Bulls made their biggest news off the court in past decade

Looking back on the Bulls' decade isn't always a pleasant experience.

There was a miserable start, two good teams in 10 years and a multitude of off-court incidents that overshadowed the game action.

The list of memorable moments should include two Christmas Eve coaching changes, general manager Jerry Krause's sudden resignation in 2003, a motorcycle accident ending the playing career of No. 2 draft pick Jay Williams, center Eddy Curry sidelined for the 2005 playoffs by a rapid heartbeat, the failed free-agent chase of 2000 and the successful, but ultimately regrettable, signing of Ben Wallace in 2006.

For good news, it's tough to beat the fantastic lottery luck in 2008 that brought homegrown point guard Derrick Rose to the Bulls with the No. 1 draft pick.

So, through good times and bad, here's a look back at the best of the Bulls in the 2000s:

Man of the decade: The person who made the greatest impact on the Bulls wasn't a player but coach Scott Skiles.

Following a deep lull in the post-Jordan years, Skiles turned things around in miraculous fashion. The Bulls started the 2004-05 season with 9 losses, then rallied to post a 47-35 record.

Two years later Skiles delivered 49 wins and the only playoff victory of the decade - a four-game sweep of defending NBA champion Miami.

Best player: The best players to wear the red and black during the past 10 years would be Derrick Rose and Elton Brand. But for player of the decade I'd have to go with Ben Gordon.

Few players in the NBA could match Gordon's flair for the dramatic. A vast majority of the most exciting Bulls moments involved Gordon shooting the ball.

The runners-up would be Rose, Brand, then the "core" of players who were key contributors in both 2005 and '07 - Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni and Chris Duhon.

Best plays: I'm declaring a tie in this category between two game-winners that occurred two days apart in January 2005.

First, in a home game against New York, the Knicks were playing for the last shot in a tie game. But the Bulls turned the tables when Andres Nocioni blocked a jumper by Trevor Ariza, setting off a series of quick passes and resulting in Eddy Curry's fastbreak layup to win the game.

Two days later the same teams met in a Martin Luther King Day matinee at Madison Square Garden. With Scottie Pippen sitting courtside, Ben Gordon drained a running one-hander over future Bull Michael Sweetney for the game-winning basket with 0.1 seconds on the clock.

With astonishing dramatics came proof that the Bulls finally were back.

Best game: My pick is the Bulls-Lakers contest at the United Center on Jan. 12, 2002. That was the night Shaquille O'Neal was fouled hard by Charles Oakley, then turned and swung at Brad Miller's head, setting off a wild brawl that spilled into the Bulls' bench.

Later on, Ron Mercer, of all people, knocked down a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime and the Bulls, who would finish 21-61, knocked off the three-time NBA champs 106-104.

Honorable mention goes to the two multiple overtime games in the playoffs against Boston, Ben Gordon's NBA-record 9-for-9 shooting night from 3-point range against Washington on April 14, 2006, and Game 5 of the playoff series against the Wizards when the Bulls somehow erased a 10-point deficit in the final 47 seconds, only to lose on Gilbert Arenas' shot at the buzzer.

Best move: As of today, the deal that sent Eddy Curry to the Knicks on the eve of training camp in 2005 looks very good. The Bulls got a 2006 first-round pick and were able to swap draft spots in '07, so they netted Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah.

On Saturday night against New Orleans, Noah and Thomas combined for 38 points, 27 rebounds and 6 blocks. That's not going to happen every night, but Noah is a strong candidate for the NBA's most-improved-player award. Curry hasn't done much after one decent season in New York.

No. 2 would be sending cash and a future first-rounder to Phoenix in 2004 for the draft rights to Luol Deng. The draft pick turned out to be Nate Robinson, so the Bulls gave up almost nothing for a valuable starter.

The worst moves? Well, let's keep it a Happy New Year and bypass that category for now.