Chicago Bulls: What the Hell Happened Here?

OK, so as a 32-year old Bulls fan, my life has been a roller coaster.  In the early 80's, when I started watching the team, they would barely compete with mediocre players and end up in the bottom of the Eastern Conference. 

Michael Jordan arrived on the scene and the team made the playoffs every year in his career.  As they got closer and closer to that championship, they had to get by the Pistons. Once they did, the titles came in droves! 

They won six, probably would have won eight had Jordan not "retired" in 1993.  All was great, in the Jordan years, there was never any doubt that my Bulls would win the NBA Championship in the 90's. 

So Jordan retired from the Bulls and the team got blown up.  1999 brought a 13-37 record under new coach Tim Floyd.  Chicago had drifted back to NBA Purgatory.  Names like Fred Hoiberg and Kornel David dominated the headlines in Chicago's newspapers.  Times were tough, and they became tough awfully quickly.

As some of Chicago's other professional sports teams became more successful in the late 90's and early 2000's the Bulls fell into obscurity in Chicago fan's eyes.  John Paxson was hired as GM and Scott Skiles was brought in to coach the team and the team took a turn for the better.

In the 2004-2005 season, the Bulls made the playoffs for the first time since the Jordan era.  Their 47-35 record was impressive especially when you consider the team started off 0-9 and at one point were 4-15. The trademarks for this and future Bulls teams were defense, hustle, and unselfishness. 

They made the playoffs three straight years, last year losing to Detroit in six games in the second round.  Needless to say, the arrow was pointing up. 

Then came this year.

The usual slow start came as expected. On November 27, they defeated Atlanta to improve their record to 3-10.  A bad start, but pretty normal for this team who can not win on the Circus Road Trip, which is the first trip out West every season.

But these guys were showing no heart, no passion, no guts and most importantly—no defense.  They couldn't stop my sister! 

The offense was all over the place and in fact rather offensive.  Something was telling me the Bulls were not coming back from this early season slide.  Scott Skiles, though tough, was the perfect coach for this team.

Skiles was fired just before Christmas.  Most players were happy.  As a fan, I wasn't. 

Jim Boylan was named interim coach and has set the precedent that the inmates shall run the asylum.  The offense is still offensive, the defense has almost completely forgotten the coaching that Skiles taught them and what made them an Eastern Conference contender. 

The team is now unwatchable.  Guys I used to root for like Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon, I now wish the Bulls just got rid of.  Chris Duhon and Tyrus Thomas have recently been suspended for blowing off practice. 

In a very short time span, this team has imploded into maybe what the Portland Trail Blazers were a few years ago minus the drugs.  The Bulls may be within striking distance of the playoffs, but who really cares?  Great! We'll get swept by the Celtics or Pistons!  I say, blow this thing up Mr. Paxson, it's only going to get worse from here.