Rodman: Bulls would’ve ‘easily’ won 1999 title if not dismantled

Dennis Rodman believes the Chicago Bulls would’ve won a fourth straight NBA championship in 1999 if the team hadn’t been broken up.

“When (former Bulls general manager) Jerry Krause said he didn’t care if we won 82 games, you’re not coming back, I think that hurt Phil Jackson more than anything in the world. And I think that hurt Scottie, that hurt Michael,” Rodman said Monday on ESPN’s “First Take.”

“For me, I was just more there for the ride, pretty much. I wanted to win championships with these guys. I would go to war for these guys any time of the day. It was just sad the fact that we could have come back and won a fourth championship very easily.”

The San Antonio Spurs would go on to win the title that year, while the Bulls finished with a 13-37 record and failed to advance to the playoffs following the departures of Jackson, Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman.

The 1997-98 Bulls team is the focus of the ESPN documentary series “The Last Dance,” which premiered its first two episodes Sunday night. Rodman is expected to be featured in the third episode.

‘The Last Dance’ becomes most-watched documentary in ESPN history

“The Last Dance” was a smash hit during its world premiere Sunday evening, averaging 6.1 million viewers for the first two episodes of the 10-part documentary series, ESPN announced in a release Monday.

“You Don’t Know Bo,” which was previously the most-watched doc in ESPN history, drew 3.6 million viewers for its debut.

“The Last Dance” was also the top trending topic on Twitter, with 25 of the 30 trending topics on the social media website relating to the show.

The highly anticipated series centers around the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls and features never-before-seen footage from the 1997-98 campaign, when the team was pursuing its sixth NBA championship in eight years.

Two new episodes will air in the U.S. each Sunday beginning at 9 p.m. ET until May 17. However, international viewers must wait until 3 a.m. ET the morning after to access the latest episodes on Netflix.

Pippen reveals Bulls fired him from senior advisory role

Scottie Pippen revealed Wednesday that his decades-long relationship with the Chicago Bulls has come to an end after he was fired from his advisory role with the team earlier this season.

“I didn’t really want it to be out in the public, but I’m no longer employed by the Bulls,” Pippen said on an episode of the “Thuzio Live & Unfiltered” podcast that was taped at All-Star Weekend in Chicago.

Despite his revelation, Pippen – along with fellow 1990s Bulls mainstays Toni Kukoc and Horace Grant – remains listed on the executive directory as a special advisor to team president and chief operating officer Michael Reinsdorf.

In any case, the Hall of Famer appeared to be taking his dismissal in stride. He joked that the decision “probably is a good thing” since he prefers “to associate myself with winning.”

Since Pippen’s initial 11-season run in Chicago concluded in 1998, the Bulls have qualified for the postseason 11 times. They’ve been ousted in the first round on seven occasions and have made just one conference finals in that span.

Shaq: Lakers would’ve ‘easily’ beat Jordan’s Bulls

Shaquille O’Neal believes the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty he led alongside Kobe Bryant would’ve “easily” beat Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.

“I would’ve killed Luc Longley, Bill Wennington, (Bill) Cartwright,” O’Neal told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. “The factor is me and my free-throw shooting.”

The Hall of Famer averaged just under 11 free-throw attempts per game across eight seasons with the Lakers, though he shot just 53.3% from the charity stripe during that time.

Phil Jackson was the bench boss for both iconic squads but would coach Jordan’s Bulls in the hypothetical situation.

“So (Jackson) would’ve tried the Hack-a-Shaq thing,” O’Neal said. “So, I still would average like 28, 29 (points per game). But the key would’ve been the free throws. So with me, it’s always 50-50. So hopefully I would’ve been on. If I would’ve been on, we win. If I would’ve been off, we lose.

“But I love having these conversations. ‘They would’ve did this. We would’ve done that.’ But I could strictly say I think we would’ve beat them.”

As a member of the Lakers, O’Neal split a pair of regular-season meetings against the Jordan-led Bulls.

RESULT	PTS	REB	BLK	FTM-FTA
L	27	13	2	3-6
W	24	9	2	8-13

However, he did have two postseason matchups against Jordan when he was with the Orlando Magic.

The LSU product averaged 24.3 points, 13.2 boards, and four assists while shooting 65.1% on 13.8 free-throw attempts in the 1995 playoffs as Orlando won the best-of-seven second-round series in six games.

Chicago avenged its defeat the next year by sweeping the Magic in the Eastern Conference finals en route to an NBA title. O’Neal still managed to produce 27 points and 10.8 boards per contest but shot only 36.4% on 8.3 attempts from the charity stripe.

Former Pistons ‘Bad Boy’ Laimbeer backs LeBron over Jordan for GOAT

Time may heal all wounds, but it might be a few more decades before former Detroit Pistons “Bad Boy” Bill Laimbeer’s longtime rivalry with the Chicago Bulls scabs over.

Appearing on ESPN’s “First Take” on Tuesday, the four-time NBA All-Star and two-time WNBA Coach of the Year weighed in on the long-running debate over who reigns supreme as the greatest basketball player ever: Michael Jordan or LeBron James.

Laimbeer did not rule in favor of his former on-court adversary.

“I’m very vocal, I think LeBron is the best player that’s ever played the game,” the Las Vegas Aces head coach said. “He’s 6-foot-8, 285 pounds, runs like the wind, and jumps out of the gym.

“And more importantly, when he came into the league, from Day 1 he knew how to involve his teammates to win it. That’s something that Jordan had to learn for a long time.”

Though Laimbeer, a bruising center for the Pistons during their infamous “Bad Boys” era, never played against the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, he did have plenty of time to get acquainted with Jordan on the court.

Laimbeer’s Pistons met Jordan’s Bulls in three consecutive postseasons from 1989-91; in each case, the team that won the series – Detroit in 1989 and 1990, Chicago in 1991 – went on to win the championship. The meetings between the ultracompetitive regional rivals often featured heightened physical play and even outright violence.

Jordan and the Bulls reigned over the 1990s, capturing six titles with dual three-peats from 1991-93 and 1996-98. James has won three championships – two straight with the Miami Heat from 2012-13 and another with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 – in nine Finals appearances.

“Now, if you go by championships, obviously Michael Jordan has more championships,” Laimbeer continued. “But I think LeBron in any generation would be doing what he’s doing right now all these years.

“At the end of the day, I firmly believe that he’s the best basketball player in the history of the game.”

Boylen expects to return as Bulls coach despite new regime

Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen has told his staff he expects to return to the team next season, a source told the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley.

While Boylen has two more seasons on his current contract, the organization appears to be undergoing a significant overhaul.

Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas has reportedly been poached to run the Bulls’ front office as the executive vice president of basketball operations. Should Karnisovas opt to move on from Boylen, it wouldn’t be the first time a new NBA executive looked to put his own imprint on the team’s coaching staff.

Since taking over following Fred Hoiberg’s dismissal midway through the 2018-19 season, Boylen has posted a 39-84 (.317) record, including a 22-43 (.338) mark in 2019-20, his first full season at the helm.

Bulls seeking input on potential front-office changes

Chicago Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf has used NBA All-Star Weekend in his team’s hometown to seek input on potential changes at the executive level, NBC Sports’ K.C. Johnson reports.

That reportedly includes what one source described as an “empowered presence” in the front office, but any changes likely wouldn’t result in the dismissals of current Bulls vice president John Paxson or general manager Gar Forman, adds Johnson.

Often derisively referred to as “GarPax,” Forman and Paxson have worked together at the top of the Bulls’ player personnel department since 2009. The pair have been criticized over the years for moves such as the trading of Jimmy Butler and hiring of former head coach Fred Hoiberg.

The Bulls are currently on pace to miss the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.

Bulls’ Markkanen out 4-6 weeks with stress reaction in pelvis

Chicago Bulls power forward Lauri Markkanen is expected to miss four-to-six weeks after an MRI revealed an early stress reaction in his right pelvis, the team announced Friday.

The Finnish big man has endured a rocky third season. Though he’s appeared in all 46 of the Bulls’ games to date, he’s averaging career lows in points (15) and rebounds (6.5) per game, as well as 3-point percentage (34.4%).

Markkanen’s campaign hasn’t been especially pretty from a team perspective, either. Chicago has been outscored by 2.4 points per 100 possessions with the former seventh overall pick on the court this season. When the 22-year-old sits, the Bulls’ net rating improves to minus-0.9 points per 100 possessions; still poor, but not quite as bad.

Despite owning a 17-29 (.370) record, Chicago is just 2.5 games behind the Brooklyn Nets for the eighth seed in the top-heavy Eastern Conference.

Melo ‘at peace’ after rocky Rockets breakup: ‘I kind of got past all of that’

Wednesday night’s tilt represented Carmelo Anthony‘s first game back in Houston since his ill-fated tenure with the Rockets, but the 35-year-old power forward downplayed the emotional stakes of facing the team that decided to part ways with him just 10 games into the 2018-19 season.

“I kind of got past all of that, the time that I was off,” Anthony, now a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, said after his team’s 117-107 road win, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “The time that I did have to kind of think about that situation, and I’ve done dealt with every emotion that you could think about.

“Trying to figure out why. Questioning myself at the beginning. Working so hard to get past that and kind of be at peace with that.”

Anthony’s winding path back to NBA action included a salary-dump trade to the Chicago Bulls – who waived him soon thereafter – ahead of last season’s trade deadline. After a full offseason passed without the 10-time All-Star receiving a contract, a litany of frontcourt injuries and a weak start to the season brought the Trail Blazers calling in mid-November.

Anthony earned his paycheck Wednesday with one of his better performances of the season. He recorded an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double in 34 minutes of action, managing 7-of-10 shooting from the floor while committing just one turnover.

More importantly for the Trail Blazers, the win improved Portland’s record to 18-24, moving Melo and Co. just 1.5 games out of the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff seed.

Bulls owner reassessing GM Forman’s job security

The Chicago Bulls could be bracing for a change in management.

Bulls chairman and alternate governor Jerry Reinsdorf, furious with the team’s rocky 6-12 start and the organization’s poor optics, is starting to scrutinize the job security of general manager Gar Forman, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley.

Mistrust between Forman and players has reportedly been an issue for some time, and he apparently didn’t help his cause when the team held an in-game ceremony to honor retired star Luol Deng on Wednesday. One former player in attendance told Cowley that Forman was aloof toward the group of ex-Bulls.

Reinsdorf is specifically targeting Forman for his performance during the Bulls’ sluggish rebuild as opposed to executive vice president John Paxson or head coach Jim Boylen, according to Cowley. Paxson, a former point guard with the franchise, is reportedly considered nearly untouchable, while Boylen, who was promoted to head coach in 2018 after Fred Hoiberg was fired, has apparently earned management’s respect.

Forman first joined the Bulls in 1998 as a scout and worked his way up through the organization until being named GM in 2009.

Though Forman shared Executive of the Year honors with Miami Heat president Pat Riley in 2011, Bulls fans’ criticism of Forman and Paxon has mounted in recent seasons.

Reinsdorf has owned the franchise since 1985. He also serves as chairman of baseball’s Chicago White Sox, which he took over in 1981.