What do Chicago Bulls fans expect? Since winning three NBA championships in a row, the Bulls went six straight seasons without coming close to the playoffs. Through those six seasons, the Bulls made it to 30 wins only once, during the 2002-03 campaign.
One of the biggest bright spots was Elton Brand, a "20-10"-type player, and was traded away prior to the 2001-02 season, in order to receive Los Angeles Clippers second-round pick Tyson Chandler. Until this season, how good of a trade was that?
Suffering through the short-term eras of Charles Oakley, Jalen Rose, even to a very ... very shortly-lived John Starks era has forced Bulls fans to hide deeper and deeper inside their caves. Other players such as Ron Artest and Jamal Crawford were traded away.
Who will forget the tragic motorcycle accident that has kept former Duke great, Jay Williams, away from the game for a year and a half now? While he was a bit of a disappointment in his rookie year with the Bulls, he still had potential to improve in the upcoming season.
The drama by Eddie Robinson forced the Bulls to get rid of him prior to the start of this season. And of course, who will forget the continued ordeal after ordeal from Eddy Curry?
Prior to this season, the main bright spot was the drafting of Kirk Hinrich from last year's draft. The Bulls this past summer drafted Ben Gordon and Chris Duhon. Ben Gordon, the fans hoped, would be an individual who would have potential to add star power to the team.
After starting the season 0-9, Chicago fans had no reason to expect that this year would be any better. That all changed after the Bulls went on a five-game winning streak last month, and again this month. The last time the Bulls had a three-game win streak was two seasons ago. The last time the Bulls had a four-game winning streak was in 1997-98. That season was also the last time the Bulls had a five-game win streak, of course that being their final championship year.
Coming off Wednesday night's blowout win over the Sixers, the Bulls have a five-game win streak, and are No. 8 in the East. The Bulls play New York Saturday afternoon. They are 15-18.
With the team's recent success, are the playoffs a realistic goal for the Bulls this season? ESPN Radio 1000's (WMVP-AM) Carmen DeFalco says yes. "The Bulls are better than both Philly and Boston," said DeFalco, Tuesday morning on the Silvy and Carmen show. "Yes, they will make the playoffs." Co-host Marc Silverman asks "are you sure?" in which DeFalco, also the pregame and postgame host of the Bulls on that station, replies again with, "yes."
The season is still young. While the Bulls have been playing decent to good basketball as of late, the one thing that worries me still is that they are a very young team. The Bulls do not have an established veteran. Eddy Curry is beginning to come around, but he is not the offensive threat that he was originally supposed to be.
Curry probably will never be that player. Chicagoans are beginning to accept that Curry isn't the star player or "go-to" guy. Yet they are beginning to accept that he is starting to become a good supporting player. His future with the Bulls remains in doubt, though. This is his contract year and he apparently wants a large contract. He certainly doesn't deserve it, and I don't see the Bulls giving him that. It remains in question whether the Bulls will trade him prior to the trading deadline.
Tyson Chandler is really beginning to come around as a defensive player. His offensive skills are rather ... offensive, but his contributions in the fourth quarter as of late really make a difference. Chandler wasn't thrilled when coach Scott Skiles removed him from the starting lineup. Since then, Chandler has been more effective coming off the bench, since he previously was ineffective or barely visible in the fourth quarter.
Ben Gordon, despite early struggles, is beginning to really come around. He has really impressed those who are willing to watch. Gordon is still a rookie and has plenty of potential to develop still. Hinrich, in his second year, clearly has emerged as a fan favorite and a vital contributor to the team's recent success.
With such a young team, growing pains are still to be expected. The Bulls continue to make silly mistakes and give up a lot of turnovers. If there is a positive, many of these games the Bulls have won recently, would have been losses if they were played a year or two ago.
Despite the turnover and silly mistakes, their defense remains to be a bright spot.
The Bulls have won a majority of these games at home, yet they remain .500 on the road. What does Coach Skiles have to say about the added excitement as of late? "We are getting a little ahead of ourselves," says Skiles. "We are still a very young team that has a long way to go."
Very true. With the rest of the Eastern conference remaining in a horrid state, the Bulls have a chance to make the playoffs. I would rather talk about the Bulls making the playoffs because they are a really great team, not because their fellow teams in the conference stink. But with how the last six seasons went, what we have now, I will take it. Fifty more regular season games to go for the Bulls. I'll be watching. Now, I say, just bring it.
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