Tag: Chicago Bulls

NBA Franchise Futures

As expected, the Lakers and Celtics faced off in a classic battle in the NBA Franchise Tournament Finals. While these two franchises will likely retain their perch on top of the NBA food chain for years to come, they do not have any incoming prospects to boost their all-time teams. Which contenders have a chance to make up ground on these legendary franchises? Which other teams have enhanced their lineups since the construction of the Franchise Tournament?

Contenders

Golden State – The All-Time Warriors team made a spirited run to the semi-finals, before falling to the seasoned Celtics. While they earned the third place medal in the tournament, no team has more potential reinforcements ready to enhance their roster. Draymond Green, now a two-time all-NBA Defensive first team selection, can slot in next to Wilt Chamberlain, Neil Johnston, or Nate Thurmond as a power forward who can set up his teammates and guard a range of opponents. Klay Thompson has vaulted into the discussion of best long-distance shooters in recent history, and his defense will greatly enhance a weakness of their second unit. Newcomer Kevin Durant has three more years until he’s eligible for inclusion; however, if he stays with Golden State, he has a chance to alter the balance of the franchise rankings. A potential starting lineup of Stephen Curry – Paul Arizin – Rick Barry-Durant-Chamberlain, with a bench of Johnston, Thurmond, Green, Thompson, Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, and Tom Gola (or Jeff Mullins) has a legitimate chance to upend the mighty 17-time champions and challenge the Lakers for supremacy. Even if Durant doesn’t stay, Green provides a more natural fit for their starting lineup, and makes them more versatile and better defensively.

San Antonio – While the composition of the Spurs roster will likely stay the same, the ascendance of Kawhi Leonard tremendously boosts their upside. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year can now start alongside Tim Duncan and David Robinson to form the greatest starting defensive frontcourt in the tournament. They can also cover up the defensive deficiencies of Tony Parker and George Gervin, who will start in the backcourt. Manu Ginobili will assume his familiar role of sixth man extraordinaire, and can replace Parker when more outside shooting is needed. There’s a good case to be made that the Spurs deserved to play Detroit in the third place game instead of the Warriors. This argument can still be made in spite of Golden State’s additions, due to Kawhi’s MVP-level upside.

Other Franchises

Houston – James Harden is now eligible for inclusion on the All-Time Houston Rockets team, and he provides them with their most dynamic backcourt option. He will immediately slot into their starting lineup, next to either Calvin Murphy or Clyde Drexler. Harden’s usage rate will have to drop, and his off-the-ball defense will have to improve, but they’re a much stronger and more balanced team with him on the roster.

Chicago – The All-Time Chicago Bulls team needs shooting above all else, and they don’t have anybody on their current roster who’s poised to fill that gap. They do have an emerging superstar in Jimmy Butler who gives them another dominant wing defender and creator. While this doesn’t solve their deficiencies, adding Butler to Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Jerry Sloan, Norm Van Lier, Luol Deng, Bob Love, Horace Grant and Joakim Noah gives this team an almost unfair collection of defensive talent.

Milwaukee – Giannis Antetokounmpo’s breakout season creates a wealth of possibilities for the All-Time Bucks team. Imagine the 6’11” Greek Freak playing point forward alongside all of the talented wings on this roster? Imagine the defensive possibilities with Giannis, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sidney Moncrief, and Bob Dandridge? The Bucks are one of the more intriguing teams to watch going forward, mainly due to Antetokounmpo’s limitless ceiling.

Portland – The All-Time Blazers will be more dangerous with Damian Lillard starting alongside Terry Porter in the backcourt (with Clyde Drexler playing small forward in these configurations). His distance shooting adds another element to this offense, though his porous defense will be a detriment against the stacked rosters in this tournament.

Utah – Utah’s main problems, wing depth and defense, will be greatly mitigated by the arrival of two current stars: Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert. Hayward provides versatility and playmaking ability at the three, while Gobert gives them another Defensive Player of the Year-caliber center whose athleticism is greatly needed on this roster.

All-Time Chicago Bulls vs. All-Time Detroit Pistons

Our next match features two of the greatest rivals in NBA history. They met in four straight playoffs from 1988 to 1991, with three of those matches occurring in the Eastern Conference Finals. They represented the East in six straight NBA finals from 1988 to 1993, winning five championships between them. They also feature two of the biggest names from a golden age of NBA basketball – Michael Jordan, the most marketable athlete in NBA history, and Isiah Thomas, the baby-faced assassin who was Jordan’s chief adversary in his early career. The battle between the All-Time Chicago Bulls vs. All-Time Detroit Pistons is steeped in tradition, and features a number of players who harbor ill will from this contemptuous rivalry.

All-Time Chicago Bulls vs. All-Time Detroit Pistons

Key Matchups

Isiah Thomas vs. Chicago’s backcourt: Coach Phil Jackson values length in his starting backcourt, and earlier in the tournament, he eschewed starting a traditional point guard in favor of having Scottie Pippen serve as his primary ballhandler. While Pippen and Jordan make up the best defensive backcourt combination in the tournament, they are vulnerable to lightning-quick smaller guards who can penetrate. How will Jackson guard Isiah Thomas? He can stick with his starting lineup, and have Jordan chase around Thomas, or he can play the matchups and start Norm Van Lier, an eight-time all-NBA defensive selection who had the same listed height as Thomas (6’1”). If he starts Van Lier, Pippen would move to his natural small forward slot, and Chet Walker would slide into the sixth man role. This would create a bigger rebounding burden on the Bulls frontcourt, however, where they are already over matched, as described below.

Dominant defenses: These are two of the best defensive teams in the tournament. Combined, their players made 56 all-NBA defensive teams, and earned eight Defensive Player of the Year awards. Despite the plethora of scoring threats on each side, this series could feature a surprisingly high number of low-scoring games.

Advanced statistics vs. The Eye Test: Although Detroit features a slew of Hall-of-Famers, the advanced statistics of their superstars are not overwhelming, particularly Thomas, as described here. Despite this, their team members should complement each other well, with a nice mix of penetrators (Thomas and Dave Bing), shooters (George Yardley, Chauncey Billups, Joe Dumars, and even Bill Laimbeer), all-around dynamos (Grant Hill), low post scorers/rebounders (Bob Lanier, Bailey Howell, and Larry Foust), and dominant rebounders/defenders (Dennis Rodman and Ben Wallace). Chicago, meanwhile, features Michael Jordan, who is not only regarded by experts as one of the greatest players of all time, but who is the GOAT of advanced statistics, standing as the all-time leader in PER and WS/48. He’s surrounded by a mix of Hall-of-Fame and all-star level competitors, who don’t appear to fit as well with one another as the Detroit club. The Bulls lack outside shooting, which will make it easier for Detroit to employ a modified version of The Jordan Rules. Artis Gilmore, their best center, will also have a difficult time, since he will have to find a way to avoid clogging the lane for Chicago’s penetrators while working as their best low-post scoring option.

Biggest Mismatches

Chicago’s perimeter length: The long arms of Jordan and Pippen will loom large in this series, particularly when they share backcourt duties. Jerry Sloan and Luol Deng provide additional perimeter options who can use their length for defensive and rebounding advantages. Detroit’s perimeter options are not as long or athletic as Chicago’s (outside of Grant Hill, who will match up with Pippen frequently), which will help the Bulls make up for their lack of dominant frontcourt rebounding. Speaking of which…

Detroit’s rebounding advantage: Detroit should control the glass in this series. They feature four players who led the league in total rebounds for at least one year as a Piston (Foust, Laimbeer, Rodman, and Wallace), and two others who averaged in double figures in their time in Detroit (Howell and Lanier). While Chicago’s wings will try to help mitigate this advantage, Rodman, in particular, could go off in this series. The Bulls may again have to adjust their starting lineup for matchup purposes, with Horace Grant taking the place of Bob Love. However, benching Love and Chet Walker in favor of Grant and Norm Van Lier will put a much greater scoring burden on Jordan, and Chicago’s offense may stall without multiple shot creators against Detroit’s dominant defense.

X-Factor

Chicago’s spacing: The Bulls face several lineup dilemmas, as outlined above. If Phil Jackson starts Van Lier, Jordan, Pippen, Grant, and Gilmore, Detroit will pack the paint and force Chicago’s mediocre shooters to beat them from long-range. Chicago doesn’t have much shooting coming off the bench, either. Deng and Toni Kukoc were pedestrian three point shooters during their times in Chicago (shooting 33.1 percent and 32.7 percent, respectively), while Derrick Rose was below average, particularly for a guard. Phil Jackson’s triangle offense will help to create space for the Bulls scorers, but Detroit features a number of smart defenders who will try to cut off Chicago’s strengths.

"Go to hell." "You too!" Copyright © Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com
“Go to hell.”
“You too!”
Copyright © Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com

Results

Recently, the good folks at the Over & Back Podcast asked what the third greatest rivalry in NBA history was, conceding that the first two were Wilt vs. Russell and Magic vs. Bird. A good argument could be made for Isiah vs. Jordan, especially considering how impactful their teams were to the championship chase in the late 80s and early 90s. Neither of these stone-cold competitors would want to lose this historic matchup, which should be closely contested. Despite Jordan’s brilliance, the flaws of the Bulls roster are too much for him to overcome, and he suffers another heartbreaking defeat to his nemesis.

Detroit wins, four games to three.

Next Round

Detroit faces the All-Time Lakers.

All-Time Chicago Bulls vs. All-Time Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have had a pedestrian existence in the modern-day NBA. In 2015, they made their first conference finals appearance since 1970. Their rich history in St. Louis, where they made four finals appearances in five seasons (winning one), is often discounted. The Chicago Bulls, meanwhile, are one of the glamour teams of the modern NBA. In the 1990s, they won six titles in eight seasons, behind the most marketable athlete in basketball history. Their pedestrian history beyond that run is often overlooked, as they’ve never made the NBA Finals before or since. While some may assume the match between the All-Time Chicago Bulls vs. All-Time Atlanta Hawks is one-sided, a deeper look into their respective histories shows that this series could be one of the most competitive of our tournament.

All-Time Chicago Bulls vs. All-Time Atlanta Hawks

Key Matchups

Chicago’s perimeter defense vs. Atlanta’s firepower: Atlanta’s high-scoring perimeter options (namely, Lou Hudson, Dominique Wilkins, and Pete Maravich) will have to overcome the greatest collection of perimeter defensive talent in this tournament. Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, Norm Van Lier, Jerry Sloan, and Luol Deng were all plus defenders, combining for 30 appearances on all-NBA defensive teams. This group will also disrupt Atlanta’s ballhandlers (Lenny Wilkens and Mookie Blaylock), who will struggle to find open passing lanes, and who will also have to avoid turnovers when Chicago utilizes a full-court press.

Bob Pettit vs. Chicago’s forwards: Bob Pettit, who averaged over 26 PPG and 16 RPG throughout his career, will be a load for Chicago’s forwards to handle. Bob Love, Chicago’s nominal starting power forward, will initially match up with him, but will struggle to contend on the boards with the relentless legend. On the other side of the court, expect Love to use his quickness advantage to make Pettit work on defense. Chicago will also allot minutes to Horace Grant, who can better contend on the boards (especially on the offensive side, where he ranked in the top six of the league in offensive rebound percentage three years in a row), and Toni Kukoc, who has no chance of defending Pettit but will give him problems on defense with his all-court offensive game. Chicago’s best chance to contend with Pettit will be throwing these three distinct looks at him throughout the series, and making him work on the defensive end of the court.

Biggest Mismatches

The athleticism of Chicago’s starting backcourt vs. Atlanta’s guard rotation: In addition to their defensive brilliance, the Bulls feature perhaps the most athletic starting backcourt pairing in the tournament. Jordan and Pippen have a chance to overwhelm Atlanta’s smaller, less athletic defenders. Mookie Blaylock, Atlanta’s perimeter defensive ace, stood at only 6’0”, and will be more effective guarding Derrick Rose than either of these two wings. Atlanta’s ability to mitigate the damage that these two inflict may be the deciding factor in the series.

Atlanta’s three point shooting advantage: As great as Lou Hudson and Pete Maravich were, they would have been even more dominant with a three-point line, which was not in the league during their tenures with the Hawks. Expect them to take full advantage of this rule during this series. Chicago’s main weakness is their lack of three-point shooting. Because of their potential spacing issue, Coach Phil Jackson may give Toni Kukoc more minutes than anticipated, to open up space for Jordan, Pippen, Chet Walker, and Artis Gilmore inside. This may not work perfectly, however, since Kukoc was a mediocre three-point shooter in his time with the Bulls (.327 percent).

X-Factor

Can Atlanta overcome Chicago’s defensive onslaught? The Hawks have a well-balanced team, that may be deeper than Chicago’s. However, down the stretch of close games, can Atlanta find room to score? Expect Chicago to utilize a closing defensive lineup of Van Lier or Sloan, Jordan, Pippen, Horace Grant, and Joakim Noah. Atlanta will have to rely on the greatness of Pettit and their perimeter stars to overcome this unit.

Results

These two teams go back and forth in a seven game classic. Chicago’s defense is suffocating, but Atlanta proves resilient behind the great Pettit. In the closing game, Jordan and Pettit go mano a mano in a close encounter. The Bulls are able to shut down Atlanta’s other options, and pull away in the end.

All-Time Chicago Bulls vs. All-Time Atlanta Hawks
Pippen and Jordan help the Bulls pull away in game seven. Copyright © Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com

Chicago wins, four games to three.

Next Round

Chicago faces the winner of the All-Time Pistons vs. All-Time Clippers.

All-Time New Orleans Pelicans Team

All-Time New Orleans Pelicans Team Infographic

It’s hard to know what to do with our next franchise. They’ve only been in existence for 13 seasons, and it’s hard to define who they really are. What do I mean by that? Well, the Charlotte Hornets were established in 1989. They moved to New Orleans in 2003, becoming the New Orleans Hornets. Meanwhile, the Charlotte Bobcats were established in 2005, two years after the Hornets left town. In 2014, New Orleans decided to change their name to the Pelicans, seemingly for comedic purposes. Since the ‘Hornets’ name was now up for grabs, the Bobcats decided to change their name to the Hornets, starting in 2015. Somehow the former Bobcats seem to have magically adopted the history of the Hornets franchise, while the first year of the New Orleans franchise is considered to be 2003, even though they really have been in existence since 1989. Confused yet? You should be. The All-Time New Orleans Pelicans team considers only those players who have been a part of the franchise since that original 2003 date, even though that doesn’t make any logical sense.

Since this is technically our newest franchise, they don’t have the longevity to field a team that complies with our rules (namely, each player having played at least four seasons and 200 games with the franchise). So we’ll make a team with the best players in franchise history, regardless of longevity, and, to be fair, they’ll forfeit the opportunity to advance in our tournament. With that out of the way, this team is anchored by two players who have a chance to be among the greatest to ever play their respective positions. Chris Paul played his first six years with the franchise, and garnered some of the most impressive statistics ever seen at the point guard position. He led the league in assists twice in New Orleans, and in steals three times. He also finished second in MVP voting in the 2007-08 season, when he led the team to 56 wins and an improbable Southwest Division title. Anthony Davis is just beginning his reign of excellence, but is already one of the best players in the league at 22 years of age. In 2014-15, Davis accumulated the 11th greatest player efficiency rating in NBA history, and if he continues on this path, he has a great chance to join the list of all-time great power forwards.

The other starters are David West, along with the oft-injured Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn. West was an excellent complement to Paul, and earned two all-star appearances with the franchise. Davis was a dynamic play-maker when healthy and motivated; however, he was also a woefully inefficient shooter who wasn’t known for his work ethic. Jamal Mashburn made the All-NBA third team in 2002-03, when he played all 82 games for the only time in his career. He only played 19 more games with the franchise before retiring, but he remains the leading scorer on a points per game basis in New Orleans’ history.

Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans are the backup guards. The Eric Gordon signing hasn’t worked out well for New Orleans, but he’s re-discovered his three-point stroke in his last two seasons, and will open up the floor when he’s on the court. Tyreke Evans has switched to primarily playing small forward, and his ballhandling has helped the team adjust to the constant absence of Jrue Holiday (due to injuries). Peja Stojakovic and Ryan Anderson can stretch the floor from both forward positions. The three-headed big man combo of P.J. Brown, Tyson Chandler, and Emeka Okafor can protect the paint and make New Orleans competitive on the glass. Expect big minutes from this trio, especially since the starting lineup lacks a true center.

Down the road, this team will be intriguing, since they’re anchored by two Hall-of-Famers in the making. In the meantime, their forfeit allows the All-Time Bulls to advance to the second round of our tournament, where they’ll face the winner of the All-Time Hawks vs. the All-Time Mavericks.

Coach: Byron Scott

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .474

All-Time Chicago Bulls Team

All-Time Chicago Bulls Team Infographic

Due to Shaquille O’Neal’s recent Instagram post, I’m starting with a profile of the All-Time Chicago Bulls Team. With six NBA championships, the Bulls are seeded third in our tournament.

Michael Jordan is such a dominant player that it’s somewhat difficult to construct a team around him. I cheated a bit here, and listed Scottie Pippen as the primary ball-handler, since he was so versatile and often filled this role. The other guards that made the cut are a mix of dynamic scorers (Derrick Rose) and lockdown defenders (Norm Van Lier, Jerry Sloan). With a few more solid seasons, Rose certainly has a chance to start, though his fit with Jordan and Pippen (who would slide to his natural small forward position) would be awkward.

The starting forwards are used to playing with each other from the excellent Bulls teams in the 1970s. Both Chet the Jet Walker and Bob Love were excellent scorers, though Love wasn’t as efficient as his other teammates in the starting lineup. The forwards off the bench provide versatility (Luol Deng and Toni Kukoc) plus rebounding and defense (Horace Grant). One of the bigger conflicts I had was whether to include Reggie Theus on this team, instead of Kukoc. Despite being a two-time all-star on the Bulls, Theus’s advanced stats were far inferior to Kukoc’s, so I went with Toni.

There are two very different centers on this team: Artis Gilmore, a traditional big man with the size to rebound, protect the paint, and score down low, and Joakim Noah, a smaller player who relies more on quickness, energy, and will. Noah’s passing skills will be helpful for a team that will play long stretches without a traditional point guard.

This team should shine on the defensive end of the court. Pippen, Jordan, Van Lier, Sloan, Noah, Grant, Deng, and Love constitute one of the best collective defensive units in this tournament. Offensively, they have a nice mix of scorers, but spacing will be a big issue. The best players in franchise history simply were not great three-point shooters, and I could not justify selecting a three-point specialist (like John Paxson) ahead of a superior all-around player (like Norm Van Lier). This is one of the most interesting teams to project, with many versatile pieces, but clear flaws.

Coach – Phil Jackson

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .522

Thanks Shaq!

On Sunday night, Shaquille O’Neal wrote an Instagram post stating that the all-time Lakers starting five would defeat the all-time Bulls starting five by 50 points. What perfect timing – thanks Shaq!

This blog was created to address these exact questions, and to ensure that old school players get their proper due. Case in point: Shaq’s all-time starting five for the Bulls includes Dennis Rodman, Horace Grant, and Derrick Rose. You can make an argument for Rose, but, as you’ll see in my upcoming Bulls post, none of those individuals made my hypothetical starting five, and Rodman did not even make the team (players must have played four years for a franchise to be eligible for this tournament). The ’70s Bulls were an all-time great defensive team that gets glossed over in history, and they’re well-represented here.

I also think it’s important to construct a full roster, since depth is such an important part of basketball. What would an all-time Lakers team be without Jerry West and George Mikan? Who would start for that team? There are so many great options, and I can’t wait to lay them out for you in this project.

(Still) Love the Game

In 2008, my oldest friend decided to start a blog. He invited me to write about sports, and I couldn’t have been any more excited to do it. In my first post, I stated that “blogging allows me to pursue my dream in a half-assed manner, getting close enough to the action to discuss it in a public forum, but far enough that I don’t have to deal with any of the people involved.” The blog was disorganized, unfocused, and didn’t have any regular readers, but I loved working on it. Unfortunately, work, graduate school, and life caused me to stop, and I figured my sports blogging days were over.

A few months ago, I started to list the all-time greatest players for each franchise on a spreadsheet. This isn’t anything new; a Google search for ‘greatest players for each NBA franchise’ returns 123 million results. However, I’ve always been fascinated with tournaments, real or fake, and couldn’t help but wonder how each franchise would fare in this type of competition. What would the all-time Pistons starting five look like? Wouldn’t the all-time Suns be impossible to defend? How would the players from the different eras of Bulls basketball fit as a team? Would anybody be able to beat the Lakers?

I started poring through basketball-reference.com to build a 12-man team for each franchise. It turns out that choosing players, constructing starting fives, and seeing how the pieces fit together is incredibly fun for me. It’s even more fun to compare franchises to determine who has the greatest 12-man unit. You might think the results are inevitable, since the Celtics and Lakers have a combined 33 championships, but it’s amazing to see how good other franchises, such as the 76ers, Warriors, and Spurs are.

I love history, and I particularly love basketball history. I work as a researcher, so you can be sure that I’ll take the time to construct logical arguments here on this blog. Over the next few months, I’ll be profiling every current franchise (save for the newest expansion teams), and showing how they would fare in this all-time tournament. There are many more ideas that I’ll write about for this blog, but this tournament will be the primary focus for the foreseeable future. I’ll read every comment that you post, so please add to the discussion when you see fit. Thank you, and enjoy.