© Anne Ryan-USA TODAY
A look back at the Chicago Bulls' best draft selections
The NBA Draft is always a tricky exercise. Teams have to make decisions that could shape the future of their franchises for years to come. For the Chicago Bulls, this has been especially true over their tenure in the league. With some great picks and some not-so-great ones, here are the best ones made by the team:
Michael Jordan (1984)
Michael Jordan, the most obvious member of this list, was selected with the third overall pick in 1984 and went on to become arguably the greatest player of all time. He led the Bulls to six championships and is still revered as Chicago's most beloved sports figure. Much credit goes to the Bulls' general manager at that time—Rod Thorn—for having the wherewithal to recognize Jordan's potential and select him.
Kudos also go to Portland's GM, Stu Inman, who picked Sam Bowie with the second pick of that year's draft. Bowie—an oft-injured big man—never panned out while Jordan took off on his Hall of Fame trajectory.
Scottie Pippen (1987)
Another diamond in the rough that the Bulls uncovered was Scottie Pippen. It only took one look for then-Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause to recognize that Pippen possessed the size, skill, and athleticism necessary to become an all-around star. Pippen's natural skill and commitment to defense made him a perfect partner for Jordan, prompting the Bulls to trade their eighth pick of the 1987 NBA Draft, Olden Polynice, and future draft considerations to Seattle for Pippen, who the Sonics selected fifth overall.
Polynice was a solid player who played 15 seasons, but he obviously was not Pippen, who went on to become one of the legendary players in NBA history. Pippen was named to the All-Star team seven times, was a seven-time All-NBA player, and a 10-time All-Defensive selection. He also won two Olympic gold medals with Team USA and was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Derrick Rose (2008)
The Bulls only had a 1.7% chance of winning the NBA Draft Lottery in 2008, but they got lucky and ended up with the first overall pick. However, the work was not yet done for then-general manager John Paxson, as he still had to pick between Rose—who was sensational at Memphis—and highly-skilled forward Michael Beasley of Kansas State. Paxson made the correct choice, as Rose became an instant star. He won Rookie of the Year, became an All-Star, and was the league's youngest player to capture the MVP trophy before an ACL tear in his fourth season robbed him of the Hall of Fame trajectory he was clearly on.
