Top 10 Chicago Bulls Players of the Last Decade

In the history of the Chicago Bulls, there have been a variety of studs to play for the team. This includes Jerry Sloan, "Stormin'" Norm Van Lier, Bob Love, Chet Walker, Artis Gilmore, Jordan, Pippen, Rodman...just to name a few.

The last decade, however, was vastly not successful. This all changed with the hiring of John Paxson. However, there are also some players who went on to have really good careers with the Bulls who played for the not so good.

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CHICAGO - NOVEMBER 3: Ron Artest #93 of the Sacramento Kings matches up against Ben Wallace #3 of the Chicago Bulls during a game at the United Center on November 3, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. The Kings defeated the Bulls 89-88. NOTE TO USER: User expr

The players listed have to have played well for the Bulls.

Players like Ron Artest will not be counted because they did not play well there, they went on to have good careers elsewhere. The same goes for players like Ben Wallace who played well elsewhere and were sub-par for the Bulls. .

Players who were great Bulls, even if not necessarily the best players, will be given priority in this list.

10. Eddy Curry

A couple things come to mind when you see this pick.

Wow, they had a really bad decade.

However, back when he played for Chicago, Eddy Curry seemed to be on the uptick. Unfortunately, then his heart condition took control of him and he ate himself out of the league. When he played for the Bulls, he scored pretty well and efficiently and seemed to be a good complement to Tyson Chandler.

However, his real value came in the eyes of Isiah Thomas, who traded him for draft picks that turned into Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas, and Tyrus turned into Taj Gibson. So the starting frontcourt for the beginning of the years was thanks to this man.

Thanks.

9. Tyson Chandler

Tyson was a fairly decent player in his days in Chicago. He averaged a decent amount of rebounds and a decent amount of blocks every year and played good defense.

Of course, his limitation was that he had no offensive game to speak of. This was of course solved by moving to New Orleans and getting lobs from Chris Paul for an offensive game. However, he was their Ben Wallace on their previous playoff teams before they got Ben Wallace.

8. Andres Nocioni

I miss Noche, I really do. He was the hustle player on the team before they had Joakim Noah. He epitomized winning and Bulls basketball.

Unfortunately, like Kirk Hinrich and Tyson Chandler, they strongly overvalued the talent they had and gave him a ridiculous contract. However, not once did he complain when he didn't play, he always worked hard when on the court and seemed to love playing in Chicago.

Hopefully, one day Noche can return to the Bulls, just maybe not on that contract.

7. Joakim Noah

Joakim is another one of those players who is on the verge of stardom. He is the Nocioni of this Bulls team, only he also puts up numbers that we can brag about to our friends.

Joakim does everything that you could ask of him. He hustles, he rebounds, he does the dirty work and he brings all the intangibles. For example, Joakim is probably one of the stronger ball handlers at breaking the full-court press. To have a big that can do that is virtually unheard of.

Joakim will be higher on the list of the best Bulls of the 2010s, and you can take that to the bank.

6. Elton Brand

Brand, of course, only spent two years with the Bulls, but they were a damn good two years. Both of his years there, he averaged 20 and 10. Sadly, they made the mistake of trading him for Tyson Chandler.

He went on to be an even better player for the Clippers before withering his career away at this point in Philly. But in his days with the Bulls, he was a force to be reckoned with.

5. Kirk Hinrich

For seven years, Kirk Hinrich was the fan-favorite in Chicago. He was known for his gritty, blue collar defense that lots of Chicagoans could relate to and appreciate. For the first few years of his career, especially under coach Scott Skiles, Hinrich was a very good defender and a solid offensive player.

Unfortunately with the drafting of Derrick Rose and the hiring of Vinny Del Negro, Hinrich's numbers slipped down the drain. He still played hard but it seemed that he had lost all assemblance of an offensive game.

However, Kirk Hinrich still holds a special place in the hearts of many Chicagoans.

4. Jamal Crawford

The days of Jamal Crawford were a mixed bag. For most of his career with the Bulls, the Bulls were one of the worst teams in the league.

However, most of that was not Jamal's fault.

Jamal Crawford was and is one of the most prolific scorers in the league. He is very fun to watch. Unfortunately, a bad shooting night can completely undo him, but he's one of the most exciting players in the NBA when on, especially his shake and bake move.

3. Derrick Rose

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Why is Rose so low on this list? Really, the only reason is that he was young at the end of the 2000s, the cut-off for this article. However, he's still ahead of many of the names on this list due to potential alone, not even counting his fantastic production.

My favorite moment in the history of my Bulls fandom was the Draft Lottery of 2008. Just a disclaimer, I am a young Bulls fan and do not remember the days of Jordan. Anyway, just the sense of hope and the feeling of getting one of our own, it was the best feeling in the world. Now that he's living up to his limitless potential, it's a sight to behold.

If you want to read a long description of why Derrick Rose is such a good player, refer to my last article here.

2. Luol Deng

Luol Deng has been the only constant on the team for the last seven years. It seemed at the beginning of his career that he might even have superstar potential. Of course, we realized that it might not actually be the case.

Ever since then, except for the 2008 and 2009 injury-plagued seasons, Deng has been a solid contributor. He steadily averages about 18 and seven for the Bulls, and tries to do what they want, including developing a three-point shot this offseason.

If Deng didn't have the contract he has, he would be one of the most beloved players in Chicago.

1. Ben Gordon

BG was a fantastic player in his days for the Bulls who was unfairly victimized in many cases. Critics always harped on his defense (which really wasn't that bad) and his shot selection (which really wasn't that bad.)

However, what people fail to remember are his incredible performances. Who remembers that incredible Boston series? After Derrick Rose's arrival in Game 1, Gordon had huge games to keep the Bulls in games, especially the incredible game-tying three in Game 4.

While Gordon may not have left the Bulls on the best terms, he was the face of the team while he was here and is the best Bull of the last decade.