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| | Friday, March 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Special to ESPN.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
But the team lacked a quality basketball venue, never developed a strong fan following, and went out of business. The franchise started again as the Packers in 1961 with Hall of Fame player Jim Pollard as its coach, changed names to the Zephyrs the following year, then moved to Baltimore to become the Bullets -- the forerunner of the Washington Wizards. The Bulls entered the NBA as an expansion team in 1966 under the direction of Dick Klein, a local sports enthusiast who put together a group of big business "heavy hitters," as he called them, to buy into the league for a reported $1.5 million. Klein established himself as president and general manager and hired Johnny Kerr, currently the Bulls television commentator, to coach. Those Bulls were good enough to make the playoffs in their first year (despite a 33-48 record) and earn Kerr Coach of the Year honors. Klein was a strong, hands-on type who irritated his coach with his meddling and his owners with his dominating attitude. It wasn't long before Kerr, his assistant Al Bianchi and Klein's right hand man, Jerry Colangelo, left for better opportunities at new franchise locations at Phoenix and Seattle, and Klein himself was forced out in 1969. Before losing control, however, Klein hired Dick Motta, a little-known college coach at Weber State, to lead the Bulls. As word of ownership unrest filtered out to Chicago sports leaders, Arthur Wirtz, owner of the Chicago Stadium and the hockey Blackhawks, put together a group that bought controlling interest in the franchise. Pat Williams, a promotions specialist who had been with the 76ers, was hired as general manager, and the Bulls were off and running. Motta did an outstanding coaching job, installing a ball-control system that often worked the 24-second clock down to the nub before taking a high-percentage shot. No team had played a game quite like that before in the NBA -- and it worked. Jerry Sloan, Norm Van Lier, Bob Love, Chet Walker and Tom Boerwinkle formed a tough, effective unit that was soon winning 50 games or more a year. As the Bulls' record improved and fan support grew, Wirtz took a stronger hand. He was a no-frills sort who felt if the team won, the fans would come to the games. He and the creative Williams were often at odds about promotions policies, and Williams soon returned to Philadelphia as general manager, while Motta assumed the dual role of coach/GM. But as Jonathon Kovler, a member of Wirtz's executive committee, developed a stronger voice in personnel matters, Motta became disenchanted, and after a 24-58 season in 1976, resigned to take the coaching job at Washington (where he won the NBA title in '78). The Bulls hired Rod Thorn as general manager and Ed Badger to coach when Motta left. That began a long succession of coaches that included Larry Costello, Scotty Robertson, Kevin Loughery, Paul Westhead, Stan Albeck and Doug Collins before Phil Jackson was hired in 1989. When Wirtz died in 1983, Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the baseball White Sox and a long-time Knicks fan, got a group of investors together to purchase controlling interest of the Bulls in 1984 -- significantly, Michael Jordan's rookie season. Reinsdorf hired Jerry Krause, a scout in the Sox organization, to be the team's general manager with instructions to build a team that played "Red Holzman basketball" and to find complementary players for Jordan like the Knicks had years earlier in Dave DeBusschere and Bill Bradley. Krause drafted Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen in 1987 to fit around Jordan, hired former Knicks player Phil Jackson to coach, retained assistant Tex Winter, the leading exponent of the triangle offense, and the championships began in 1991. With the exception of Jordan's mostly two-year fling with baseball, the Bulls won six straight titles. The franchise was winning and making money, and the two Jerrys (Reinsdorf and Krause) couldn't have been happier. But eventually, friction developed between Jackson and Krause, the players got older, salaries rose to extraordinary levels, and the decision was made to break up the team after the 1998 championship. Jackson resigned and Krause hired Tim Floyd, a college coach with a good record at Iowa State, to replace him. The rebuilding process began ... one that might take longer than anyone envisioned.
Trades, Free Agents and Draft Picks
The Present But for now, the Bulls are struggling mightily. When they traded away Toni Kukoc recently, they lost the only scoring threat other than Elton Brand they had and are the weakest shooting (41 percent FG) and lowest scoring (only 85 ppg) team in the league. A run down of the roster tells you why. The backcourt (Randy Brown and Hersey Hawkins) is extremely limited. Brown can't penetrate and create off the dribble, and Hawkins, who can't get a shot on his own, gets few open looks against defenses which stay right with him. Their best players are at the forward positions. Ron Artest is a good-looking, young, 6-7 swingman. He's quick and strong, defends well, has reasonably good shooting skills, and can drive to the hoop. He shows promise ... but we're not talking about a future Vince Carter here. Brand has been a pleasant surprise. A bit undersized (6-8, 260) for a big forward, and lacking a post-up game, he has put up nice scoring and rebounding numbers (19 ppg, just under 10 rpg). His offensive rebounding has been his most impressive skill. He has a great nose for the ball and is relentless going after missed shots -- of which there are plenty. Elton has also learned to drive to the hoop. Brand is a solid player, but not one that will carry a franchise to contender status. Dickie Simpkins, normally a big forward, is the team's center only because Will Purdue is the other choice ... and Will is best coming off the bench in short spurts. The bench doesn't offer much help either. Chris Carr, Matt Maloney, Chris Anstey, Fred Hoiberg, Michael Ruffin, and newly acquired John Starks (who may leave the team any day now) are all sporadic performers. This is not a roster which strikes fear in the hearts of opponents, but they have sneaked up on some -- Miami twice -- to record some unexpected wins. The most obvious needs are at both guard positions and at center ... and a more productive bench would also help.
Future of the team I'd be shocked if that happened. Players like Hill and Duncan -- if they move at all -- don't want to go to a rebuilding team. They would take less money to go with a team that has a legitimate chance to win a championship now. If that is the case, Chicago's cap money will be spent on overpaying a few second-tier players who will help make them better gradually. I rate Brand and Artest as complementary players, and Ruffin, whom Krause sees as a great defensive stopper, has yet to show adequate game skills. So, the Bulls have a lot of work ahead of them to get back to playoff contention. What may help them get there are the four first-round and five second-round picks they have coming over the next two years. These will be high picks that should produce some quality talent. They also have big men Dragan Tarlac and Roberto Duenas from earlier drafts who have been soaking up experience in Europe. One or both might help fill the center void. If the Bulls select well and get four or five young players to go with Brand and Artest, and they get some help with their free agent efforts, they will at least become more competitive -- perhaps even approach the .500 mark next season. Another plus for the Bulls is coach Tim Floyd. He has demonstrated solid coaching skills, and has adapted to the NBA game quite nicely in two seasons. He has motivated his undermanned squad to play hard every game while developing the individual skill levels of his players. He shows poised bench demeanor and has quickly acquired the respect of his players. In summary, the Bulls are on the right track. They have a good coach, some quality players, with the prospect of adding more in the immediate future. They'll ultimately get back into the playoff picture -- and maybe into championship contention.
It just won't be as quickly as Jerry Krause thinks. | ALSO SEE Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Raptors Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Wizards Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Jazz Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Clippers Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Kings Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Trail Blazers Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Pacers Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Hawks  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
