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Tiki and Tierney: Scottie Pippen on how the Bulls can become championship contenders again
(2:15)
If the documentary for The Last Dance, which came out earlier this year, showed us anything about the Chicago Bulls as they are currently built, it showed how far they are from the glory they enjoyed during the 1990s when they raised six championship flags. The Bulls have missed the postseason in three of the past four seasons, and while they do have some solid young players on the roster, they certainly don’t have superstar cornerstones like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen to build.
So how do Bulls become the type of contender they used to be? The way Pippen sees it, his old franchise will have to be built through the draft, since he doesn’t see Chicago as a prime destination for free agents.
“I think you have to do well in the draft,” Pippen said during an appearance on CBS Sports’ Tiki & Tierney on Tuesday. “I think the Bulls’ success in the past came through the draft with me, Michael, Horace Grant. We were the original champions of that city, and most of us came to the draft. I think they are going to have to be able to find the talent Proper through the draft. Chicago doesn’t seem like a destination for free agents. It’s never been the way they’ve been built, so I don’t expect that to happen. But I hope that somehow they can get something through the draft. in the future and can keep those players back to a competitive level. ”
Pippen is not wrong, since Chicago doesn’t have a great history when it comes to getting the best free agents. The Bulls’ top teams, the 90s squads led by Jordan and Pippen, and teams from the past decade led by Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Jimmy Butler, were built through the draft. At Zach LaVine, Wendell Carter Jr., and Lauri Markkanen, Chicago has some promising young pieces, but none has necessarily established itself as the best option in a potential playoff team. At Markkanen specifically, Pippen wants to see more of the forward shots moving forward.
“I think it definitely bothered me a lot in terms of his first year, but last year was almost a year off,” Pippen said of Markkanen. “Expectations are still very high for him, but next season will be a great year for him, and he has to go out and really have a great season because I think this is a contract year for him and I think it is important for him to establish himself as a constant player in this game. ”
The NBA Draft 2020 is scheduled for October 16, and the Bulls will have a solid team thanks to their poor performance this season. The Bulls are one of eight teams that did not travel to Orlando for the restart of the 2019-20 NBA season, so they are fully focused on the future right now. Between now and October they will have plenty of time to do their homework, which is good because it is extremely important that they make a solid selection if they want to take a substantial step in the coming seasons.
