Pippen

Unfortunately, his return to Chicago was derailed by soreness in the left knee, which caused him to miss 57 games last year and pass up a farewell tour this year.

With a trophy case that includes two Olympic golds, six NBA titles, 10 All-Defensive teams, seven all-star teams and recognition as one of the 50 best in NBA history, Pippen will not soon be forgotten.

Hinrich

Questionable trades (Elton Brand), unfortunate accidents (Jay Wiliams), trade demands (Jamal Crawford) and underwhelming results (Marcus Fizer) have stalled the next golden era.

Maybe that changed with last season's selection of Kirk Hinrich, who ranked seventh in assists as a rookie and chipped in 12.0 points per game. He's going to get even better, and he's got some help on the way.

While other teams foolishly flew around the world to scout players, Bulls General Manager Jim Paxson simply watched the NCAA Championship game and selected three of its biggest stars. We're kidding, but the Bulls did net Luol Deng and Chris Duhon of Duke and Ben Gordon of Connecticut in the 2004 Draft.

Gordon and Deng, both lottery picks, will have to contribute right away. Gordon steps in for Crawford. Like his predecessor, he can handle the ball, shoot it, and break people down off the dribble. Deng is a long and lean 6-8 forward who has a mid-range jumper and can score on the low block.

The team's most NBA-ready rookie, however, might be Andres Nocioni, a 24-year-old swingman from Argentina, who averaged 10.0 points for the gold-medal winners at the 2004 Olympics. His athleticism, toughness and pure skill could make him a major contributor in year one. He's sort of a bigger, stronger Manu Ginobili.

Neither Eddy Curry nor Tyson Chandler has celebrated his 22nd birthday, so it's too early to label them disappointments. At a solid 6-11, Curry is a potential Shaq-stopper, and the team has to be pleased with his devotion to training this offseason.

Sniper Eric Piatkowski was signed and forward Othella Harrington arrived in the Crawford deal. Throw in Antonio Davis and the Bulls have a legitimate chance of making a run at a playoff berth, but smart money says they're probably another year away.