Just a few weeks after Shaq’s attempt to claim Lakers all-time greats would beat the Bulls all-time greats, it felt appropriate to come down with the list of Bulls all-time greats that actually were greats. No disrespect to Horace Grant, but he has no business being on that list given the great history the Bulls have.
Point Guard: Derrick Rose.
If we are talking about all-time greats, Derrick Rose runs away with the point guard position. With Rookie of the Year honor, multiple time Allstar, and an MVP helps build his case to be on that list. It also helps the Bulls never had a strong history in the point guard department, so Derrick Rose is a shoe-in for this list. In Rose’s prime, he averaged 25 points per game with 8 assists per game. Not many point guards in the history can put up those numbers, especially with a 62 win season led by him.
Shoot Guard: Michael Jordan.
It’s insulting to even write a reason why Jordan is on this list. However, for the sake of argument we might as well mention he’s the greatest player to ever play the game. Six time champion, six time Finals MVP, and 5 regular season MVP with the best regular season record of all time with 72 wins in a season. Yeah, I think that sums it up for Air Jordan. Oh, and if this counts for anything, he’s in the Hall of Fame.
Small Forward: Scottie Pippen
When you have Michael Jordan, why not throw Scottie in the mix? After all, they are the greatest duo to ever play the game on both ends of the court. The defensive duo Jordan and Pippen brought to the game was equally as deadly as their offensive strengths. His ability to play point-forward would ease the pressure on Derrick Rose if they were ever to play on a team. Also, it’s worth mentioning he’s in the Hall of Fame with six rings as well.
Power Forward: Dennis Rodman
His tenure with the Bulls wasn’t too long, only three seasons. However, in those three seasons he’s made a case for himself of being one of the best players in franchise history. Jordan described Rodman as an inch taller than him, which would mean roughly 6’7 on a good day. Still, what Rodman lacked in height he made up with his energy. Arguably the greatest rebounder after Wilt Chamberlain. With Rose, Jordan, and Pippen on the court there isn’t anymore need for scoring. This is where Rodman comes in. Rodman averaged 16 rebounds per game with the Bulls and played outstanding defense. Oh, not to mention again that he’s in the Hall of Fame with five rings, three of which came with the Bulls.
Center: Artis Gilmore
This is where the creativity lacked from Shaq’s list. Albeit, Gilmore spent half his career in the ABA, but he still spent six seasons with the Bulls. Gilmore was neck-and-neck with the talents of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar back in his days. Gilmore averaged 23.7 points per game with 12.7 rebounds per game for the Chicago Bulls. Gilmore is another Hall of Fame player with multiple Allstars and clearly the best Center in the history of the Bulls organization. Standing at 7’2, Gilmore was a match-up nightmare for any player on either end of the court.
If Michael Jordan could lead his team to 72 wins with just Pippen and Rodman, imagine if he added a Hall of Fame center and an MVP point guard to his line up. That’s clearly an 80 win team; a team that would take down any team Shaq put together.
