Life long Bulls fan but here is the honest truth of why top tier 1 free-agents shun Chicago. Go back to 1998 after the Bulls win their second 3-peat. The owner and management was on some "players don't win championships, organizations do" logic. So they decided to blow up the squad and send MJ and Phil Jackson away. Throughout the entire run the two Jerry's Krause(GM at that time) and Reinsdorf(owner) was reaping the benefits of an underpaid MJ and Pippen. The reason why top free agents don't come here is because of Reinsdorf(also owns White Sox) and he was the common denominator. There is no way that MJ should not be in the Bulls organization in a very important capacity. The fact that he isn't proves that Reinsdorf is a tight jew. So when free agents think of Chicago guess who they ask about Chicago, yeah you guessed it MJ and Pip. Reinsdorf should have rode with Jordan and not Krause. MJ made the Bulls a great franchise by his name Brand alone. So when free agents saw how Jordan got dissed by Reinsdorf they be like "if Jordan can be underappreciated then where does that leave me". So in closing as long as Reinsdorf is the owner the Bulls will continue to miss out on top tier free agents.
I disagree with the premise of this statement. The Bulls did not underappreciate MJ or Scottie. First, Scottie Pippen wanted financial security and signed a 9 year deal. Scottie was not a free agent until the end of the dynasty.
Scottie was mad that he didnt get to be paid during the windfall of the mid 90's. He got his payday after the lockout. And even after the lockout the Bulls did a sign and trade for almost nothing so Scottie could get the max salary. Scottie also works for the Bulls right now.
Secondly the Bulls, no one has ever heard MJ publicly bad mouth Jerry Reinsdorf, Krause but not Reinsdorf. If anything Reinsdorf went out of his way to protect Jordan. He kept the news of Jordan's pre-marital baby out of the media, he keep the rumors of Jordan's personality out of the media and even sacrificed Horace Grant (by publicaly criticizing him). He paid Jordan his full salary during his first retirement. And paid Jordan 64 million over two years. Even 13 years later, no athlete in any sport has made that much money over two years.
Also, Michael Jordan ended the dynasty. He said he would "never play for a coach other than Phil Jackson" then played for Doug Collins three years later. Also, Jordan was going to play after the lock-out but he nearly cut his index finger down to the bone with a cigar cutter and would have missed the entire lock-out season.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/nba/longterm/jordan/articles/jordan14.htm
Also, he would have cameback to the Bulls but by the time his finger was healed he had been offered part ownership and the VP role at Washington and has been owner or VP with a Charlotte since. Jordan will not accept a Dominique Wilkins type role.
Based off of his record with Washington (drafting Kwame, trading Rip for Stackhouse, not trading the 11 [Jared Jefferies] and 17 [Juan Dixon] to the Clippers #8 which would have been Amare Stoudamire) would you have hired Jordan as a VP. Even now, he trades Tyson Chandler for nothing and let Felton go for nothing!
The Bulls organization is not a bad organization for former players. Paxson is VP, BJ was assistant GM, Stacy King is the radio man and a former scout, the hired a broke Randy Brown and bought him new rings to replace that he ones he lost to bankruptcy, Bill Wennington is the radio man, Pete Myers is assistant coach, Scottie works for Bulls.com and was given the job during financial trouble, Will Perdue was a radio man, they paid Jay Williams after his motorcycle accident and he gave Cartwright a assistant and head coaching job. And he still hired Krause as a scout with the White Sox.
This guy took care of the Bulls players.
Don't buy into this shit that the BUlls don't support their players.
And if Miami adds another 7feet tall center, it's lights out for your Front court. They are undersized..
26.8 isnt almost 30. 29.8 is almost 30. Wade will cath fire at time, but his shit aint money. Reggie was money, Bird was money, Glen Rice was money, Wade is ok...
