The Foundation.
The Chicago Bulls are a storied franchise that has captured six NBA Championships in its history, all in the era of the most recognized basketball player ever Michael Jordan.
The Bulls drafted Jordan in 1984 which became the foundation moment for the organization. This selection was followed by other important draft day decisions and trades during the mid to late 1980s.
The Bulls championship core was set by the top of the 1990s after the hiring of legendary coach Phil Jackson. The franchise drafted Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant in 1987 as well as traded for pieces like Bill Cartwright en route to their first three championships.
The team faced a bit of adversity when Jordan retired briefly and Grant defected to the Orlando Magic, who went on to defeat the Bulls in the 1995 playoffs although Jordan returned to the roster near the end of the regular season.
Chicago sought out help globally by signing European legend F Toni Kukoc and Australian Big man C Luc Longley. The addition of bonafide scorer G Ron Harper, and huge signing of NBA champion F Dennis Rodman gave the Bulls new life. The franchise went on to win another three. Championships from 1996-1998.
The team hasn’t been quite the same since.
After Jordan’s second retirement and the rest of the roster was slowly disassembled, the Bulls were in a rebuild until they drafted hometown phenom G Derrick Rose in 2008. Rose and several other key players like NCAA champions Ben Gordon and Joakim Noah lead the Bulls to a #1 seed in the Eastern Conference and won tons of games throughout the tenure.
A devasting injury to Rose utilmately derailed any chances of Chicago winning their 7th title. The team was also taken apart over time and the franchise has been searching for answers since.......
Fast forward to the team’s current standing in 2024, the Bulls have elements that mirror pieces of successful moments in their entire history. Here are some of the key components we see that may signal a Full Circle moment for the franchise.
Feeling Giddey
In a somewhat undervalued trade, the Bulls acquired G/F Josh Giddey from the Oklahoma City Thunder for NBA All Defensive guard Alex Caruso. The young Australian playmaker was made available as he seemed to not mesh with the young core OKC assembled.
Approaching his 22nd Birthday, it’s tough to imagine that anyone would count Giddey out. He’s an outstanding playmaker and the Bulls may have their PG for the next 10 years. He has chosen to wear the iconic #33 that Chicago Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen wore, and he’s scarily similar in the sense that he can fill a stat sheet and not be dependent on being the primary scorer.
After an outstanding showing in the 2024 Olympics for Australia, Giddey is entering the 2024-2025 season with amazing momentum and could possibly be an All Star in the near future. The players on the current roster compliment his talents, so expect a major leap from him.
“At Guard, From North….Carolina”
Coby White, the true North Carolina product is the one holdover from the previous management’s regime. White has been an explosive scorer since high school, breaking the all time scoring record in North Carolina history. He went to UNC like the great Michael Jordan and was drafted in the lottery by the Bulls in 2019. White may have been affected by the way the roster was constructed as well as Covid years that changed the world.
With the addition of Giddey as a playmaker White can now go into his natural position as a shooting guard comfortably , especially with the trade of former all star SG Demar Derozan to the Sacramento Kings. We believe the move will allow White and the offense as a whole to move more freely. It is quite possible that White will be in the mix for NBA’s Most Improved Player award and an All Star bid.
The First Pick of The Current Regime
Current Bulls GM Marc Eversley’s first selection was SF Patrick Williams in the 2020 NBA lottery. Williams is a super athlete with two way star potential but due to injury and possibly not playing off the proper playmaker, he hasn’t had the breakthrough season thus far.
With Giddey in the fold, the Bulls will play style of basketball that favors Williams’ skill set. Coby White also has playmaker capabilities so when the Bulls are getting up and down the floor things will open up for the talented swingman, who will create plenty of opportunity for himself on the defensive end setting up better transition basketball for the team.
The Hometown Kid
In 2024 NBA Lottery, The Bulls were able to select Chicago native G/F Matas Buzelis with the 11th pick. In our opinion, Buzelis could have been the #1 pick in this draft, and the feel of this selection is a game changing one.
He is an explosive player with a ton of moxie and the confidence to challenge the best. He puts the ball on the floor, gets after it on defense and simply shows all of the traits of a superstar. The pride that comes with your hometown team selecting you to help lead the franchise back to the top is strikingly similar to Rose coming out of Memphis after one year.
The difference is Rose was extremely reserved in the public eye and showed all his color on the court. The great thing is Buzelis has the skills to validate all of the bravado that will carry him into the Bulls Ring of Honor if and when they find their way fully back around the Circle.
The 5th Element: The X Factors
Chicago acquired Lonzo Ball with the hopes that he would inject the franchise with his winning attributes that spans from high school to college and even the pros. The Bulls were playing excellent basketball when he was healthy, and he is similar to Giddey in the sense that he impacts games without being a volume scorer.
He has outstanding instincts defensively and as a playmaker, and if the Bulls can get 75pct of him back, they will have a great veteran leader in the fold for 2nd Unit players to develop under and boasts High IQ lineups if and when he and Giddey share the floor. Former All Star Nikola Vucevic can also benefit from this two tier leadership that the Bulls may have access to this year.
Conclusion
Chicago has done an excellent job retooling their lineup with possibly one or two changes left to really help their quest back to Glory. Expect vast improvement over the next few years for a franchise that has been stuck in the play in section of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. It’s been 40 years since the most important move in team history, and we could be witnessing the Renaissance that Chicago fans have been waiting on.
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