2001–02 Chicago Bulls season

2001–02 Chicago Bulls season
Head coach	Tim Floyd, Bill Cartwright
Owner(s)	Jerry Reinsdorf
Arena	United Center
Results
Record	21–61 (.256)
Place	Division: 8th (Central) Conference: 15th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	DNQ
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	Fox Sports Net Chicago, WGN, WCIU
Radio	WMVP

The 2001–02 Chicago Bulls season was the 36th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Bulls finished last place in the Central Division with a 21-61 record.

NBA Draft

Main article: 2001 NBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	4	Eddy Curry	C	United States	Thornwood HS (South Holland, IL)
2	29	Trenton Hassell	SG	United States	Austin Peay
2	44	Sean Lampley	SF	United States	California

Roster

Chicago Bulls roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From C 44 Bagaric, Dalibor 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Croatia G 6 Best, Travis 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 182 lb (83 kg) Georgia Tech F/C 3 Chandler, Tyson 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Dominguez HS (CA) G 1 Crawford, Jamal 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Michigan C 2 Curry, Eddy 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 285 lb (129 kg) Thornwood HS (IL) F 21 Fizer, Marcus 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 262 lb (119 kg) Iowa State G 11 Guyton, A.J. 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Indiana G/F 22 Hassell, Trenton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Austin Peay G 20 Hoiberg, Fred 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Iowa State F/C 34 Oakley, Charles 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Virginia Union G 31 Richardson, Norm 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Hofstra G/F 32 Robinson, Eddie 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Central Oklahoma G/F 5 Rose, Jalen 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Michigan	Head coach Tim Floyd (Louisiana Tech) Bill Berry (Michigan State) Bill Cartwright (San Francisco) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Regular season

In 2001-02, the make-up and direction of the Chicago Bulls changed significantly: by the season’s end, a pair of 18-year-old phenoms and an All-Star caliber player were in the line-up while Elton Brand, once thought to be the franchise’s cornerstone for rebuilding efforts, was not. The result was a renewed sense of optimism and hope surrounding the team’s future with Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry and Jalen Rose as the centers of attention.

It all began on the night of the 2001 NBA Draft, when the Bulls used their first-round pick, fourth overall, to select Thornwood High School’s Eddy Curry, a 6-11, 285-pound center. Minutes later, Chicago dealt Brand to the LA Clippers for Dominguez High School product Tyson Chandler (picked second overall) and Brian Skinner. Chicago also acquired one of the steals of the draft in Trenton Hassell out of Austin Peay in the second round.

With the addition of free agent Eddie Robinson (signed Aug. 7), the new look Bulls, a young and athletic squad, were ready to take the floor. The importance of having NBA experience was again displayed as the team struggled and finished the season 21-61. The beginning of the year was not pleasant for Chicago. The Bulls set a franchise record for worst loss with a 53-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 8. Head Coach Tim Floyd, who compiled a 49-190 record over four seasons with the club, resigned on Christmas Eve. Bill Berry was named interim coach and four days later, Bill Cartwright was named head coach on Dec. 28.

The team went on to suffer an 18-game road losing streak from Nov. 2 to Jan. 11and on Feb. 18, the Bulls grabbed a franchise-low 25 rebounds in Miami.

A change was needed and on February 19, it was delivered in the form of a seven-player trade. The Bulls acquired Jalen Rose, Travis Best and Norman Richardson from the Indiana Pacers for Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Ron Mercer and Kevin Ollie.

“We feel Jalen is an outstanding all-around player who can play three positions offensively and defensively,” EVP of Basketball Operations Jerry Krause explained. “He’s a very good passer, extremely unselfish, a fine scorer and in the prime of his career at age 29. His leadership qualities and versatility are an added plus.”

“I'm excited about it,” Rose said upon his arrival to Chicago. “I embrace the opportunity. Every kid dreams about standing in this position talking about having an opportunity to take a team to a championship level.”

The team went on to post their first three-game winning streak in two years from Feb. 20-23. Jamal Crawford, who tore his ACL over the summer and required surgery to repair it, returned to the active roster on March 3 after missing the first 58 games of the season. On March 11, the Bulls and Bill Cartwright mutually agreed to a three-year extension on the head coach’s contract. Other notes from the season included Marcus Fizer’s (sophomore team) participation in the Schick Rookie Challenge at All-Star Weekend and Trenton Hassell being named to the NBA’s ‘got milk?’ Rookie of the Month for February.

Standings

Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Detroit Pistons	50	32	.610	–	26–15	24–17	20–8
x-Charlotte Hornets	44	38	.537	6	21–20	23–18	17–11
x-Toronto Raptors	42	40	.512	8	24–17	18–23	17–11
x-Indiana Pacers	42	40	.512	8	25–16	17–24	13–15
Milwaukee Bucks	41	41	.500	9	25–16	16–25	17–11
Atlanta Hawks	33	49	.402	17	23–18	10–31	11–17
Cleveland Cavaliers	29	53	.354	21	20–21	9–32	12–16
Chicago Bulls	21	61	.256	29	14–27	7–34	5–23

Transactions

Trades

February 19, 2002	To Indiana Pacers Kevin Ollie	To Chicago Bulls Travis Best
February 19, 2002	To Indiana Pacers Ron Artest, Brad Miller and Ron Mercer	To Chicago Bulls Jalen Rose, Norm Richardson, and a second round draft pick

Subtractions

March 1, 2002
Player	Reason left	New team
Greg Anthony	Waived	Milwaukee Bucks

References

• [1]
• [2]

See also

• 2001–02 NBA season