Chicago Bulls: Expect The Unexpected

When it comes to the Chicago Bulls, it seems like one should always expect the unexpected.

The NBA is a league where anything can happen. For example, a team could be on top of the world one minute (take the Miami Heat circa the Big Three era) and barely getting by the next. Players who are drafted at the top of their class could turn out to be total busts. And coaches who have transformed franchises can be fired without a second thought.

However, certain organizations seem to be more prone to this unpredictability than others, the Chicago Bulls falling under such a label. At least since what can be called the Derrick Rose era.

Rose was drafted in 2008, as the Bulls’ No. 1 first round pick. Being the hometown hero, Chicago fans were thrilled.

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Acquiring Rose set the tone for the team moving forward. Despite having drafted Joakim Noah the year before, the Bulls were a hot mess; Luol Deng and Ben Gordon turned down contract extensions and head coach Scott Skiles was fired. In essence, Chicago needed to revamp and fast.

Fortunately, that is exactly what happened. After Rose came aboard, Deng and Gordon re-signed. Then came a flurry of trades, bringing about the likes of Brad Miller, and John Salmons, just to name a few.

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Then, after two years, the biggest surprise yet: Vinny Del Negro was replaced by Tom Thibodeau.

Del Negro certainly had his pitfalls, sure, but the developments the team had made under him were astonishing. From finishing 33-49 during the 2007-08 season and missing the playoffs, the Bulls went 41-41 during Del Negro’s first year and made it to the first round of the Eastern Conference during the postseason.

Although now the majority agree with the front office’s decision, at that point, the heads of most Bulls fans were spinning. And it was not just that. For basically the first time since the Golden Era, Chicago was a hot topic of conversation.

As Thibodeau arrived, so did more changes. The Bulls turned into the Utah Jazz for a minute, as Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer were all acquired. Rose won MVP for the first time in 2011, becoming not only the youngest in history to receive that award but the first Chicago player since Michael Jordan to do so. The team seemed like they were once again on top of the world.

Jimmy Butler was selected in the 2011 NBA draft, a move that no one saw coming and caused a bit of a stir; because no one had really heard of the kid prior, critics thought he would not be cut out for a team on the rise. Obviously, they were wrong.