HoopsHype.com Columns

Bulls still NBA's top bottom-feeder
by Mike Sandrolini / March 4, 2002

When you have four equally mediocre teams -- such as Denver, Memphis, Chicago and Golden State -- losses alone can't determine which club might be more suited to play in the CBA than in the NBA.

Each of the aforementioned teams are shoo-ins for a top-four NBA lottery pick, as long as they don't do something rash... like start winning a few games. Each is within a game or two of owning the league' worst record.

So who gets the nod as my pick for the NBA' top bottom-feeder this campaign? The team owned and operated, respectively, by the two Jerrys, Reinsdorf and Krause. Da Bulls.

Hard to believe that the Michael Jordan-led dynasty of just four years ago could come crashing down faster than the fall of the Roman Empire. But fall it did.

And hard.

Who's to blame? Well, if you believe an old Krause-ism that organizations, not players, win championships, then Krause must shoulder most of it since he's the organization' front man. Krause took a wrecking ball to the remainder of the Bulls' 1998 championship squad after Jordan retired (again), and coach/Zen master Phil Jackson left for the tranquility of Big Sky country.

Krause brought in Tim Floyd, his fishing buddy, from the college ranks, and provided Floyd with 45 different players -- everyone from Kevin Ollie to Roy Rogers to Andrew Lang (I swear I've seen Clubber Lange in a Bulls' uniform, too) -- over Floyd' 3 1/4-season sentence in Chicago.

After 190 losses and Charles Oakley getting on his case, poor Tim gave himself an early Christmas present: He mercifully resigned Christmas eve. Bill Cartwright took over for Floyd and does bring some much-needed stability to the franchise. At least Cartwright now has a bonafide NBA star to work with in Jalen Rose, whom Krause, to his credit, obtained from Indiana. Rose will get all the shots (and then some) with Chicago that he never got at the Pacers.

Still, there are too many of Jerry' pet projects -- Marcus Fizer and high school phenoms Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry, among them -- who need to develop, so don't look for the Bulls to give up their first-to-worst status anytime soon.

A team that' running a close second to the Bulls in terms of futility is the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies improved their fan base by moving from Vancouver last summer, but little else.

Since joining the league along with Toronto in 1995, the Grizzlies haven't exactly taken advantage of the high draft picks they've had. And the jury is still out on the blockbuster draft day deal they made in 2001 -- sending
all-time leading scorer and rebounder Shareef Abdur-Rahim to Atlanta for Brevin Knight, Lorenzen Wright and the No. 3 pick.

That pick turned out to be Spaniard Pau Gasol, who is putting up solid numbers his rookie season (17.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game). But like most European-born players, Gasol is suspect defensively. Another deal that arguably has flopped so far is Mike Bibby to Sacramento for flashy but inconsistent point guard Jason Williams.

The Grizzlies have been decimated by injuries this season, forcing No. 6 pick Shane Battier -- who would have been better suited coming off the bench -- into a starting role. "Big Contract" Bryant Reeves was forced to retire due to a chronic back injury, but don't feel too sorry for Reeves. He'll be collecting 80 percent of the $27.3 million he was scheduled to receive over the next two seasons.

Currently next-to-last in the NBA Midwest Division standings -- and just ahead of the Grizzlies -- is Denver, where things are getting so bad that the Nuggets signed Mengke Bateer, a native of inner Mongolia (that's right: inner Mongolia) and MVP of the Chinese Basketball Association. Mengke played briefly with the club last October.

Dan Issel became a subject of controversy in late December following an incident in which he made an insensitive ethnic remark to a spectator. Issel later resigned as head coach and president.

The Nuggets did get rid of their leading whiner, guard Nick Van Exel, as well as some hefty salaries in a February trade with Dallas. It appears as if the Nuggets are clearing salary cap room to become a player in the free-agent market. However, you have to wonder if this strategy will backfire (like it did for the Bulls) because Denver is going no place fast.

Languishing at the bottom of the Pacific Division are the Golden State Warriors. Small forward Antawn Jamison looked like he was becoming a force last season, but his scoring average has dropped to 19.3 points, compared to averaging nearly 25 per game in 2000-01.

The Warriors have experienced difficulty this season executing a halfcourt offense, and generally get into trouble in the fourth quarter because of it. Coach Brian Winters had talented Larry Hughes, normally a 2-guard, starting at point guard most of the season. Now, Hughes is out of the starting lineup altogether. Hughes will be a restricted free agent at season's end. You can bet the rent he'll be testing the market.

Mike Sandrolini has written about the NBA for various newspapers and magazines. He is a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com

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