Second chances: Bulls get narrow win; avoid ceremonial mishaps

The Bulls were feeling the pressure Saturday, in all facets of the organization.

The players needed to demonstrate they can still be an actual, possible playoff contender by getting a win over the 1-14 Washington Wizards, one night after getting blasted by Miami.

And the organization made its second attempt at staging a halftime Ring of Honor ceremony. The first one went astonishingly badly when Thelma Krause, the widow of longtime Bulls general manager Jerry Krause, was driven to tears when his introduction was booed by fans.

It wasn't really the fans' fault. The lights were down and no one in the seats knew Thelma was there until it was too late. Another clunky part of the initial ceremony, held on Jan. 13, 2024, was a large number of former Bulls were in attendance but never introduced.

Mainly, though, people were at the United Center to watch a game. The Bulls trailed most of the way but managed enough energy at the end to beat the Wizards 121-120. Tre Jones hit two go-ahead free throws with 34.2 seconds left, then knocked the ball loose to ruin Washington's final possession.

Nikola Vucevic led the way with 28 points, while Coby White added 20 and Josh Giddey 18. The Bulls struggled badly from 3-point range but hit five in the fourth quarter to eke out the win.

Coach Billy Donovan acknowledged this wasn't the team's finest performance.

“Listen, we've got guys down, some guys not feeling well, and then coupled with the fact that it's five (games) in seven (nights), right?” Donovan said. “This is what we all signed up for. We all could be doing something else that's a lot more difficult than playing five games than seven nights.”

For the halftime ceremony, the Bulls might have gone a little too safe and conservative. There were no live words spoken besides the public-address announcer.

Of this year's inductees, John Paxson, Bill Cartwright, Horace Grant and Neil Funk were on hand, with family members representing Norm Van Lier and longtime assistant coach Johnny Bach.

The ceremony featured a video tribute to the six, narrated by Bob Costas. Then the inductees walked onto the court, each standing behind a pedestal. Another video played on the scoreboard, and that was it. The end.

This one probably should have been more personal, considering Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman didn't show up for the first one, though Jordan did send a video message.

Cartwright, Grant and Paxson greeted fans in the atrium prior to the game. There were also displays of memorabilia, highlighted by some of Bach's handwritten scouting reports, which could have passed for 18th century scrolls with their immaculate penmanship.

The first class included everyone who has a banner hanging at the United Center — Jordan, Pippen, Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, Phil Jackson and Krause — plus Rodman, Toni Kukoc. Chet Walker, Artis Gilmore, Tex Winter, Johnny “Red” Kerr, original owner Dick Klein and the 1995-96 team.

The Bulls plan to add to the Ring of Honor every two years. The criteria is at least three seasons with the Bulls (call that the Rodman Rule) and retired from the NBA for at least three years.

So it sounds like fans can count on Derrick Rose being in the next group, since his No. 1 jersey will be retired later this season.

Who else? Well, if they go off the career stat leaders, Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah would be the next three in. Some others worth consideration are 1970s-era coach Dick Motta, Tom Boerwinkle and Reggie Theus.

Maybe the team will have made some progress by then. The Bulls came out of Friday's physical game against Miami with several new injuries. Matas Buzelis (ankle) and Kevin Huerter (illness) played Saturday. Isaac Okoro (back), Patrick Williams (wrist) and Dalen Terry (calf) did not.

Rookie Noa Essengue finally made his NBA debut. He played four minutes in the first half with a missed shot his only stat-line entry.

Washington plays a similar style to the Bulls, fast-paced and erratic. The Wizards led by as many as 16 points in the first half.

“We got a lot more physical, I thought, in the second half,” Donovan said. “I thought we covered for each other a lot more in the second half. I thought we rebounded better in the second half.

“People can talk all they want about (how much) they want to win. I'd like to go to the moon. I have no interest in (doing) what it takes to become an astronaut. So if you want to win, there are things you have to do on a consistent basis, right?”