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July 2010

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Apr

30

Hinrich & Gordon’s Significance in Bulls History

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It’s clear that everything that the Chicago Bulls do in the future will revolve around its outstanding, rookie point guard Derrick Rose.

Even if the Bulls do bow out tonight to the Boston Celtics, much credit should be given to Rose, his teammates and even Head Coach Vinny Del Negro for producing a wonderful series and a very satisfying season over the last two months.

While the future looks bright with Rose, it’s certain that the Bulls will look different next year.

It’s more than likely that either Ben Gordon or Kirk Hinrich will be playing for someone else next season.

I’m betting on Gordon as being the odd-man out due to a lack of money left to sign him.

In an ideal world, the Bulls would find a way to keep both, but that isn’t going to happen.

With that said, Bulls fans should be appreciative of what Gordon and Hinrich helped accomplish in Chicago, finally getting the Bulls back to the playoffs after the Jordan era and playing a refreshing brand of selfless basketball for most of their tenure here.

The year was 2005. The Bulls began 0-9, rebounded, and somehow finished as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference behind the play of then second-year point guard Hinrich and four contributing rookies: Gordon, Luol Deng, Chris Duhon and Andres Nocioni.

That Bulls team, anchored by veterans like Antonio Davis and big men draft picks Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry, would take a 2-0 lead against the Washington Wizards before losing four straight (note: Curry did not play that series due to an irregular heartbeat but was a key contributor for most of that season).

The following season, the Bulls would take a step back by trading Curry during the preseason, but still make the playoffs as a seventh seed. The Bulls would push the eventual champion Miami Heat to six games in a series that was much closer than expected.

The Bulls followed up by signing free agent big man Ben Wallace and advancing to the second round of the 2007 playoffs, getting blown out in the first two games against the Detroit Pistons and letting several other games slip through its hands in the eventual six-game loss.

The refreshing 2004-2007 Bulls went missing in 07-08 as a team expected to contend for the Eastern Conference underachieved miserably, prompting the firing of Head Coach Scott Skiles on Christmas Eve and the trading of the brutal Wallace at the trading deadline.

After missing the 2008 playoffs, the Bulls lucked out, landed the number-one pick and selected the hometown Rose.

While looking like a disaster for most of the season, the Bulls were revitalized by the tradeline deal that netted John Salmons and Brad Miller from the Kings and sent the beloved Nocioni to Sac-town.

After coming together late in the season and getting into the playoffs, the Bulls have given the defending Boston Celtics a run for its money throughout the first five games of what can be argued is the most exciting first round series in NBA playoff history.

Trailing 3-2 with Game Six tonight, the Bulls must win to stay alive. A Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde team all year, who knows what to expect?

If the Bulls are to lose, a season that was better than expected will end and the Rose era will officially begin.

Before fans get swept up in thinking about Rose’s potential, let’s not forget to pay our thanks to players like Gordon and Hinrich, who were constants in the Bulls making the playoffs four out of the last five seasons and may be lacing them up elsewhere in 2009-2010.

While players like Curry, Chandler, Wallace, Duhon and Nocioni have come and gone, and Deng has been injured for two of the Bulls’ four playoff appearances, Gordon and Hinrich have been key participants in the Bulls’ last four trips to the postseason.

Gordon has always been the streaky shooter while Hinrich has gone from the franchise point guard to now a backup for the more promising Rose.

Sure, both players may not have lived up to what some may have expected after the 2007 playoffs, but these two guys were the most instrumental figures, along with Skiles and General Manager John Paxson cleaning house, in restoring the Bulls to NBA relevance after Jerry Krause dragged the organization through the mud following the Jordan dynasty.

So if the Bulls are to lose tonight, Saturday or in the next round, and Hinrich and Gordon are to have played their last game together in Chicago, let’s not forget their importance in franchise history.

Just months ago, it didn’t seem as if losing one of these guys would have been all that disappointing (for heaven’s sake, the Bulls almost traded Hinrich to Minnesota for nothing), but now there is a little sentimentality hanging over the possibility of tonight’s game.

Gordon and Hinrich have been constants the past five seasons and played huge roles in this surprising series with Boston. Gordon has displayed his scoring prowess on a much bigger level and Hinrich has reestablished himself as a pesky, incomparable defender and dangerous offensive threat off the bench.

While having Rose will make the likely loss of at least one of these guys after this season more easy to deal with, Gordon and Hinrich are unique players who will be hard to replace yet always have a special status in Chicago Bulls history.

Sure, great things seem to be in store for the Bulls with Rose at the point for the next 10 years, but let’s not forget the value that impact that Gordon and Hinrich had in bridging over to the Rose era.

The Bulls once again have a superstar in Rose, and Gordon and Hinrich will be remembered as solid professionals who preceded and helped lay a foundation for what could be the next great era in team history.