The Top Five Bulls Since Jordan

Michael Jordan last played for the Bulls over 25 years ago. Since then, despite some exciting seasons and moments, the Bulls have been, more or less, mediocre. Here are the highlights since 1998-1999 (data throughout courtesy of StatMuse and Basketball Reference):

• Record: 907-1094 (0.453-win percentage)

• Playoff Appearances: 12 (only two since Thibs was fired after the 2014-2015 season)

• Playoff Series Wins: Five

• Best Finish: Lost in the ECF in 2011 to the Miami Heat

Again, not great but there were some great times, led by some Bulls legends. There are five players, in particular, who embodied what it meant to be a true Chicago Bull, representing tough play even if shorthanded or less talented. With the exception of the peak-Rose seasons, deep down, most of us knew we weren’t winning the NBA Championship, but we did know that we would go down fighting. Some examples include:

• The “Teen Bulls” who took it to the Miami Heat in 2007, sweeping the defending champions without a true All-Star.

• The 2012-2013 Bulls, without Derrick Rose, battled the Brooklyn Nets in an epic seven-game series and followed up with a game one victory against the eventual champions, Miami Heat.

• The short-handed 2013-2014 Bulls scrapped their way to a four-seed, led by an All-NBA season from Joakim Noah.

It should be no shocker, based on this intro, that each of these teams contained multiple Bulls legends. You’ll notice no current players were considered and that’s due to the limited success the team has had for some time. Without further ado, here is the list in reverse order:

5. Jimmy Butler

Statistics (while on the Bulls): Averaged 15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 399 games

Accolades (while on the Bulls): Most Improved Player (2015), 3x All-Star, 3x All-Defense, and Team USA (2016)

Jimmy Butler’s NBA origins began in Chicago. Buried on the bench as a rookie, Jimmy eventually worked his way into the rotation, gaining Thibs’ trust and was essentially tied for the lead league in minutes by his third season. In his last three seasons with the Bulls, Butler not only solidified himself as one of the best two-way players in the game, but also as the new franchise player post-peak Derrick Rose. Unfortunately, his tenure came to an end after the 2016-2017 season. Nevertheless, before he epitomized Heat Culture, Butler championed Bulls culture.

As a personal side note, Butler’s departure was the point in which my Bulls fandom changed (I essentially became a Jimmy fan). Make no mistake, I grew up a massive Bulls fan (I actually remember Dalibor Bagarić …  for what it’s worth), so I feel that I know what I’m talking about here .... but it would be disingenuous of me to claim I’m still a massive fan.  

4. Kirk Hinrich 

Statistics: Averaged 11.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 748 games

Accolades: All-Rookie (2004), All-Defense (2007), and Team USA (2006)

Following Jay Williams’ tragic motorcycle accident, Kirk Hinrich was drafted to become the franchise floor general, which he did admirably. While never an All-Star, Hinrich was crucial in making the Bulls competitive once more. He was also respected across the league as an excellent defender, making All-Defense and was paid the ultimate compliment by Pat Riley who once said: “I think he's one of the top defenders in the game. There's no doubt. He reminds me of Jerry Sloan. He reminds me of Norm Van Lier, Michael Cooper. He's irrepressible.” Granted this quote (courtesy of an old article from the Chicago Tribune) was in response to questions as to whether Riley insinuated Hinrich potentially hurt Dwyane Wade but that’s neither here nor there. It’s also worth noting he was selected to play for Coach K alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade for Team USA in 2006, demonstrating that two of the greatest basketball minds valued Hinrich’s play … just like Bulls fans during his time in Chicago.  

3. Joakim Noah

Statistics: Averaged 9.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 572 games

Accolades: 2x All-Star, 3x All-Defense (2014 DPOY), and First Team All-NBA (2014)

I vividly remember when the Bulls drafted Joakim Noah because I was disappointed that they didn’t take Spencer Hawes (who went right after at pick 10). No disrespect to Spencer Hawes but, boy, was I glad to be wrong there. Noah quickly became the heart and soul of the franchise and had one of the more unique MVP campaigns in recent memory. Believe or not, Noah actually finished fourth in MVP voting in 2014, only behind Kevin Durant (the winner), LeBron James, and Blake Griffin. He was also First Team All-NBA, which sounds crazy when looking at the box score (averaged 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists that year), but you had to be there. Noah played point-center, not to the level of Jokic today but sort of like that, and was the best defensive player in the league (winning DPOY), leading the short-handed Bulls to nearly 50 wins. Even when he wasn’t competing for MVPs, Noah always brought the fire and set the tone.

2. Luol Deng

Statistics: Averaged 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 637 games

Accolades: All-Rookie (2005), 2x All-Star, and All-Defense

The two-time All-Star was crucial in turning the Baby Bulls into competitors and the peak-Rose Bulls into contenders. A premier two-way player, Deng always guarded the opposing team’s best player while contributing 15-20 points on the other end. As a scorer, he was extremely complementary as he didn’t need the ball to be effective. He brought it both ways for almost 40 minutes per game in his prime. Any team, at any point in NBA history, would love to have Luol Deng as the Bulls did for nearly a decade.

1. Derrick Rose

Statistics: Averaged 19.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 406 games

Accolades: ROY (2009), 3x All-Star, First Team All-NBA (2011), MVP (2011), and Team USA (2010 and 2014)

Not much needs to be said about what Derrick Rose means to Chicago. For those of us who were too young to really see Michael Jordan, Derrick Rose was our guy. He was the perfect foil to LeBron James in 2010-2011, leading the Bulls to the one-seed and securing MVP. With peak-Rose, the Bulls were legit contenders, which is something they hadn’t been since Jordan. While it didn’t go as everyone hoped for, the Rose years were still special.