FOX 32's Chicago Bulls Quarter Century Team, from Rose to Taj
Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis talks NBA Summer League & Bulls rookies
Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis talks the upcoming Summer League in Las Vegas, and getting the chance to meet the incoming Bulls' rookies.
The last 25 years have been a difficult time for the Chicago Bulls.
The post-Jordan era Bulls have been a rollercoaster of highs, lows, Boylens, Boylans and more. That doesn't mean the highs should be enjoyed any less.
FOX 32 Chicago continues its collection of quarter century teams, moving on to the Chicago Bulls, from Rose to Taj.
Point guard:
Derrick Rose.
Fittingly, we start with Derrick.
The youngest MVP in league history, a hometown hero, the 2008 Rookie of the Year and a Bulls legend, Rose was the biggest star who shined for the Bulls after Jordan's era ended.
If the LeBron James Miami Heat didn't exist, Rose might have a championship to his name. The entire city offered their ACLs and meniscus's to Rose after he injured his.
The franchise's shortcomings and injuries don't define Rose, however. He's one of the finest Bulls to ever don a Chicago jersey.
Shooting guard:
Jimmy Butler.
Stacey King coined a nickname for Butler, "G." That simply stood for "Gets," as in Jimmy Gets Buckets Butler.
Arguably Tom Thibodeau's finest work, Butler went from Tyler Junior College, to Marquette, to being No. 30 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Butler played in 42 games as rookie for the Bulls in 2011-2012, and was a full-time starter by 2013-2014 with a knack for being a defensive force.
Eventually, he was a star for the Bulls.
Before he took over as a consistent force for the Timberwolves, 76ers, Miami Heat and, now, the Golden State Warriors, Butler was an apex defender for the Bulls. He was the 2015 NBA Most Improved Player, a second-team All-NBA Defensive Team selection three times, a three-time All-Star and an All-NBA third team selection in 2017 for the Bulls. There was a time Butler was the guy defending LeBron James, Kevin Durant and other high-scoring stars, and it was no question he held his own.
Sure, his time with the Bulls ended unceremoniously. But, so did that era of the Bulls with Thibodeau's firing, Rose's trade, the scapegoating of Fred Hoiberg and the utter mediocrity that came after. No one can deny him the acknowledgment of how he rose to stardom.
Wing:
DeMar DeRozan
If availability is one of the best traits a player can bring to a team, then DeRozan checks that box easily. He was also the best player of the rebuilt Bulls under Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas. He missed just 17 of 246 possible games in three seasons.
DeRozan was also a two-time All-Star, an All-NBA Second Team selection, and 10th in MVP Voting in the 2021-2022 season. He averaged 25.5 points, 5.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game in his three years as a Bull.
The core of that Bulls team was supposed to be Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball, Nikola Vucevic and DeRozan. Vucevic has been steady. Only DeRozan truly starred. The Bulls might have been mediocre, but DeRozan was not.
Forward:
Luol Deng.
A decade-long Bull, Luol Deng arrived in Chicago in a draft-day trade from Phoenix and played 637 games in a Chicago jersey. On paper, Deng is a two-time All-Star, a 2011-2012 NBA All-Defensive team selection and the defensive centerpiece for the Bulls under Tom Thibodeau.
He was also dependable, playing the most average minutes per game in the NBA during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons. Deng also averaged double points per game in every playoff series he played in except for one.
A better way to illustrate this is how Deng finished in the top 10 all-time in seasons played, games, points, three pointers, free throws, rebounds, steals and blocks in his Bulls’ career.
What’s not noted on paper is how Deng was usually assigned to guard the other team’s best player. In his career, this list includes: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, Pau Gasol and other star players in the 2000s and 2010s. He was so highly regarded that Kobe Bryant reportedly vetoed a trade to the Bulls that included Deng going to the Lakers because he wanted to play won the same team as Deng.
Deng was traded to the Cavaliers, which was a bittersweet ending to his Bulls tenure, but even after playing for the Cavs, Heat, Lakers and Timberwolves, Deng chose to sign a contract to retire as a Bull.
Center:
Joakim Noah.
If Thibodeau's tenure prided itself on defense, then Noah was the heartbeat of that tenure.
Noah was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft and had his moments before the Thibs era. Namely, no one can forget how he went coast-to-coast at the end of the third overtime in Game 6 of the 2009 Eastern Conference First Round that forced a Game 7 against the defending champion Boston Celtics. That was the good stuff.
But, Noah's best work was as a defensive centerpiece. He was a two-time All-Star, a 2014 All-NBA first-team selection, the 2014 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and three-time All-Defensive team selection.
His play was as big as his personality, which was beloved among Bulls fans during the tenuous series against LeBron James' Cavaliers and Heat. Who can forget his "What's so good about Cleveland?" rant. That was also the good stuff.
Noah's return during Derrick Rose Night on Jan. 4 cemented how much he meant to this franchise.
Sixth Man:
Tie: Taj Gibson & Ben Gordon
This is tough, but it’s hard to give one props without the other deserving his flowers, too.
Gordon was the 2004 Sixth Man of the Year as a rookie and was fifth in the Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2008. There’s an argument that he was a better player coming off the bench for the Bulls than as a starter, averaging 15 and 18 points per game as a sixth man.
Gibson, on the other hand, still gets an ovation when he gets into a game at the United Center. He finished in the top 10 of Sixth Man of the Year voting three times, finishing second in 2014. He played eight years in Chicago, playing in 562 games and starting 229. He's best season was that runner-up Sixth Man season in 2013-2014 where he averaged 13 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
Both are deserving.