Spring's blooms smell that much sweeter for the
Bulls now that GM Jerry Krause has resigned
Opponent File
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls play in the United Center in
Chicago, Il. Here is the Chicago
Bulls Roster.
Local Paper
Chicago
Sun-Times | Bulls
Chicago
Tribune | Bulls
Team Pages:
CNNSI.com
| Bulls
ESPN.com
| Bulls
NBA.com | Bulls
The
Sporting News | Bulls
Sportsline.com
| Bulls
Head Coach: Bill Cartwright.
2002 Draft: Jay Williams, PG (Duke), selected
at #2. Roger Mason, SG (Virginia), selected at #31. Lonny Baxter, PF (Maryland),
selected at #44.
New Players: Corrie Blount, C (Philadelphia,
Free Agency). Rick Brunson, G (Portland, Free Agency). Donyell Marshall,
F (Utah, Free Agency).
Season Goal: Grow up and try to become competitive
while keeping the United Center filled.
Record vs. Nets: 1 - 2
Game 7: Bulls
100, Nets 93
Game 28: Nets
99, Bulls 83
Game 52: Nets
90, Bulls 72
Other Opponent Files
Projected Midwest Division Standing:
Chris Carrino: 6
Champagne: 6
Frank DiGraci: 7
Ian Eagle: 7
Joe Netsfan: 7
Operation Chicago Hope
For the second game in a row, the Nets run into a team out of the playoffs but not without hope. Call it Regime Change, Part 2. The Bulls, who have festered with mistake after mistake since GM Jerry "organizations, not players, win championships" Krause announced the other day that he was stepping down due to health reasons. Like the Iraqi people, Chicagoans were dancing in the streets after the liberating news. Maybe now the Bulls can get back to normalcy, unless of course Jordan himself is brought in to be the GM. Chicago has some good young talent, like a suddenly white-hot Jamal Crawford, thought to be a mistake pick but now starting ahead of the overhyped ex-Dukie Jay Williams. Then there are the Baby Bulls Tyson Chandler, Eddie Curry and Trenton Hassell. And don't forget Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall, either. The Bulls lost in overtime to the suddenly-hungry Pistons the other night, so you know they're pumped to pull a repeat of the Game 7 upset of the Nets earlier this season, as well as play spoiler to the Nets' Eastern Conference #1 seed dreams. Will the Bulls feel liberated enough to tear down posters of mustachioed Nets dictator Byron Scott and burn his effigies in the "Chicago Street"? Or will the Nets blitzkrieg the Bulls with their "shock and awe" campaign, and get a must-have victory in the Eastern Conference desert?
See You in Hell, Dolans: And your Knicks can join you there. The Knicks were officially eliminated from the playoffs for the second straight year on Wednesday night. And we here at JNF couldn't be happier. We're throwing our shoes at our Cablevision set-top boxes in jubilation.
- Joe
Chicago Bulls Cheat Sheet
The Story from Chicago: From ESPN.com comes this synopsis of Krause's resignation. "General manager Jerry Krause resigned April 7, citing health problems, after a tenure that included six NBA championships in the 1990s with Michael Jordan. The 64-year-old Krause held the post since 1985. He has struggled to rebuild the team since Jordan left after leading the team to a third straight title in 1998. At 27-50 through April 7, the Bulls will finish with a losing record for the fifth straight season and miss the playoffs again. 'The rigors and stress of the job have caused me some minor physical problems in the past few years,' Krause said in statement released by the team. 'Those problems can be eliminated if I lessen my load for a while and concentrate on overcoming them.' "
And who might become the new Bulls GM? Why, it could be none other than Mr Jordan, according to ESPN.com. "Jordan said April 9 that working in the Bulls' front office will be a second option if he can't work out a deal with the Wizards. 'Obviously my focus here is to go back upstairs,' he said after an 87-83 loss to the Celtics. 'And hopefully it works out that way, but if it doesn't, then obviously I have options. Not just Chicago, I have other options as well.' This comes in contrast to Jordan's thoughts on April 8, when Jerry Krause resigned as Bulls general manager and Jordan insisted he was only interested in fixing the Wizards."
Roman Modrowski (Chicago Sun-Times) reports that ex-Bull John Paxton has the early lead in the GM derby. He's already got the support of Pistons' GM Joe Dumars and coach Rick Carlisle. Carlisle had this to say about Paxton: "He'd be perfect for any position. If the Bulls decide to go that way, I think you would have a hard time finding anybody to give it resistance... He's a terrific guy, absolute level of integrity and honesty and forthrightness. I believe John Paxson would be successful in any endeavor he chose. I really believe that. I used to listen to him on TV, and I thought in his first year of doing it, he was one of the best analysts in all of basketball. Then he decided to go to radio. He's a bit of an odd guy that way. He likes to be more low profile. But there's an awful lot of depth there.'' Another ex-Bull, BJ Armstrong, has also been mentioned as a candidate.
Pain Game: Marcus Fizer, F, (torn ligaments in right knee), Dalibor Bagaric, C (ankle), and Fred Hoiberg (right Achilles tendinitis) are on injured reserve. Tyson Chandler, C (esophagitis), and F Donyell Marshall, F (shoulder) are listed as questionable.
Controversy: The controversial Jerry Krause GM era is over. Lord of 6 championships with Michael Jordan, Krause resigned due to health reasons 5 years after he decided that the franchise was bigger than Jordan. His rebuilding plan had yet to result in a good-looking team. Add to that: number one pick Jay Williams' is apparently unhappy about coming off the bench, and with the Bulls' losing ways.
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