They play the same style of game.  The bad part is, will his comments and stand against the Bulls influence other free agents.  Boozer said he would play in Chicago, but what about Chris Bosh, Lebron James or even Ray Allen?

The Bulls have one of the top five point guards in the league, Derrick Rose.  They have a solid power foward they stole with the 26th pick in the 2009 draft, Taj Gibson.  Joakim Noah has developed into a rebounding machine; he’s good for a double-double everytime he steps on the floor.  Luol Deng is a decent strong scoring threat and defensive stopper to opponents long and athletic wings. 

I give Del Negro props for teaching his young squad defense, but other than that, he didn’t get everything he possibly could from his roster.  In critical momemts of a game, fans expect the best players on the team to be on the court, not with Vinny.  Rose and Noah (when he was healthy) were watching on the sideline. 

Tomorrow’s announcement will be marked on my calender as a great day and  until the beggining of next season, I will flip back to May, look and smile, thinking of the postive future the Bulls could have.

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.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, “Big Z”, is officially a free agent.  The Washington Wizards, who picked him up in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers shortly before the deadline, bought out his $11.5 million contract and then released him.

Big Z can not go back to the Cavaliers for 30 days but could be picked up by any team immediately with a prorated share of the veteran’s minimum.  He is still valuable and could help teams make the playoffs or into later rounds.

He is a solid veteran big man.  The Cavaliers were his team before Lebron James dropped in the team’s lap.  Besides having knee problems in his first couple of seasons, his numbers are very consistent. He was only a few rebounds away from averaging a double-double for a season multiple times in his 10 years on the team.  A couple years ago,  he was the only respectable center in the eastern conference.

Plenty of teams around the NBA could use him.  Portland lost Greg Oden and Joel Przybila for the season.  They traded for Marcus Camby and he has already rolled around on the court grimacing in pain.  The Blazers can always use big men.

There has been pleas from bloggers or all teams.  Well, here is the plea from a Bulls fan for Big Z to come to Chicago.  WE NEED YOU!

The two visible problems haunting the Bulls in every game are closing out the victory and front court depth.  The Kings beat them after being down by 35 points.  Remember that.  Also, it was disappointing when the Washington Wizards scored 14 straight points to open the third quarter on Monday.  The Bulls had the game but couldn’t finish it off.

Big Z is a scoring center who is an excellent passer when double teamed.  During his career he has shot a .48 field goal percentage and 76 percent from the free throw line.  The bulls could use a tall talented guy to come off the bench.  Even if he doesn’t play at the end of the game, the guy replacing him will be well rested.  The Bulls have looked tired at the end of recent games.

Joakim Noah is hurt. Hakim Warrick isn’t an established re-bounder or inside scorer .  Brad Miller has been in the NBA the same amount of time Big Z has but plays very aggressive, which leads to fatigue and foul trouble.  Taj Gibson is a forward, not a center.  He needs help when his teammates get tired or get into foul trouble.

There are risks of course, but John Paxson has made a living off of his questionable roster decisions.  Big Z has a lot of miles on his battered knees.  Honestly,  he probably has two years left of his NBA career until he officially fades into the abyss.

A deal with the Bulls might only be for the rest of this season.  If this is the case, it’s a great idea.  Big Z won’t cost a ton of money and it will not be on the books for free agent shopping.  He will also do what the team asks him too.  Big Z won’t pull a Allen Iverson and refuse to come off the bench.  Plus,  a veteran amongst a team full of young players is always a great idea.

Should Big Z be in a Bulls uniform?

The Bulls had won two straight before the trades and have done the same after.  The four wins were against bad teams: Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers and back to back games with the New York Knicks.  The Bulls have to win these games to prove they are playoff worthy.  Once they get the playoff spot locked up, they must prove they will be a hard out for any of the elite teams.

They did not simply win these games, the beat their opponents down. They blew out the Knicks by 33 then in midst of trade rumors beat them by 6.

A day after the trade they beat the Timberwolves by 6 as well. The win margin might not be big, but the Bulls controlled the entire game. Hinrich proved why John Paxson still wants him on the team as he dropped 20 points and had 5 assists.

The game against the 76ers was over from tip-off. The Bulls handled them in every aspect of the game, thumping them by 32 points. Rookie, Taj Gibson, continues to contribute while Joakim Noah battles injury as he had a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Tonight’s game against the Washington Wizzards will probably be another Bull’s masacre. The Wizzards are having a tough season. Agent Idiot is busy growing gambling debts while Antawn Jamision and Caron Butler have been shiped away with not much in return. Josh Howard is not good enough to beat the Bulls by himself.

The Bulls are currently 6th in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They are two games behind the Toronto Raptors while the Miami Heat are only one game behind Chicago.

The Bulls have made their trades and are waiting for the big free agency pick up in the summer. They still have a 2009-2010 NBA season to finish. Winning games against teams they know they can beat is taking a step in the right direction.

They need to prove the pieces they kept will take the Bulls to the next level. A five game winning streak will be a great sign.

Lets answer a few of these.

What they need

The Bulls need a superstar.  A player who will put up consistent big numbers whether it be a big man in the paint or a shooting guard or small forward who will match up well with Derrick Rose in the back court.  Looking at the players who will be free agents in the summer, Chris Bosh or Lebron James would be every ones’ top recruits.  David Lee and Andre Iguodala would be nice fits as well.

Players to get rid of

Moves now or wait

The Bulls should make money moves now, not long term big player moves.  They should make moves to get rid of the big contracts like Hinrichs.  Espn’s Chad Ford posted a trade rumor I really liked.  Send Hinrich to the Lakers for Jordan Farmar, Adam Morrison and Josh Powell.  Farmar would be a perfect back up for Rose and an instant scoring spark plug of the bench.  Morrison doesn’t do anything but shoot and Powell never developed, good thing both of them have expiring salaries.  Keep Farmar and drop the other two, great deal for the Bulls.  The Lakers would win in this trade too.  Previously mentioned, Hinrich is a decent player.  Derek Fisher is getting old and probably ready to retire soon.  Bring in Hinrich off the bench giving him a role to lead the 2nd team until Fisher calls it quits.

Another similar deal Ford stated would involve Thomas and Salmons.  Send those two players to the San Antonio Spurs for Matt Bonner, Roger Mason and Michael Finley who all have expiring contracts. Chicago would also get the draft rights to Tiago Splitter.  Thomas can’t get along with coaches and he hasn’t brought much to the team anyway.  Salmons, mentioned before, is extremely streaky.

This trade would simply be to get rid of Thomas and the expiring contracts.  The trade would be bad for the rest of this season.  Mason had a solid second half of last season playing for the injured Tony Parker but hasn’t done anything this year.  Bonner isn’t a player the Bulls need and Finley should retire.

This trade wouldn’t take it’s affect until the off-season.  It is repeating itself over and over again, but this trade would work for free agency.  The expiring contracts would mean more money to spend on James, Bosh and all the other players who could make the Bulls a contender.

The Bulls should make moves now.  They are not going to land a big name player by the trade deadline on Thursday.  However, picking up expiring contracts by getting rid of Bulls who are not a piece to the contender puzzle is a great idea.  Hinrich, has been good to Chicago, but this is the best time to get rid of his huge 17 million contract.

Is there any trades better than Chad Ford’s trade options???

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.