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Interactive Hang-Time News by Email Hoopchat Frequently Asked Questions Horri-Bulls slump makes a pitiful sight
Mark Woods
They say the bigger they are, the harder they fall. And if the recent earthquake in Seattle left numerous cracks in its wake, then the collapse from grace of the Chicago Bulls has produced a mammoth schism,
running right down the heart of the town which Michael Jordan once held, lovingly, in his magical hands.
Imagine if instead of Rangers slipping into mere aspirants this season, they had instead overnight taken on the miserable lot of Montrose. Or if Real Madrid metamorphosed into that five a side team you signed up for
on holiday on the Costa Del Sol. From heroes to zeroes in the blink of an eye, the finest team that any of us ever witnessed has become the favoured whipping boy of the National Basketball Association, the era of
Jordan, sidekick Scottie Pippen and coach cum soothsayer Phil Jackson now a sweet memory amid contemporary nightmare.
You can hardly blame any Bulls fan for cherishing such recall. After six titles in the 1990s, they had taken success for granted in the way most of us enjoy breathing. A team which recorded 62 wins in a single season in 1998, Jordan's final year, has won barely 40 since, their victory tally this term on pace to only marginally surpass the established benchmark for mediocrity set two decades ago by Philadelphia.
Nor can you castigate their coach Tim Floyd. An affable individual with a proven talent for bringing the best out of his charges, "Pink" has presided over the malaise like a bewildered talk show host on Big Brother.Forced to play a system which was not of his choosing, and with only one legitimate talent - Elton Brand - to mould, Floyd's veneer of frustration is scarcely concealed.
In the absence of legitimate alternatives, the flak has landed squarely on the mat of super-scout Jerry Krause. Legendary for his ability to find gold in the midst of mud, Krause once basked under the plaudits
awarded to the principal architect of the Bulls incredible dynasty.How times have changed. Blamed, rightly or wrongly, for the break-up of that squad and, seemingly, unable to repeat that magic with a new collection of stars, Krause is expected to be moved to an alternative
position by owner Jerry Reinsdorf when the campaign is, mercifully, brought to its close.Shortcomings are not hard to trace. The once mighty organisation has endured one snub after another from potential arrivals, a series of top names passing up the opportunity to become a rich loser in Chicago and
Krause, an oft-mocked figure who has done little to endear himself to those within the league, will carry the can, no longer able to make the trades which could reverse the Bulls' freefall."(Chicago) wanted to do something in the worst way," one rival personnel director revealed following the recent NBA signing deadline. "Jerry Krause talked to a lot of people, but I don't think a lot of people
wanted to talk to him. Let's put it this way: People aren't in any hurry to help him."
"I definitely didn't think that Chicago had the advantage over Orlando," adds Tracy McGrady who spurned the Bulls' advances in favour of a move to the Magic Kingdom. "I was looking at which team would be a playoff
contending team for many years down the road. I felt like Orlando definitely had that edge."Sickeningly for the Bulls, McGrady, just 20, has since become the brightest new star in the NBA, the kind of presence which is so desperately required to fill the vast auditoria of the United Center.
Although crowds around the NBA are down in general, Chicago has been severely hit, the long run of sell-out crowds finally grinding to a halt earlier this season.
The leases on those expensive luxury boxes and executive suites - which cost top dollar in the scramble for a luxury view of Jordan's breath-taking trickery - will soon start to run out. And don't expect those
people to stump up the same money for a front-row seat for another hapless outing from Brad Miller or Fred Hoiberg, assuming that they even still care at all.
Perhaps more than missed lay-ups, or lack of chemistry, apathy is the Bulls toughest opponent. Those who feted those red uniforms not so long ago have proved fairweather friends and with Floyd to set to scuttle,
wiser but chastened, back to the college game this summer, the evolution of the Luva-bulls into the Horri-bulls shows no signs of ending.
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