The Sporting News magazine is spending the year solving debates in the sports world, in commemoration of their 125th anniversary. This month’s debate focused on the NBA, with the magazine tackling the debate of who the greatest single-season team in NBA history was.

In what is sure to be one of a few representatives from Chicago amid the “Greatest of All Time” debates they will solve, the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls squad was named the greatest team in NBA history.

It’s not that difficult to see why the Bulls were able to beat out great Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics teams from years and decades before.

Of course, it was a team that featured Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, as well as Dennis Rodman in his first year as a Bull after being traded by the San Antonio Spurs.

It was a team that featured several records and accolades, from up and down the roster. Jordan averaged over 30 points per game, as well as just over two steals per. Rodman was good for 15 boards a game, while Pippen and Tony Kukoc were the only two other Bulls to average in double figures in terms of scoring, with 19 and 13 PPG, respectively.

For the team that won 72 games, and NBA record, they certainly weren’t generous in sharing awards. Jordan won three different MVPs, taking it home for the NBA’s regular season, the NBA Finals, and the All Star Game. He was also named to the All-NBA defensive team, as well as the All-NBA team, as he led the entire league in every scoring category.

But Jordan wasn’t the only one to take home some accolades from that season. Phil Jackson was named Coach of the Year. Pippen joined Jordan on the All-NBA first team, and both he and Rodman were featured on the NBA’s All-Defensive team as well. And Kukoc was named Sixth Man of the Year.

The ’95-’96 Bulls team was the only non-Lakers or Celtics team in the top five, but they weren’t the only Chicago team in the Top 10. The ’91-’92 team, which was the season in which the Bulls won their first NBA title, was ranked No. 9.

That 72-win team continues to be the benchmark for these powerhouse teams like the Celtics’ Big Three in ’07, and this year’s Big Three for the Miami heat. Neither team was able to eclipse the mark, and it remains to be seen if anyone will ever be able to even touch it, let alone beat it.

Flickr Photo via Keith Allison

Immediately after the Bulls completed their Game 5 meltdown in the final minutes against the Miami Heat, the questions began to turn from “what went wrong?” to ideas of how the Bulls can improve heading into next season, whenever that might be.

And with the Bulls being in the big market they are, those questions instantly turned to perhaps the biggest name entering the trade rumors and free agency next summer: Dwight Howard.

We all know about Dwight Howard and how good he has been for the Orlando Magic the last few years. Really the last big star to enter the draft straight out of high school, Howard finished second in the MVP voting behind Chicago’s own Derrick Rose. A beast on the boards, Howard averaged just over 14 boards a game to go along with his nearly 23 points for a Magic squad that surprisingly got bounced in the first round by the Atlanta Hawks.

Howard has been in the league since the 2004-05 season, and has played in all 82 games in all but two of those years, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he was injured in those other two. Howard has had multiple issues with picking up technicals, including one late this season for a free throw violation, in which he tossed the ball away from the official and picked up his 18th technical, and a one-game suspension.

That seems to be one of the only drawbacks of being able to acquire a guy like Howard, who definitely seems like a guy of good character on and off the court, despite the technicals he picks up seemingly every other day.

Trade rumors are certain to swirl around the Orlando big man this offseason, due to the fact that he’s set to become a free agent following the 2011-2012 season, the Magic want to make sure they are able to acquire something for him and are not left empty-handed a la Cleveland.

Los Angeles has already been mentioned as a prime destination for the big man, with Andrew Bynum being mentioned as a possible trade chip in such a deal, whether a straight trade or a sign-and-trade. However, it remains to be seen if Howard would want to play with an aging Kobe Bryant, especially after the season.

The Knicks have also been mentioned, but Amar’e Stoudemire was already rumored to like being the go-to guy too much in New York before they acquired Carmelo Anthony, so adding another big statistical presence seems like a bad idea for the Knicks.

Enter the Chicago Bulls. They have the picks, they have the young talent, all that remains is whether or not they’re willing to part with some of that to acquire Howard.

If the Bulls were to enter into such a discussion with the Magic, Taj Gibson would almost certainly be a focal point for the Magic, especially after a solid postseason from the young forward out of USC. However, if the Bulls have any ideas about dumping Carlos Boozer, Gibson becomes the starter at that forward spot.

At the end of the day, is it a possibility that the Bulls acquire Howard? Sure, anything is possible, especially in today’s NBA. But is it likely? That’s the real question. With guys like Gibson and Omer Asik showing their worth to the Bulls this season, these guys have made Chicago more weary about dealing them, even when they seemed like sure trade chips this past summer.

While a move for Dwight Howard could very easily be the move that puts the Bulls over the top, it remains unlikely that they’ll be able to acquire him this summer, unless they are able to work out a deal that the Magic like, without compromising the roster that won them 62 games this season.

A combination of Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard would be a dream for Bulls fans, and could be the perfect formula to knock off the Miami Heat, but for fans it will likely remain just that: a dream.

Saturday, Chicago answered the hype once again early in the season, by leaving their “circus trip” on the west coast with a 4-3 record. The first winning record on the annual road trip since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were the kings of the court in 1998.

The pieces of talent and solid coaching are coming together to have the Bulls answer the hype, even though Boozer hasn’t played a game and won’t until Wednesday or Friday.

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At 9-6, the Bulls are on top of the central division and are the fourth best team in the Eastern Conference, but only a half game behind the Atlanta Hawks, who have played three more games than the Bulls. The Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic are only two and a half games ahead of the Bulls as they are tied with 12-4 records.

I’ve said this before, but the Bulls are doing all of this without Boozer.

On the road trip, Chicago played great basketball and gave each of its west coast opponents competition, which is the first time in 12 years.

The Bulls started the 7 games in 11 days road trip by defeat the Houston Rockets (5-11), which wasn’t a surprise because the Rockets are not playing well because they can’t find a way to include Kevin Martin in the offense or find someone on the bench to add any scoring.

Tony Parker, who had just been served divorce papers from Eva Longoria a few hours before the game, made sure his San Antonio Spurs (14-2) would get the win on the second game of Chicago’s road trip. The Spurs won 103-94, but the Bulls outscored the Spurs in three quarters of the game.

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San Antonio unleashed a 37-point scoring onslaught while only allowing the Bulls 12 points in the third quarter, which won the game for the Spurs. Parker scored 21 points and led the game with seven assists while Tim Duncan dropped 16 points and grabbed a season high 18 rebounds.

In the third game, Dirk Nowitzki scored 36 points for the Dallas Mavericks (12-4), but the Bulls got the win 88-83 because their defense over powered the high scoring Maverick offense.

The Los Angeles Lakers (13-4) bench beat the Bulls on the fourth game of the road trip as Shannon Brown scored 18 points in the first half off 4-of-5 shooting from the three-point line, then Steve Blake and Matt Barnes hit clutch threes in the fourth quarter to open the game up for the victory. The Lakers bench scored 39 points compared to the Bulls 10 points from the bench to win the game 98-91.

In the most thrilling game of the road trip, the Bulls beat the 8-9 Phoenix Suns 123-115 in double overtime. I can’t even lie about this one, the game was on my computer and the Bulls were down by 15 points in the third quarter. Instead of watching the rest of the game, I turned on a different game and played NBA2K11, thinking the game was over. My friend text me and asked if I was watching it because the Bulls forced overtime. I’ll never lose faith again.

Chicago defeated the 10-6 Denver Nuggets Nov. 8, 94-92, giving Carmelo Anthony fuel to lead his team to a 98-97 victory the second time around when the Bulls came to their place. Melo scored 22 points for the Nuggets including the game winning jumper.

Saturday, the Bulls finished the road trip by defeating the 4-11 Sacramento Kings, 96-85. Not much to speak about here, the Bulls dominated the game, including Rose breaking Tyreke Evans ankles more than once.

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As you can tell, there was a trend, win one-lose one, which might make you think, okay, that’s not impressive. But, it is, when you’re talking about games against three of the six best teams in the league in the Spurs, Lakers and Mavericks, plus the Nuggets, who are in the top eight in the Western Conference.

The Western Conference has seven teams with 10 or more wins, while the Eastern Conference has three: Magic, Celtics and Hawks.

Chicago has made a gigantic stride towards the top of the conference and with similar play as this road trip against the Western Conference, they will be approaching the top of the entire league.

Jackson won six NBA championships in Chicago and five, still counting, in Los Angeles, but there are reasons to believe in his heart he would side with the red and black over the purple and gold.

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Jackson said in his interview he had trust in Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen to continually come back to the team and put up hall of fame numbers. Besides the two superstars, players such as John Paxson, Horace Grant and Toni Kukoc came to Chicago and stayed there for most of their careers.

In Los Angeles, everyone remembers the Shaquille O’Neal debacle and the struggles the Lakers went through from the time he left until they won another championship two seasons ago. O’Neal isn’t the only one to come and go in Los Angeles, even Derek Fisher left for a season and then came back. Kobe Bryant and Fisher are the only two people on this team who helped the Lakers win the three-peat from 2000-03.

Yes, 2003 to 2009 is six years compared to the three years in-between Chicago’s first three-peat and fourth title and the NBA seems to age knees and feet quickly, but the entire team was changed, not just a few members.

A few players were different in Chicago from season to season, but Jackson still had his solid core, his Chicago Bull family. The only players he could say that about in Laker land is Bryant and Fisher.

In Chicago, Jackson was healthy for the most part, while he has had to take leave of absences with the Lakers, including an entire season in 2005-06. Everyone remembers their youthful days while trying to push the elderly ones out of memory.

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The Bulls made Jackson what he is today and what he was in 1999 when the Lakers signed him. If he would have been a bust with the Bulls and wouldn’t have won six championships with the likes of Michael Jordan, do you think Laker owner Jerry Buss would bring him to Los Angeles to work with Bryant and  O’Neal?

No way. Jackson had proved he could work with star talent and mold the right role players around them to win.

He went to Los Angeles and did the same thing he did in Chicago, a little different, but rather similar. Without the experience in Chicago on his resume, he wouldn’t have received the job to help him win five championships to add to the six in Chicago making him the all-time NBA ring barer with 11.

Jackson has done great things for the Lakers, but he did it for a city which already knew what winning championships was about. The Bulls hadn’t won a championship in it’s 25-year existence until Jackson, Jordan and Pippen made it happen.

It just seems to me as taking a team from nothing to one of the best teams in history is a more valuable honor than taking a team considered as one of the two best franchises in history to more championship parades.

The Bulls hung in the game against the Lakers and at times looked as if they could pull out a win as Rose continually drove to the hoop and Noah set up shop in the low post. Rose’s acrobatic layups looked highlight reel material even if they didn’t go in.

But in the end, the game came down to the Laker’s bench hitting daggers while the Bulls bench threw sporks.

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Shannon Brown was a hitman in the first half scoring 18 points off of 4-of-5 shooting from the three-point line. He finished the game tied with Lamar Odom for the top scoring Laker with 21 points.

Matt Barnes added 10 points and Steve Blake had six points, with both of them hitting three-point baskets in the fourth quarter to give the Lakers a 12 point lead, which was their biggest lead of the game.

While Brown, Barnes and Blake where helping the Lakers, Ronnie Brewer, Kyle Korver, C.J. Watson and Omer Asik did nothing offensively for the Bulls. Brewer led the bench with six points.

In the three shooting guard system coach Tom Thibodeau is attempting to run with the Bulls, Brewer, Korver and starter Keith Bogans collectively went 3-of-15 from the field scoring six, two and three points. This could have been another reason why the Bulls didn’t win, they’re weak at the two guard, but it’s been this way since the season started.

Besides the Lakers bench destroying the Bulls, Chicago helped the Lakers jump out to an early lead by turning the ball over 10 times by mid-second quarter. The Lakers are a great transition team, especially if they get the ball gift wrapped as the Bulls were doing. Although, they finished with 13, only one more than the Lakers, the early errors allowed L.A. to jump ahead and force Chicago to play catch up the entire game.

As mentioned above, Rose, Noah, Gibson and Luol Deng, not mentioned above had solid games. Rose scored 30 points for the third time in four games and had eight assists. Noah and Gibson had double-double with 19 points-13 rebound and 16 points-13 rebounds. Gibson was listed as day-to-day with a foot issue, but no one could tell during Tuesday’s game. Deng had 13 points, with 12 of them in the first half, which was a spark the Bulls needed against Brown’s constant offense.

Pau Gasol had a bad game for the Lakers with 12 points off 3-of-10 from the field and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe; he also had 11 rebounds. Kobe Bryant had 20 points and five assists.

This win is the seventh consecutive game the Lakers have defeated the Bulls dating back to the 2005-06 season.

Chicago is 2-2 during their annual mid-November west coast road trip with three games left to play against the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings, while the Lakers have won five consecutive games.

Gibson didn’t practice Monday and is going to have his foot looked at by a specialist, he is calling it a stretched ligament. This hurts the Bulls because the Lakers have a big physical lineup. He is listed as day-to-day and will be a game time decision.

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Although, the Bulls have been playing solid basketball, they’ll have to step it up to another level to hang with the Lakers in Los Angeles, where Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher and Shannon Brown are apostles to their God known as Kobe Bryant.

Red and black are the colors of anti-God aka anti-Lakers.

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Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to call Bulls players satan, but when it comes to basketball and Tuesday’s game, they have to be the spoiler of all things good in L.A.

Gasol is arguably the best scoring low-post player in the NBA and is forming a great duo with Bryant, with this year being the best the two have played together since Gasol came to the Lakers in 2007. Joakim Noah has to be on the top of his defensive game, because honestly no one else on the Bulls roster has a chance with Gasol, except for Noah.

Besides defense, Noah has to grab 13-to-15 rebounds, because Gasol is a similar type of vacuum as he is averaging 12 rebounds a game to Noah’s 13.

Taj Gibson missed practice on Monday and is going to a foot specialist to see what is wrong and is listed as day-to-day for the Bulls while the Lakers are still missing Andrew Bynum, who hasn’t played a game this season because of his knee.

If Bynum was in the game, the Bulls may not have a chance; the chance of winning still isn’t huge but better.

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has to be worried about the Bulls transition defense because the Lakers are one of the best fast break teams in the league because they have great decision makers in Fisher and Bryant, and big men who run the floor such as Gasol and Odom.

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Odom can honestly play positions 1-5, which is a major match-up problem for the Bulls.

Derrick Rose should be able to D-up Fisher and should have even more success on offense as long as he can deal with Steve Blake and Brown, who will probably take defensive possessions against him. Rose will have to have 25-to-30 points if the Bulls are going to win.

Last but not least, Keith Bogans and Ronnie Brewer have to be in Bryant’s face at all times. I know it’s easier said then done, but they’re good defense players and are Chicago’s only chance of slowing Bryant down.

Wednesday’s match-ups begin with the Chicago Bulls playing the second game of their “Circus Trip” as ESPN likes to call it. In the the road trip the Bulls will play seven west coast teams in 12 days including five of the seven top eight teams in the Western Conference. Wednesday finds the Bulls in San Antonio against the Spurs.

Tim Duncan and company are 8-1 which puts them in a three way tie for the best record in the league with the New Orleans Hornets and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns are going to see who can past 6-4 as they meet in a battle of the disappointments. Miami’s big three of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade are not living up to the hype while the Suns, last year’s Western Conference Champions, are extremely inconsistent, mainly because they don’t have an inside presence. Oh, almost forgot, Robin Lopez, the Suns only valuable big man, is out with a knee injury.

What other games are Wednesday night?

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Chicago Bulls at San Antonio Spurs…Bulls, I said before the Spurs would win, but after watching the Bulls play yesterday…I have faith

Phoenix Suns at Miami Heat…Heat, I’d love to say Suns so they could give Heat another loss, but the Suns have no inside presence at all, Bosh might have his best game of the season.

Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers…Raptors, they have looked good compared to the 76ers, who will be without Andre Iguodala.

Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics…Celtics, even if  Wall wasn’t sitting out with a foot injury, i’d still pick Boston because they are going to bone stomp Washington.

Los Angeles Lakers at Detroit Pistons…Lakers, they’re going to bone stomp them worse than Boston will Washington.

Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Hornets…Hornets, they’re playing solid ball while the Mavericks have been inconsistant.

Los Angeles Clippers at Minnesota Timberwolves…Clippers, Blake Griffin will beat them by himself.

Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder…Rockets, the Thunder still have a problem beating bigger teams.

New Jersey Nets at Utah Jazz…Jazz, this will be closer than expected but Deron Williams will make the difference for the victory.

New York Knicks at Sacramento Kings…Knicks, New York can shoot well against teams who play little defense, this is one of them.

Each year the Bulls begin their season facing some of the east’s worst teams and a few best, then get thrown to the wolves in the Western Conference for a long stay of at least seven or eight games. This year the Bulls play seven teams in 11 days beginning with the Houston Rockets Tuesday and ending with the Sacramento Kings Nov. 27.

Five of the seven teams the Bulls will face are top eight teams in the Western Conference.

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The Rockets and the Kings are the only two of the seven teams who would not be in the Western Conference Playoffs, if they started today. After the Bulls play the Rockets Tuesday, they play the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets.

Similar to past seasons, this road trip will be a deciding factor of where the Chicago Bulls stand in the Eastern conference.

If they can win five of the seven games they will probably move from the fourth spot to at least N0. three to move past the Atlanta Hawks, who have not been playing good basketball as of late.

The surprising thing is the Bulls are 5-3 and playing solid basketball without power forward Carlos Boozer. Chicago signed Boozer this summer because he would bring an inside offensive presence to open up the back court for Derrick Rose and Luol Deng.

Instead center Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson have been putting up great numbers to help the Bulls win games. Gibson’s 14.3 points per game, 6.4 rebounds and 60% shooting percentage are better than a few of the leagues “elite” players such as Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh.

Noah showed signs of being an all-star caliber player last season and has reaffirmed these claims averaging 16.5 points and is second in the league with 13.3 rebounds a game.

Deng showed little desire in the Bulls first two games, but has been playing out of his mind since then including going for a career high 40 points Nov. 1.

If the Bulls can continue to play how they have been as of late, there is no reason they can’t take five of these games. Chicago already beat Denver and shouldn’t have much problem with the Kings.

The Suns are an up-tempo offensive team, but the Bulls are a superb transition defense team.

Although I hate the Spurs, the Spurs and the Lakers are the only two teams I will pick to win against Chicago.

Either way, this road trip is important more than it has been in the past. Before, the Bulls were just going on another road trip to see if they could win two or three games and hopefully be above .500 when they came back to the Windy City.

This year, it’s different because they’re playing to be one of the top teams in the east and gain a large cushion from the bottom of the conference, even without Boozer.

Hopefully, Rose, Noah, Gibson and Deng can continue playing how they have been and let the rest of the league know the Bulls are a title contender.