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?

EAST

Cleveland Cavaliers VS Chicago Bulls- Cavs in 5

I would love for the Bulls to win more than one game or even take the series, but it will not happen.  Lebron James is just too much for the Bulls to handle.  The Bulls played a great game, but still lost game 2.  Enough said,  I’m going to pout in silence…..

Boston Celtics VS Miami Heat (three old men VS a young superstar)- Boston Celtics (old men) 4-3

This is going to be a great series.  Dwayne Wade is a superstar and will win one or two games by himself.  If he gets any help at all they will win one more and could possibly take the series.  Kevin Garnett is not the same KG we know and love, plus he is out for game two because of his elbow.  The Boston Celtics have a champion swagger.  Paul Pierce will not give up for anybody and Rajon Rondo has become a great basketball player.  I think the Celtics have too much for Wade to win the series.

Atlanta Hawks VS Milwaukee Bucks- Hawks sweep

Atlanta has a balanced scoring attack.  They have perimeter shooters in Mike Bibby and Jamal Crawford.  They have physical players who will take it inside Josh Smith and Marvin Williams.  Plus,  they have the most underrated player in the NBA, Joe Johnson.  He can shoot, defend, rebound and is a good teammate.  Andrew Bogut is out for the Bucks.  With him in the lineup the Bucks could have won a few games, but not without him.  John Salmons and Brandon Jennings won’t give the team enough to get them past the Hawks.

Orlando Magic VS Charlotte Bobcats- Magic sweep

Dwight Howard is a beast.  Charlotte’s Tyson Chandler is not going to contain Howard.  The Magic are the best three point shooting team in the history of the NBA. Enough said.

WEST

LA Lakers VS Oklahoma City Thunder- Lakers in 6

Kobe or Ron Artest against Kevin Durant is the best one-on-one match-up in the first round.  Kobe is a solid defender and Artest is one of the best in the game.  Durant is the best scorer in the game.  This should be fun to watch.  The Lakers are just too good.  They have a great veteran team who are going to teach the young Thunder lessons.  The Thunder are a good team and will find enough scoring to get a couple games, but Kobe and company will win the series.

Denver Nuggets VS Utah Jazz- Nuggets in 6

The Jazz are banged up.  The Nuggets have something to prove.  They were at one time the number two seed in the west but fell to fourth after a bad stretch of loses.  Kenyon Martin is back to add physical inside play.  The Nuggets will miss George Karl but they will find a way to win the series in six games.

Phoenix Suns VS Portland Trailblazers- Suns in 6

I wanted to give the series to Portland, but, I can’t do it with Brandon Roy on the IR.  Roy is the difference maker.  Portland has a good team, but I think Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash will take care of business.

Dallas Mavericks VS San Antonio Spurs- Dallas in 5

The boring Spurs are done.  They can’t stay healthy and Tim Duncan is not even a shell of his former self.  Dallas is rolling.  Dirk is playing at an MVP level and Jason Kidd is playing like he is 24 instead of 37.  Kidd is still the best passer in the game and can add 15-to-20 points any given night.  Plus, Caron Butler and Brendan Hayword have come from Washington and added key pieces the Mavericks were missing.

This year, a few people got on the starting lineup because fans are focused on past careers. This means other players who have performed like a starter on the All Star roster are either at home or picked up by coaches to be off the bench. We will find out who they pick on Thursday. Lets look at who was picked and who should have been in some of their places.

I personally voted 10 times on NBA.com for the starters of the game. I will tell who got picked and then I’ll say if I agreed (voted for) or someone else should have been picked.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Steve Nash

Nash is playing awesome for a 35 year old point guard whose game is based around running up and down the court.  He is shooting the ball remarkable well.  His field goal percentage is 53%, three pointers are at 43% and is leading the league in free throw percentage at 94%.  Nash has the 5th most double doubles in the NBA with 27, averaging 18 points per game (ppg) and is 2nd in the league with 11 assists a game.  AGREE, but Chris Paul is right there.

Kobe Bryant

“Black Mamba” is the best player in the league.  We can sit here and argue Kobe V.S. Lebron all day,  but my opinion will stay the same.  Kobe is 4th in the league with 28 ppg.  Bryant legs look to be getting tired and his body beat up but he refuses to rest.  This might hurt him in the long run, but right now he is the best to watch.  AGREE

Carmelo Anthony

“Melo” was amazing in the first quarter of the season.  He slowed down do to small injuries, but still put up decent numbers.  Now, he is back to what he was doing before.  Anthony filled out a little more during the off-season and is playing with a bigger chip on his shoulder.  His play was falling short of his superstar popularity.  This can’t be said anymore.  “Melo” is second in the league in scoring with 29.7 ppg which is only .2 behind Lebron James.  AGREE

TIM DUNCAN

Duncan has never been an eye opening player to fans.  However,  on the court, he is one of the best big men to play the game.  His knees are starting to show his 12 years in the league but he still dominates.  Duncan, once again, has put the Spurs on his back, leading them to wins while his teammates sit on the bench with injuries.  He is 10th in the league with 10 rebounds a game and in the top 20 in scoring.  DISAGREE- I voted for Dirk Nowitzki.  I’m one of those fans, who don’t really like Duncan.  Even without the bias,  Dirk is a killer.  He has put his team on his back also.  I like his game better and he can give you more offensively.

AMARE STOUDEMIRE

Stoudemire is playing well for the Suns, even though they are consistently putting him on the trade block.  He is quick for his size but knee injuries seem to make it hard for him to run up and down the court.  He is a forward, but they listed him as a center for the All Star game.  I don’t think this is right.  With that comment………DISAGREE He is not a center and doesn’t play explosive ball like he used to.  I voted for Chris Kaman.  He is a 20 and 9 guy playing solid on both sides of the ball.  The Clippers are not a great team,  but they would be 9 to 10 wins less without him.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

ALLEN IVERSON

AI was one of my favorite players for a real long time.  He will be in the Hall of Fame and go down as one of the best pure scorers to every play.  That was then, this is now.  I wish him the best.  DISAGREE He is not an All Star.  There are plenty of people who should be on this team before him but I’ll only name one.  Rajon Rondo is developing into the best point guard in the Eastern Conference and should be on the team. He is in the top 5 in assists and leads the league in steals.

DWAYNE WADE

“D-Wade” is a beast.  He is in the top 5 in the NBA hands down.  He does so much with so little.  Wade takes a beating every night and keeps coming back for more.  He is 5th in the league in scoring, 7th in steals and tied for 10th in assists.  Dwayne does whatever he needs to do for his team to win.  An NBA highlight real isn’t complete without “D-WADE”.  AGREE

LEBRON JAMES

Lebron is the 2nd best player in the league.  He is putting up video games on a nightly basis.  LBJ can take over a game whenever he wants to whether it be with the ball or defending it.  He leads the league in scoring per game with 30 and is 7th in the league in assists.  Lebron, like Kobe will be on every All Star team until he retires.  AGREE

KEVEIN GARNETT

“KG”  can still play, but this year he hasn’t.  He has been injured or taken out of the game early to rest his aging legs.  Garnett is one of my favorite players, but like AI, doesn’t deserve the honor.  DISAGREE- I picked two different players for power forward.  I voted for Josh Smith and Antawn Jamison.  Both have played the game on a high level and remained healthy.

DWIGHT HOWARD

Howard is the only legitimate center in the Eastern Conference.  This doesn’t really mean much,  because he is a dominating inside presence.  His low post moves are not spectacular but they are better and do not take anything away from his great defense.  Every player in the league is scared to bring it in on the Magic when they see Dwight.  Howard is 1st in the league in blocks and rebounds and 3rd in the league in field goal percentage scoring 17 points a game.  AGREE

Do you agree with these selections,  theirs or mine?  If not, comment and tell us who you believe should be in the ALL Star game.

The Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey and Head Coach Rick Adelman have agreed letting McGrady leave the roster is best for the team.

According to ESPN, Morey and Adelman are working with McGrady’s agent, Arn Tellem, to work out a trade by the February 18th NBA trade deadline.

McGrady has been on the injured reserve for most of the season ailing a surgery operated knee. The surgery cut McGrady’s season short last year, only playing 35 games.

The once proclaimed superstar is averaging 7.7 minutes in the six games he has played in this season. McGrady, who has consistently played 35 minutes a game, asked for increased minutes to quicken his comeback.  Adelman didn’t think it was a good idea so he didn’t allow him the desired playing time.  McGrady remained a 7th or 8th man off the bench.

In an interview from ESPN, Adelman said the Rockets are a team, not a one man show.

“He’s been hurt for over a year.” Adelman said. “The thing that people want to write about is who he was two years ago, and he isn’t that right now.  We have a whole team here and it’s not just about what he wants or what he was going to want, or what was going to happen.  It was about what can he do to help us win, and that was the bottom line to me.”

McGrady has been causing a scene and was very clear he wanted out of Houston.  Now he gets his wish.  The Rockets supposedly have refused to buy out the rest of his 22.5 million contract.  At the end of this year, he will be a free agent, but both sides want this ordeal done with ASAP.  

T-Mac is only 30.  He has been through a lot of injuries.  A banged up elbow, the previous mentioned knee surgery and a few ankle stingers.  Could T-Mac be the next Grant Hill. 

Hill was once called the next Michael Jordan after he won two NCAA Championships with Duke.  He came to the league and blossomed right away just like McGrady did.  Then his ankles became injury prone and he lost 4 years of his career trying to rebuild just like what seems to be happening to McGrady.

Hill has bounced back.  Since his return, he was a starter on the All-Star team a few years ago and has been the starting forward for the up-tempo Phoenix Suns for the past 3 seasons. 

McGrady is an extremely talented athlete and is young enough to be the player he was for at least a couple more years.

 The Rockets and the McGrady camp are working on a deal, but who will be the third party to get involved?   Where will the ex-superstar attempt to re-amp his career?

 Lets take out the big dogs.  The Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic have their go to guys who need the ball.  McGrady would still be a number one option when healthy. 

The San Antonio Spurs run a half court set which might match McGrady’s game.  Richard Jefferson has failed to deliver what they were looking for.  Tim Duncan has been carrying the team since Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker have been dinged up.  McGrady would add a tall lanky player who would draw the defenders who are usually in Duncan’s face.  Plus, the Spurs have not had a true inside/outside scoring threat like T-Mac.

McGrady’s injuries may have taken his career, so this might not be a good idea, but what about the Bulls.  McGrady would attract those fans who remember him from 2 seasons ago.  Could he still play at a high level?  If McGrady came to Chicago, he would sit John Salmons or Luol Deng on the bench.  Derrick Rose is a up and coming point guard who needs the ball to effectively help his team win.  In the past, McGrady has dominated the ball as well.  Could McGrady and Rose co-exist to help the floundering team and T-Mac’s disappointing career?

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.