How did Bulls lost their way? Just look at 76ers
A few months after the 2004 NBA draft, in which the Bulls owned the No. 3 and 7 picks, Philadelphia 76ers swingman Andre Iguodala was asked if he sat in the green room expecting the Bulls to call his name.
"Both times," Iguodala replied.
Whether or not Iguodala still uses that snub as motivation, he had the Bulls at his mercy when the Sixers rolled to a 121-99 victory Wednesday. The Springfield native consistently beat all five Bulls defenders down the court for easy dunks while scoring 19 of his 21 points in the first half.
Early this season, the Sixers could barely keep their home arena half-filled. Now they've infected Philadelphia with basketball fever by winning 19 of 24 games since Feb. 5.
The success of the Sixers helps illustrate how the Bulls, a team with high expectations when the season began, have lost their way.
Philadelphia is an interesting comparison, because the Bulls passed on many of the players now contributing to the Sixers' resurgence. Iguodala was chosen two picks after the Bulls took Luol Deng. The Bulls traded the draft rights to Rodney Carney to Philadelphia for Thabo Sefolosha in 2006.
Rookie forward Thaddeus Young (20 points against the Bulls) went three slots after Joakim Noah. Third-year guard Louis Williams (23 points) was a second-round selection in 2005 -- a year the Bulls had no picks -- and one of the last high school players chosen before the NBA instituted an age limit.
While the Bulls went for skill and college experience, Philadelphia general manager Billy King drafted speed and athleticism.
It wasn't always a winning formula. In fact, King was fired by the Sixers in early December. If he's still eligible to win NBA executive of the year, King would be a strong candidate, because his young players have blossomed.
The knock on Iguodala when he left Arizona was a lack of scoring skills. Now he's averaging 19.9 points and uses his speed to break down defenses and set up open looks for teammates.
Williams might be the second coming of Robert Pack, a small guard with excellent quickness. Carney, like Iguodala, was a raw prospect in college who suddenly has found a 3-point stroke. Young, who played a year at Georgia Tech, is a good cross-match at power forward and plays off his teammates well.
Philadelphia's lineup has much in common with the Atlanta Hawks, tonight's opponent. Both teams fill the court with tall, athletic players. The difference is the Sixers have a real point guard in Andre Miller (18 assists Wednesday) and a shot-blocking center, Sam Dalembert, to protect the basket.
The Bulls had a 7-foot center similar to Dalembert, but they gave away Tyson Chandler two years ago. Chandler isn't as good a shot-blocker as Dalembert, but he's averaging more points and rebounds for the best team in the Western Conference, New Orleans.
King was on the right track when he built the Sixers, because the NBA was taking steps to promote a higher-scoring, free-flowing game by banning hand-checks.
The Bulls' draft plan did work well for three years, but they also signed an older, defensive-minded player in Ben Wallace, who wasn't as effective under the new rules.
While the Bulls aren't a plodding team, they don't have any great athletes beyond Tyrus Thomas, and he's not playing much now. They can't match the Sixers' speed, although Sefolosha and Kirk Hinrich certainly tried.
The question this summer is whether the Bulls can get back on track and execute on offense, buckle down on defense and stay with teams like the Sixers. A full-roster makeover isn't realistic.
Certainly Deng can play better, since injuries seemed to knock him off his game this season. Sefolosha has flashed star potential, Noah should get better as he gets stronger, and Thomas' potential merits more patience.
Perhaps the fortunes of these two teams will shift again next season, but for now it looks as though the Sixers are better equipped to succeed in the NBA's new style of play.