Past teams have proven the Chicago Bulls have simply lucked into strong rebuilds. Can they do it again?
The Chicago Bulls organization has revamped their front office, most notably removing former general manager Gar Forman, while adding highly-regarded names, Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley to respectively take on the vice president of basketball operations and general manager role. While these are excellent first steps towards getting the Bulls back on track to winning a championship, the reality is that all it really takes is nailing a transcendent player or two.
When The Last Dance aired, we all got an awesome glimpse into Michael Jordan‘s career with the Chicago Bulls. His greatness was on full display throughout all 10 episodes, but plenty of credit for the Bulls’ six championships deservedly goes to general manager, Jerry Krause for constructing the team effectively for all those successful seasons.
The reality is that Krause was an excellent general manager for the most part, who saw the talent in Scottie Pippen when drafting him to ultimately co-star with Jordan. He was an aggressive deal-maker who made a number of excellent trades and signings to keep a steady supporting cast around Jordan. Krause even hired Phil Jackson to lead the Bulls, back when he was a largely unknown guy among the head-coaching ranks in basketball.
Krause’s work behind the scenes in reshaping the Bulls roster back in the late 1980’s and throughout the 1990’s exemplifies why it’s important to have a general manager who knows exactly what he’s doing when constructing a championship contender. Furthermore, from ownership down, the Bulls’ front office at the time when they were on top of the world knew how to effectively scout players, both through the college ranks and in the pros.
Fast-forward to today, and the Bulls, who are coming off another mediocre season led by Jim Boylen, are effectively hitting the reset button once more. Only this time, it feels as if there is now light at the end of the tunnel, given that GarPax is now extinct.
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There was a time when Gar Forman and John Paxon were both highly respected among league circles at their respective positions within the Bulls organization, most notably back in 2011, when the Bulls had the best record in the league, and advanced all the way into the Eastern Conference Finals with MVP Derrick Rose leading the way.
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That’s how the NBA typically works though: you’re team’s typically as good as your best player, or best two to three players nowadays. Teams that are terrible can become championship contenders the following season if they sign or obtain a star player or two in the offseason. Think of the 2007-08 Boston Celtics, or the Miami Heat during the LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade era, or most recently, the Los Angeles Lakers, when they acquired Anthony Davis to pair up with LeBron. Those organizations were lucky those transcendent players were available to them at the right time.
Furthermore, a team that literally has hit rock bottom can have their misfortunes turned around in a hurry with the right stroke of luck in the NBA Draft. The New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzles immediately come to mind. Both organizations landed game-changing franchise players in the 2019 draft thanks to ping-pong balls, and now they’re set up for sustainable success barring injuries.
The Bulls were awesome and relevant back in 2011 because of Derrick Rose, who at the time was a top-five player in the league. Injuries robbed Rose and the Bulls of much success after that memorable season, but it just goes to show how luckily obtaining even one game-changing player can make all the difference in how a team quickly becomes a contender.
Jerry Krause deserves credit for constructing the Jordan-led rosters, and the people that made of the front office deserve their credit as well. But it all started and ended with Michael Jordan. Without the main piece to the puzzle intact, there’s no way the Bulls with six, let alone any championships in the 1990’s, no matter how good of a front office the Bulls had back then.
