Creative Commons: RmTip21
I’m embarking on doing a top 10 list for every NBA team. However, based on my longtime Chicago Bulls fandom, I extended this list to 15. Of course, on the Bulls list, there’s not much suspense about who the top two are.
I remember the opening days of the Bulls franchise when they shockingly made the playoffs behind the contributions of point guard, Guy Rodgers and shooting guard/defensive superstar Jerry Sloan.
15. Bob Boozer
Bob was a staple of those early surprising, good Bulls teams. Bob was good for about 20 points a game along with about 8 rebounds while shooting a good percentage from the field and the line. When I looked at Bob’s stats, I was surprised at how good his career was.
14. Toni Kukoc
Tony was a member of three championship teams and was an amazingly versatile player. At 6’11’ he presented a great combination of length and ball handling. At his peak in the mid 90’s, Tony was good for about 14 points a game while shooting around 50%.
13. Jimmy Butler
Jimmy is a monument to hard work and perseverance. During his rookie season with the Bulls Jimmy averaged only 2.6 ppg. In his sixth and last season with the Bulls, that average was up to 23.9. In addition, Butler played excellent defense and was good for about six rebounds and five assists per game. Butler is currently a force with the Miami Heat.
12. Joakim Noah
At his peak Joakim was a high energy guy who played good switching defense and was strong on the boards. While Joakim wasn’t a good shooter, he was an excellent passer from the top of the key.
11. Luol Deng
Luol combined a good mid-range jumper combined with excellent defensive skills to become one of Tom Thibodeau’s favorite players. Thibs got the most out of Deng. Some would even argue Thibs got too much out of him. Regardless, he makes my list at number 11.
10. Reggie Theus
Backin the late 70’s and early 80’s the Bulls featured teams with a lot of scoring and little defense. Prominent on those teams was Reggie Theus. Reggie was a flashy player who was a good shooter. Reggie was good for about 20 a game while shooting about 48–49% from the field and about 80% from the line. He reminds me of a muted version of Jamal Crawford in terms of style.
9. Horace Grant
Horace was a blue-collar member of the first three Bulls championship teams. He was good for about 14 points and 10 rebounds a game while playing excellent defense. While Grant wasn’t an eye-popping player, he makes this list for how well he played an important role on some championship teams.
8. Norm Van Lier
Stormin Normin was a hard-nosed point guard for the Bulls from the early through the mid 70’s. Norm combined with Jerry Sloan to make one of the toughest defensive backcourts I can remember. Norm wasn’t a particularly good shooter but scored about 12 a game with about 6–7 assists a game and 4–5 rebounds a game
7. Derrick Rose
I’m sure others would have him higher on this list, but hey, it’s my list. Derrick’s career got off to a spectacular start but has been dogged by injuries. While grit plays a large role in many of the other guys on this list, I haven’t been impressed by Derrick’s as much. Still, his accomplishments are undeniable.
6. Jerry Sloan
Jerry is one of my all-time favorite players. He was obviously a tough defensive player, but he was also a decent shooter who was fairly solid from the free throw line and also helped out on the boards.
5. Bob Love
Bob benefitted from Dick Motta’s forward oriented offense. During the 70’s Bob was good for about 20 a game with the Bulls, topping out at 25.8 during the 71–72 season. Bob reminds me a little bit of Luol Deng. While Love didn’t shoot a great percentage form the field, he did shoot about 80% from the line. Bob’s game was a testament to hard work and persistence.
4. Artis Gilmore
I probably have Artis ranked higher than most, but after the Bulls acquired Gilmore from the ABA dispersal draft, he was a dominant force in the post. Artis was also good for about 20 points a game while pulling down about 13 rebounds. At 7’2” Artis was also a shot blocker of note. He also shot about 66% from the field, mostly because most of his shots were from 2 feet and in. But, as Dirty Harry said, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” Artis knew his.
3. Chet Walker
Chet was the Bulls first smooth, big-time scorer. Chet was a member of that great 66–67 76ers championship team and came over to the Bulls in a trade for Jimmy Washington. At his peak with the Bulls, Chet’s line averaged around 22–7–2. Walker was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
2. Scottie Pippen
Scottie was the greatest Robin of all time. Scottie had a wonderfully balanced game. He could score, handle the ball and go to the glass. But perhaps, beyond that, he was a tremendous defender. His defensive work on Magic Johnson played a huge role in the Bulls first world championship. Scottie took a turn as Batman when MJ was gone and might have brought home a championship himself if not for Hugh “Phantom Call” Hollins.
1. Michael Jordan
This has got to be the most anti-climactic number one on any list. This list doesn’t have a lot of stats, but the stat I care the most about with Michael is six. As in six championships. Bulls’ owner Jerry Reinsdorf sometimes gets credit for bringing Chicago seven championships. I figure without MJ, Chicago sees one of those championships. Actually, the guy or guys most responsible for the Chicago Bulls dynasty were the guys in the Portland Trailblazers front office who drafted Sam Bowie. Thanks guys.
There you have it, my list of the 15 greatest Bulls. Feel free to share your thoughts. Respectfully.
