Hakeem Olajuwon

Bulls.com

Phoenix: (7-14, 3-5 on the road) at Bulls: (3-15, 2-5 at home)

TV: WGN TV: Neil Funk and Stacey King 7PM tipoff.

RADIO: WLS 890AM. Chuck Swirsky, Bill Wennington and Steve Kashul.

LAST MEETING: In Phoenix, November 19: Suns 113 Bulls 105. Balanced scoring by the Suns with six players scoring in double figures. T.J. Warren with a game high 27 as the Suns dished out 32 assists on 45 buckets. Mike James and Troy Daniels hurt the Bulls off the bench. Lauri Markkanen poured in 26 for the Bulls. The Bulls did a superb defensive job on Devin Booker who went 5-15 from the floor.

KEYS TO THE GAME: We all know the offensive numbers this season for the Bulls (hint, not good) but against Phoenix, toss them aside. Phoenix has allowed at least 110 points in five of their last six games. The Bulls can get some hoops in transition but MUST get back in transition as well. The Suns scored 64 points in the paint on the Bulls.

ROOKIE MATCHUP COMPARISON: Josh Jackson-Age: 20. Drafted fourth overall. 6-8 from Kansas. Totals: 21 games, 4 starts. Avg nearly 22 minutes per game. 9 points, 3 rebounds. 38% fg. 25% -3ptfg. 51%ft%. Avg 1 assist. 2 turnovers per game.

Lauri Markkanen-Age: 20. Drafted seventh overall from Arizona. Totals: 18 games, 18 starts. Avg. 30 minutes a game. 14 points, 8 rebounds. 40% fg,
34% 3point fg %, 80% free throws. Avg 1 assist. 1 turnover.

CCI 24 SECONDS COMMENTARY: I’m anticipating a strong game for Markkanen tonight and I also believe Kris Dunn will bounce back from a difficult game against the Heat and respond against the Suns. I like the matchups for Dunn tonight.

A day after benching star Marc Gasol in the fourth quarter of Memphis’ eighth consecutive loss, David Fizdale was unceremoniously fired as head coach. J.B. Bickerstaff is the new interim coach.

“Big brother” sent “little brother” a message last night in Philadelphia as the blistering Cavs won their eighth straight by 22 over the 76ers. Please let’s put the Ben Simmons- LeBron comparisons on hold..check that..not even on hold. Simmons is the first to admit he hasn’t done anything, yet. James with a 30-13-6 game. Cleveland has won 30 out of its last 31 games from Philly.

NY’s Joakim Noah made his first on the court appearance last night but Portland wins at MSG.

Yes, the “BIG” low post center is not extinct...at least not yet! Detroit's Andre Drummond keeps putting up numbers 26 points, 22 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals...Pistons now 13-6 with a VERY impressive road win in Boston.

Victor Oladipo became the first player since Jalen Rose in 2001 to make his first 11 shots as Indiana handed Orlando it’s ninth straight loss.

Houston toppled an undermanned Nets club.

Blake Griffin will have his left knee examined today..his Clippers held on for a victory over the Lakers. The Clippers have already lost Patrick Beverley to season ending knee surgery.

Golden State played without Curry and KD and lost to the Kings. Sacramento will be here Friday.

Tony Parker is back..six points and four assists in fourteen minutes as the Spurs sent the reeling Mavs to their 16th loss in 21 games.

Thanks for reading CCI. E mail me at cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter: @ctsbulls.

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Chuck's Daily Check In: 11.28.17

FINAL FROM THE UNITED CENTER: Miami 100 Bulls 93.
Bulls: 3-15, 2-5 at home.

LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: Grant 24pts ( career high). Heat: Dragic: 24.
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Valentine: 13 (career high) Heat: Whiteside: 9.
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Valentine: 7 (career high) Heat: J. Johnson 6.

TURNING POINT: Late 4th quarter the Heat pulled away with Wayne Ellington knocking down three point shots along with the play of James Johnson, Goran Dragic. Heat Head Coach Eric Spoelstra sat Hassan Whiteside and Dion Waiters at crunch time and let Johnson and Ellington play on.

STAT OF THE NIGHT: Chicago 13 Miami 7, at the end of the first quarter. No, not a battle between the Bears and Dolphins... the Bulls and Heat. Neither team could make a shot. I’ve done a ton of games in my life but honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever called twelve minutes like that one!

How do you explain that first quarter score, Denzel Valentine?
“Early game for one, guys were a little sluggish, maybe, so it took a little while to get going."

On the game itself: “We took a step forward at least. In the past two games we started good then when adversity hits we shut down but today we fought through some adversity. We just didn’t make plays when we needed to in the second half. They hit big shots. I think we played well but we need to keep learning how to finish games." - Valentine

CHUCK CHECKS IN 24 SECONDS COMMENTARY: Fans don’t want to hear excuses but a long week on the road coupled with physical fatigue was in play for the Bulls in the first quarter. The Bulls competed... period. Not exactly sure what happened to the Heat in the opening period but the bottom line is the Bulls did play with effort only to see the Heat make plays at crunch time. Jerian Grant has scored 62 points the past three games. Valentine was exceptional flirting with triple double numbers and finished with an impressive 14 points and career highs in both rebounds (13) and assists (7).

NWABA SET TO RETURN? The Bulls are hoping forward David Nwaba can resume practicing with the team this afternoon after missing the last ten games with an ankle injury. The Bulls miss his defense, rebounding and energy.

Memphis lost its eighth straight, longest skid since 2009 as the Nets won for the seventh time this season, 98-88. Marc Gasol was benched in the fourth quarter and is NOT a happy camper this morning.

The T-Wolves pounced on the Suns who played without Devin Booker 119-108. Minnesota recorded 32 second chance points.

Denver’s Paul Milsap underwent left wrist surgery and will be sidelined several months. The Bulls are in the “Mile High City” Thursday.

Houston is outscoring opponents by an average of 16.6 points per game this month.

Great news for the Spurs and NBA fans as the Spurs announced veteran Tony Parker will return from his quad injury tonight against Dallas.

Hall of Fame Center Hakeem Olajuwon says he’d like to work with Kristaps Porzingis on his post game. If I’m Porzingis, I’m going to the “Dream” and telling him, “Sign me up!”

So here’s my Hakeem Olajuwon story for you. In the 2001 off season, fresh off an EC semi final appearance, the Raptors went for it and made a trade with the Rockets acquiring Hakeem for draft picks. Olajuwon and the Rockets couldn’t agree on a deal and the Raptors were more than willing to overpay to grab a title with Vince Carter entering his prime. I'm not sure of Olajuwon’s age at the time but one could easily see in training camp that he had seen his better days and in fact suffered an injury in pre season. None the less, Hakeem is all class and was always respectful; never a bad word to say about anyone and treated every employee with dignity and professionalism.

One morning at a shoot around in Philadelphia someone tossed a soccer ball on the practice court and Olajuwon put on a display of soccer brilliance. It was mesmerizing. I was in awe watching Olajuwon’s precision and skill. As you know, Hakeem played soccer in Nigeria before moving to the United States to play basketball at the University of Houston. Hakeem‘s agility, mobility and incredible soccer footwork carried over to basketball, a sport he didn’t pick up until the age of 17. So a word of advice to any NBA player regardless of height, shape, etc. If Olajuwon reaches out to you..accept ASAP!

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Chuck's Daily Check In: 11.27.17

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Sam Smith: 1984 NBA Draft ranks as best ever Also: Rod Thorn drafted Michael Jordan at No. 3 in 1984

Heads or tails? At some point, most of us have taken part in a coin flip for one reason or another.

The outcome is fifty-fifty. Completely arbitrary. Subject to chance. And as the Chicago Bulls know, franchise altering.

For with a different outcome of a few coin flips dating back 35 years ago, Michael Jordan may have never played for the Bulls.

The story of Jordan landing in Chicago would almost certainly not have been possible had Chicago won its coin toss with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979. With the top pick in the draft, Los Angeles selected Magic Johnson, while Chicago took David Greenwood at No. 2.

“Nothing against Greenwood, who was a good player and a good guy,” said Irwin Mandel, a senior vice president for the Bulls in his 42nd season with the team. “But with Magic, we never would have had a bad enough record to draft Jordan five seasons later.”

With “THE84DRAFT" set to premiere on Monday, June 9 at 8 p.m. CT on NBA TV and look back on that historic class that featured four Hall of Famers – top selection Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and John Stockton in addition to Jordan – it brings to mind a few words once spoken by the Dalai Lama:

“Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.”

The Bulls closed out the 1983-84 season with a mark of 27-55, third worst in the league and one game behind the Dallas Mavericks. But that almost wasn’t the case.

Mandel recalls a controversial finish to a game that year in which Caldwell Jones of the Houston Rockets connected on a desperation three-pointer with the game tied as time expired. The shot counted and the Rockets won. Mandel and the Bulls filed a formal protest with the league, arguing that there was not enough time for the sequence of plays to have been allowed and that there was a misinterpretation of the rules.

To this day, Mandel believes his case was a compelling one. The NBA disagreed and would not overturn the officials’ ruling. If Chicago had instead been granted another victory, it would have been tied with Dallas and a coin toss would have ensued for the third pick. Given then Dallas general manager Rick Sund, a friend of Mandel’s, attempted to trade up a spot to select Jordan, there is little doubt as to who the Mavericks would have taken at No. 3.

While that coin toss wasn’t necessary, one was required to determine who would select first in the 1984 NBA Draft. The consensus prize was Hakeem Olajuwon, known for his illustrious career at University of Houston.

Shortly after the flip took place, Mandel spoke to former Bulls general manager Rod Thorn.

“He told me, ‘Good news, Irwin. Houston won and they’ll take Olajuwon. Portland, I’m pretty darn sure is taking Sam Bowie,’” said Mandel. “I think that very few other teams would have taken Bowie over Jordan. But Portland did it given they already had Clyde Drexler and Jim Paxson on their team.

“We lucked out in that we lost the protest,” Mandel added. “At the same time, we were lucky that Houston won the coin toss with Portland. If Portland had won, they take Olajuwon and Houston takes Jordan. We absolutely lucked out on a few levels.

“Though it was believed Jordan could be a star, Olajuwon was considered to be a better pro prospect,” Mandel added. “Plus, people thought a player like Olajuwon could have a greater effect on winning.”

Though Thorn was cautiously optimistic Jordan would be there for the Bulls, it was no certainty. So he prepared for the draft with other players such as Sam Perkins and Mel Turpin under consideration, but Jordan was his clear cut favorite.

As for the draft itself, Thorn opted to stay in Chicago with his coaching staff and scout rather than being at Madison Square Garden’s Felt Forum for the proceedings. So he asked Keith Brown, a 23-year old sales representative in his second year with the Bulls, to go on behalf of the team.

“I was very excited for the opportunity and it was actually the very first time in my life I had been on an airplane,” recalled Brown, now vice president of ticketing and premium seating after 31 years.

After checking in and receiving an explanation from the league staff about what to expect, Brown phoned Thorn and managing partner Jonathan Kovler. It was a call that would not end until the 10-round draft concluded, as Brown would provide the group in Chicago with pick-by-pick updates throughout.

“When we got to the third pick, it was live on television,” said Brown. “I was on the phone with Jonathan who was with Rod. As I was waiting for him to advise me of our pick, the red light of the camera came on. He said, ‘Hey, you’re on TV. Give us a thumbs up.’”

Brown obliged as his 15 minutes of fame took full effect. Then, he made formal a selection that would mark the official beginnings of one of sport’s greatest dynasties: The Bulls were drafting Michael Jordan of North Carolina.

Brown completed the necessary paperwork and handed it to a league runner, who promptly delivered it to David Stern, overseeing his first draft as commissioner, for the announcement.

“Everyone was very excited about the pick,” recalled Brown. “But Mike Thibault, our scout at the time, said he felt Michael was the best player in the draft. While I don’t think Mike could have forecasted he’d be the greatest player ever, he was certain that within a season, Jordan would be a perennial All-Star. So I think Mike had a real sense of how good Jordan was going to be and I suspect that Rod shared that opinion.”

“Mike felt extremely strongly that the Bulls should draft Jordan,” Mandel concurred. “I think Thibault was an influence on Thorn, but either way, Rod was going to take Jordan. Thibault just reinforced that taking him was the right move to make.”

Jordan was on his way to Chicago. And while it’s easy to overlook the details which fell in place along the way to make that happen, none of it would have been possible had heads turned out to be tails instead, or vice versa.

“History would have been rewritten,” said Mandel. “Instead of thinking about the championships, we would look back with regret on how close we came to getting the great Michael Jordan. We’re unbelievably lucky that things turned out the way they did.”

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Flip of a coin helped Bulls land Jordan

In 1984, the prize of the NBA Draft was the University of Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon, not North Carolina product Michael Jordan.

But when Jordan fell to the Bulls at No. 3, it was one heck of a consolation prize for then General Manager Rod Thorn.

The consensus was clear that Jordan would be a good NBA player, said Thorn, having been named the collegiate player of the year following his junior year. But it was the traditional center teams sought, and Olajuwon had the makings of a dominant one.

A coin flip between Houston and Portland determined the Rockets would pick first. The Trail Blazers had Clyde Drexler and Jim Paxson, and felt they didn’t need another wing player. Hence, Jordan was on the board when the Bulls were ready to select.

“I think most people today, given the choice of a quality big player or a quality 6-6 guy, usually you're going to take the quality big guy,” Thorn said in a phone interview from his New Jersey Nets office, where he is currently the team’s president. “But in those days, it was even more so, because virtually everybody who had ever won a championship had a big time center.

“Michael helped change some of that over the course of his career by winning as many championships as he and the Bulls did,” he added. “It kind of changed some of that thinking that you could have a great player who was not a center and still have a dominating team.”

So what was the scouting report on Jordan at the time?

“He was a tremendous athlete with a strong body that looked like it was going to get better,” said Thorn. “He was competitive, and a fair shooter. Good ball handler, though not a great one at that time, but a good one, and a good defensive player. His shooting was what we were concerned with. We didn’t know what kind of shooter he was going to turn out to be.”

As Thorn and the Bulls prepared for the draft, he relied on his relationship with North Carolina coaching legend Dean Smith for assistance in watching tape and acquiring scouting reports on not only his own players, but others in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Thorn made several trips to Smith’s Chapel Hill office as he narrowed his field of draft candidates.

“His feeling was that Michael was as good of an athlete as he had,” Thorn said of his conversations with Smith. “He was an extraordinary competitor, and his feeling was that he would get even better, and be a better pro than he even was a college player. He was very high on him, and felt he would turn out to be a really good pro.”

Smith was a coach who would urge his players to enter the draft if he felt strongly they would be a top-five selection. When it became clear Jordan would be taken off the board quickly, Coach Smith was all for him coming out, said Thorn.

But what if Portland had taken Jordan at No. 2? Or, what if Houston had made a trade with Portland to take Jordan? Portland’s desire for a big man was well-known, and Houston could have sent Ralph Sampson to the Blazers for the second pick. Think a tandem of Jordan and Olajuwon would have fared well?

For the Bulls, Plan B was Sam Perkins, Jordan’s North Carolina teammate. Thorn said they were concerned about Kentucky’s Sam Bowie’s leg, and felt Auburn’s Charles Barkley may have been undersized.

But Jordan, who never came in for a pre-draft workout with the Bulls, was there after Portland selected Bowie, and the rest is history.

That fall, on the first day of training camp, Thorn received a phone call from Bill Blair, one of the team’s assistant coaches at the time.

Thorn recalled the conversation, “He said to the effect, and I'm cleaning this up a little, 'Boy, you didn't make a mistake this year!'”

The next day, it was then Head Coach Kevin Loughery on the line.

“Coaches generally are leery of rookies and jumping to any kind of conclusion about what a guy is going to be, but he felt we had a good one in Michael,” Thorn recalled.

By the first exhibition game, Jordan was clearly the best player the Bulls had, and soon enough, he was drawing crowds. Besides his collegiate career, Jordan’s play with the Olympic team in Los Angeles under Bobby Knight that summer had garnered a lot of publicity, so he had a following.

“When he lived up to that following as he did in that exhibition season, he got even bigger,” Thorn said. “When the season started, in the first two or three weeks, he was phenomenal. Everybody saw that he was a player who had a chance to be special.”

Thorn remembers being particularly blown away when the Bulls and Bucks met in the third game of the 1984-85 season. In a game attended by 9,356 at the Chicago Stadium, Jordan single-handedly dismantled a solid Milwaukee defense. Sidney Moncrief spent the majority of the night on Jordan, and he had been named NBA Defensive Player of the Year the previous two seasons.

“They were double-teaming Michael every time he got the ball,” Thorn said. “In the fourth quarter, Michael had 15 or 16 points and I don’t care if they double or triple-teamed him or whatever they did, he still scored. We ended up beating them and it was like, 'Goodness gracious, I can't believe what I just saw out there.'”

Jordan saw countless double-teams throughout his career. But for an NBA rookie to regularly and consistently beat them, drive to the basket, and score while making it look easy was remarkable.

“He wasn't nearly as accomplished of a jump shooter at that time as he became,” Thorn recalled. “He would just recklessly go to the bucket. What people forget about Michael, I think, is how great of an athlete he was. He had the body control, the ability to take hits in the air and finish, and then obviously go to the foul line. Teams knew he was going to drive, and they couldn't stop him.”

Thorn is among those who believe Jordan is the best player that ever played, and feels his induction into basketball’s Hall of Fame is fitting.

“It is the ultimate honor for any player in any sport because it's the highest honor you can get,” he said. “I think it's very appropriate the first year he became eligible he’s in and obviously I'm sure it was unanimous. I'm looking forward to the evening and to be part of the gathering that welcomes Michael.”

Michael Jordan | Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame | Class of 2009

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Rod Thorn drafted Michael Jordan at No. 3 in 1984

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