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The Chicago Bulls franchise is the third most successful with six championships to its name behind the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. Much of their history in terms of records and achievements is dominated by one name His Airness-Michael Jordan. Although the Bulls were born close to 20 years after the earlier mentioned two teams they hold some records which no team to this day has come close to beating, courtesy of the success Jordan brought to Chicago along with Head Coach Phil Jackson and Scottie Pippen. The 1995-96 Bulls team is considered to be the best team ever by many simply because of their regular season record. The team won an unbreakable record 72 games over the course of an 82 game season when no other team in history has come close to winning even 70. Getting back to what the title of this article suggests, we all know that any dream NBA team that Jordan is eligible for, the shooting guard position must be booked for him. So keeping in mind that one spot has already been reserved, here are the rest of the members of Chicago all-time starting 5:
#1 Point Guard: Derrick Rose
He is just 25 years old and has played only 4 full seasons with the Bulls yet he is the point guard for the franchise’s all time starting 5 simply because on the basis of one on one talent none of the past or present pg like P.J. Armstrong, Steve Kerr or Ron Harper come close.
At the age of 22 Derrick Rose was named the regular season MVP for the year 2010-11 making him the youngest ever player in the history of the league to be named the MVP. Having said that since that season where he led his Bulls to a 66-16 regular season record he has played only full season, missing the previous two with serious knee conditions.
His speed and explosiveness are key components of his game however with the injury at such a young age, Rose has matured and developed other aspects of his game as well such as his perimeter shooting.
It has been Rose’s game and leadership skills at the point guard position which has brought back championship hopes back to Windy City since the Jordan era. Just 25 he has a big career lying ahead of him. With the current Bulls roster who are serious contenders, he could possibly go ahead and win a title this season itself.
#2 Shooting Guard: Michael Jordan
This position was booked right from the beginning and nobody from Chiacgo’s past or present even comes to contending against Jordan for this position. He is the greatest player to ever grace the game. Jordan had everything in his skill set, there was not a single defender who could make him earn his points on each trip.
For his height and size, he had huge hands which led to the big rebounding averages he has registered for his career. Since Bill Russell is on another planet when it comes to number of Finals victories, among the remaining players, Jordan is the only one to have not lost in the NBA Finals and that is something which will always keep him above the Kobe’s, LeBron’s and other players trying to become the GOAT (Greatest of All Time).
In just 14 seasons played in the NBA, Jordan holds multiple records which lasted over a decade before Bryant broke most of them. It’s tough trying not to imagine what would have happened if Jordan had not taken the one and a half year break from basketball to play baseball. Would the bulls have won 8 consecutive then? That question would remain unanswered.
Jordan’s #23 jersey has been retired not just by the Bulls, but also by the Miami Heat as a mark of respect to his talent.
#3 Small Forward: Scottie Pippen
If Magic Johnson was the first to bring versatility in offense being able to play all position, Scottie Pippen was the first to do the same on the other end of the floor being able to guard any position on the floor from point guard to center.
He can run the fastbreak, pull up for a jumper, shoot efficiently from long range and drop floaters on drives to the basket still more importantly he can defend equally against if his opponent uses any of these moves. He along with Rodman are the “do all the little things” guys of the team creating deflections, poking the ball from players, getting into the passing lane, saving the ball from going out of bounds and so on.
If there was ever a list on the most under-rated players in the history of the league, Pippen would be at the top. Being always compared to Jordan and called the number 2 guy, his game never got the true appreciation it was worth.
His #33 jersey is retired by the Bulls and hangs in the raftors of the United Center.
#4 Power Forward: Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman and Noah have a lot more in common than one would think. Both are beasts on the boards, both are the leaders of the team defense and both make every opposing big man work hard for every point in the post. Rodman is just a more evolved, dangerous and menacing version of the Noah.
He spent only three seasons with the Bulls, but was such a key member of their second three-peat that he can’t be forgotten for the Bulls all time team. If it wasn’t for him, Karl Malone would have wrecked havoc and carried the Utah Jazz past the Bulls in both the NBA Finals that they faced each other (1997 and 1998).
Known more for his off-court antics, calling Rodman a great rebounder and defender would still be under-rated. Listed at 6 foot 7 inches he has been NBA’s rebounding champion 7 times. During his prime in the 90’s, Rodman had rebounding averages of close to 15 almost every season on a consistent basis.
The time spent in Chicago might not be enough for his #91 jersey to be retired, but he does have his #10 jersey retired by the Pistons with whom he won two championships in the 1980’s.
#5 Center: Joakim Noah
No team can win without a legitimate center on their roster so the 90’s Bulls did have a couple on their team, Bill Wellington and Luke Longley, but neither were so accomplished to be named to an All-NBA team or so on. On the other hand, Joakim Noah has not only been named an All-Star and to All-NBA teams but is also the reigning KIA NBA Defensive Player of the Year as well.
For a 6 foot 11 inch forward, Noah is very athletic and possesses the unique skill of keeping smaller guards in front of him during a switch, making him one of the best, if not the best, pick and roll defender in the league however he is creating a buzz in Chicago for more than just his defense. In a team which had two back point guards when Rose was out due to injury, it was Noah that led the team in assists for the entire season.
A beast on the boards, Noah is relentless on the court and is rarely seen giving up on plays. If your his Head Coach you could be sure about the fact that he would everything on the floor for the team.
