ducks
04-08-2005, 03:04 PM
They grow up so fast
Kelly Dwyer, SI.com
Chicago's midseason turnaround and impending return to the postseason may not be the most inspiring or entertaining story of the 2004-05 season, but it is far and away one of the most surprising developments we've seen all year. Not only is the Bulls' run unprecedented for a team so young it cannot be easily explained by a renewed commitment to hard work and tight defense.
What separates these Bulls from a long list of plucky overachievers is their happy marriage of youth and experience. Other teams have snuck in the back door of the playoffs with a band of cagey vets and the occasional lottery pick. At the opposite end of the spectrum are the countless franchises who adopt a youth movement, standings be damned, and develop for the future. But never has the NBA seen such a wildly successful integration of these two different philosophies. And this Chicago team isn't sneaking in the back door, my friend, not when it currently boasts the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.
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This is wonderful news for Chicago GM John Paxson, who inherited a mess (however potential-laden) after Jerry Krause retired two years ago. Though no one could argue with Pax's court-savvy after his successful 11-year playing career, he happened upon his latest job boasting a relatively light r?sum?, consisting of a single year as a Bulls assistant coach (sitting behind the bench, to boot) and a stint as their radio analyst.
His tenure began inauspiciously when he was forced into drafting a playmaker following Jay Williams' horrific motorcycle accident. He then turned down a chance to draft Dwyane Wade a year later when the Toronto Raptors offered to swap their fourth pick in the 2003 draft for Chicago's seventh, plus Donyell Marshall. Trying to provide the Bulls' youthful core some sense of leadership, Paxson signed Scottie Pippen and Kendall Gill as free agents, an experiment that failed under the weight of both players' injuries.
Faced with a disappointing 4-10 start to '03-04, Paxson moved swiftly in canning Bill Cartwright as coach, reluctantly dropping the axe on a former teammate, and set to destroying a roster that had lived off its own promising potential for too long. Instead, Paxson tied his -- and Chicago's -- fortunes to a pair of point guards. Former Magic quarterback Scott Skiles was introduced as the new coach sporting a reputation as someone players would rather strangle than play for. And rookie guard Kirk Hinrich was handed the keys to the team after being considered little more than a consolation prize in the LeBron/Carmelo sweepstakes.
Paxson then set about rebuilding the roster. Jalen Rose and Marshall were shipped to the Raptors for Antonio Davis. Though Davis' stats have paled in comparison to Rose's, and though his salary is the equal of Rose's eight-figure mark, the bruising forward/center has been Chicago's rock since coming to the Bulls in Dec. '03.
A call was then made to everyone's favorite trading partner, Knicks GM Isiah Thomas, who again proved happy to unburden a team of a hefty contract. Eager to add a big-name free agent name to his already bloated New York payroll, Thomas engineered a sign-and-trade deal for flighty guard Jamal Crawford and overpaid hustler Jerome Williams, in exchange for a slew of expiring contracts. When ex-Knick Dikembe Mutombo threatened not to report, Paxson sent him to Houston for Eric Piatkowski and Adrian Griffin -- two veterans who, along with former Knick Othella Harrington, have been prominent members of Chicago's rotation (especially during the team's recent 10 wins in 11 games run).
Consequently, Paxson has created one of the more enviable rosters in the league, flush with the cap space needed to extend the seven, count 'em, seven rookie contracts on this team. And most are worth extending. From Hinrich to Luol Deng to Ben Gordon, the rookies brought in under Paxson's watch have met or exceeded expectations, helping the slow growth of Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler go down a little easier.
A lot of credit for the turnaround, though, must go to Skiles. His offensive sets in Phoenix and in 68 games with Chicago last year were exercises in minimalism. This season, though they won't be scoring 120 points in a game anytime soon, the Bulls' current offense is spaced, dynamic and often executed to perfection. When the Bulls don't execute, they turn the ball over; Chicago's 16.3 turnovers per game easily lead the league. This leads to plenty of high-percentage, fast-break baskets for opponents, which makes the fact that Chicago holds teams to a league-low 42 percent from the floor even more mind-numbing. But thanks to a steady, suffocating defense Skiles has crafted from three rookies, a sophomore guard, two 22-year old "vets," assorted castaways and a 25-year old Argentinean who likes to push people, Chicago is able to overcome its Jekyll and Hyde offense.
This touches on another curious aspect of Chicago's resurgence: the sheer number of concessions referees seem to afford them. This is a persistent and physical basketball club; it contests every shot, sticks a forearm into the chest of every player that dares drive to the goal and refuses to give up on any game. Although Chicago doesn't play dirty (Andres Nocioni's regrettable play on Wade notwithstanding), the Bulls get away with a shocking amount of extracurricular activity at both ends of the court. Nocioni and Gordon travel nearly every time they catch a pass, Hinrich often needs to palm the ball in order to pull his Steve Nash-act while dribbling along the baseline and Chandler perpetually punctuates every play (good or bad) with the sort of fist-pumps that have cost Rasheed Wallace a great deal of money over his storied career.
And don't think teams haven't taken notice. As is his custom, Ray Allen took his concerns over Hinrich's rugged defense to the press, Vince Carter and LeBron James have taken issue with Nocioni's stellar on-ball prowess and Reggie Miller couldn't even make it out of the second quarter in a game last month before his frustration with the non-calls grew into a pair of technical fouls.
This isn't to say that Chicago's season has been whistle-free; the Bulls have endured their fair share of rookie disrespect. But the Bulls force officials to make decisions, play after play, without letting up. And as much as they want to control the action, referees still don't want to call 192 fouls per game. So faced with a Bulls team that consistently pushes the defensive envelope, the men in gray can't help but loosen up as a game moves along. It also helps that, unlike the manhandling machines of the Pat Riley-era Knicks and Heat, these Bulls aren't as obvious with their pressure, playing physically but also in an entertaining fashion.
For all of the improvements this team has seen from then outside in, the Bulls' future still rests largely -- literally -- with the pair of high-schoolers that helped usher in the post-Michael Jordan era.
Curry and Chandler's futures with the Bulls aren't exactly the 600-pound gorillas (together, they barely weigh 500 pounds) they once were, but their impending restricted free agency will be the latest in a long line of difficult decisions Paxson will face.
After three often underwhelming seasons, Chandler and Curry have started to blossom this year. Chandler, who has become the Bulls defensive anchor, has averaged 9.6 rebounds in just 27 minutes a night while Curry has shot 54 percent from the floor en route to16 points in just under 29 minutes a game. Both are expected to ask for the moon this summer, and the Bulls have indicated several times that they intend to jump it for them, no matter how high.
Curry may never fulfill his true potential; he may never average one block a game (he has 58 this season); he may never rebound well and he may refuse to play though injuries that most players regard as surmountable. But he's a money scorer on the inside against just about any big man in the NBA. And in a league in which scoring in the paint is becoming an increasingly rare skill, the Bulls need to pay for that. Krause drafted Curry with the intent of building around him, and while Paxson hasn't built a winner in spite of Curry, he has created a support system strong enough to mitigate Curry's missteps.
Which is why the honeymoon will last. For when Antonio Davis and Othella Harrington's legs do finally fall off, Paxson has proven more than capable of finding suitable replacements to round out his roster. The Bulls won't be surprising winners from here on out, they'll just be winners -- and for a fan base that hasn't sniffed a playoff game since Jordan left town, that's more than enough.
Kelly Dwyer, SI.com
Chicago's midseason turnaround and impending return to the postseason may not be the most inspiring or entertaining story of the 2004-05 season, but it is far and away one of the most surprising developments we've seen all year. Not only is the Bulls' run unprecedented for a team so young it cannot be easily explained by a renewed commitment to hard work and tight defense.
What separates these Bulls from a long list of plucky overachievers is their happy marriage of youth and experience. Other teams have snuck in the back door of the playoffs with a band of cagey vets and the occasional lottery pick. At the opposite end of the spectrum are the countless franchises who adopt a youth movement, standings be damned, and develop for the future. But never has the NBA seen such a wildly successful integration of these two different philosophies. And this Chicago team isn't sneaking in the back door, my friend, not when it currently boasts the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.
ADVERTISEMENT
This is wonderful news for Chicago GM John Paxson, who inherited a mess (however potential-laden) after Jerry Krause retired two years ago. Though no one could argue with Pax's court-savvy after his successful 11-year playing career, he happened upon his latest job boasting a relatively light r?sum?, consisting of a single year as a Bulls assistant coach (sitting behind the bench, to boot) and a stint as their radio analyst.
His tenure began inauspiciously when he was forced into drafting a playmaker following Jay Williams' horrific motorcycle accident. He then turned down a chance to draft Dwyane Wade a year later when the Toronto Raptors offered to swap their fourth pick in the 2003 draft for Chicago's seventh, plus Donyell Marshall. Trying to provide the Bulls' youthful core some sense of leadership, Paxson signed Scottie Pippen and Kendall Gill as free agents, an experiment that failed under the weight of both players' injuries.
Faced with a disappointing 4-10 start to '03-04, Paxson moved swiftly in canning Bill Cartwright as coach, reluctantly dropping the axe on a former teammate, and set to destroying a roster that had lived off its own promising potential for too long. Instead, Paxson tied his -- and Chicago's -- fortunes to a pair of point guards. Former Magic quarterback Scott Skiles was introduced as the new coach sporting a reputation as someone players would rather strangle than play for. And rookie guard Kirk Hinrich was handed the keys to the team after being considered little more than a consolation prize in the LeBron/Carmelo sweepstakes.
Paxson then set about rebuilding the roster. Jalen Rose and Marshall were shipped to the Raptors for Antonio Davis. Though Davis' stats have paled in comparison to Rose's, and though his salary is the equal of Rose's eight-figure mark, the bruising forward/center has been Chicago's rock since coming to the Bulls in Dec. '03.
A call was then made to everyone's favorite trading partner, Knicks GM Isiah Thomas, who again proved happy to unburden a team of a hefty contract. Eager to add a big-name free agent name to his already bloated New York payroll, Thomas engineered a sign-and-trade deal for flighty guard Jamal Crawford and overpaid hustler Jerome Williams, in exchange for a slew of expiring contracts. When ex-Knick Dikembe Mutombo threatened not to report, Paxson sent him to Houston for Eric Piatkowski and Adrian Griffin -- two veterans who, along with former Knick Othella Harrington, have been prominent members of Chicago's rotation (especially during the team's recent 10 wins in 11 games run).
Consequently, Paxson has created one of the more enviable rosters in the league, flush with the cap space needed to extend the seven, count 'em, seven rookie contracts on this team. And most are worth extending. From Hinrich to Luol Deng to Ben Gordon, the rookies brought in under Paxson's watch have met or exceeded expectations, helping the slow growth of Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler go down a little easier.
A lot of credit for the turnaround, though, must go to Skiles. His offensive sets in Phoenix and in 68 games with Chicago last year were exercises in minimalism. This season, though they won't be scoring 120 points in a game anytime soon, the Bulls' current offense is spaced, dynamic and often executed to perfection. When the Bulls don't execute, they turn the ball over; Chicago's 16.3 turnovers per game easily lead the league. This leads to plenty of high-percentage, fast-break baskets for opponents, which makes the fact that Chicago holds teams to a league-low 42 percent from the floor even more mind-numbing. But thanks to a steady, suffocating defense Skiles has crafted from three rookies, a sophomore guard, two 22-year old "vets," assorted castaways and a 25-year old Argentinean who likes to push people, Chicago is able to overcome its Jekyll and Hyde offense.
This touches on another curious aspect of Chicago's resurgence: the sheer number of concessions referees seem to afford them. This is a persistent and physical basketball club; it contests every shot, sticks a forearm into the chest of every player that dares drive to the goal and refuses to give up on any game. Although Chicago doesn't play dirty (Andres Nocioni's regrettable play on Wade notwithstanding), the Bulls get away with a shocking amount of extracurricular activity at both ends of the court. Nocioni and Gordon travel nearly every time they catch a pass, Hinrich often needs to palm the ball in order to pull his Steve Nash-act while dribbling along the baseline and Chandler perpetually punctuates every play (good or bad) with the sort of fist-pumps that have cost Rasheed Wallace a great deal of money over his storied career.
And don't think teams haven't taken notice. As is his custom, Ray Allen took his concerns over Hinrich's rugged defense to the press, Vince Carter and LeBron James have taken issue with Nocioni's stellar on-ball prowess and Reggie Miller couldn't even make it out of the second quarter in a game last month before his frustration with the non-calls grew into a pair of technical fouls.
This isn't to say that Chicago's season has been whistle-free; the Bulls have endured their fair share of rookie disrespect. But the Bulls force officials to make decisions, play after play, without letting up. And as much as they want to control the action, referees still don't want to call 192 fouls per game. So faced with a Bulls team that consistently pushes the defensive envelope, the men in gray can't help but loosen up as a game moves along. It also helps that, unlike the manhandling machines of the Pat Riley-era Knicks and Heat, these Bulls aren't as obvious with their pressure, playing physically but also in an entertaining fashion.
For all of the improvements this team has seen from then outside in, the Bulls' future still rests largely -- literally -- with the pair of high-schoolers that helped usher in the post-Michael Jordan era.
Curry and Chandler's futures with the Bulls aren't exactly the 600-pound gorillas (together, they barely weigh 500 pounds) they once were, but their impending restricted free agency will be the latest in a long line of difficult decisions Paxson will face.
After three often underwhelming seasons, Chandler and Curry have started to blossom this year. Chandler, who has become the Bulls defensive anchor, has averaged 9.6 rebounds in just 27 minutes a night while Curry has shot 54 percent from the floor en route to16 points in just under 29 minutes a game. Both are expected to ask for the moon this summer, and the Bulls have indicated several times that they intend to jump it for them, no matter how high.
Curry may never fulfill his true potential; he may never average one block a game (he has 58 this season); he may never rebound well and he may refuse to play though injuries that most players regard as surmountable. But he's a money scorer on the inside against just about any big man in the NBA. And in a league in which scoring in the paint is becoming an increasingly rare skill, the Bulls need to pay for that. Krause drafted Curry with the intent of building around him, and while Paxson hasn't built a winner in spite of Curry, he has created a support system strong enough to mitigate Curry's missteps.
Which is why the honeymoon will last. For when Antonio Davis and Othella Harrington's legs do finally fall off, Paxson has proven more than capable of finding suitable replacements to round out his roster. The Bulls won't be surprising winners from here on out, they'll just be winners -- and for a fan base that hasn't sniffed a playoff game since Jordan left town, that's more than enough.