2000–01 Chicago Bulls Season
Sluggish Start, But A Strong Finish
1999–2000 Recap
The 1999–2000 NBA season was the Bulls' 34th season in the National Basketball Association. The Bulls won the Draft Lottery and selected Elton Brand with the first overall pick. However, Brand refused to play for the Bulls and forced his way to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Bulls then traded Brand to the Clippers for Tyson Chandler, Brian Skinner, and a future first-round pick. The Bulls finished the 2000–01 season with a 15–67 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1990–91 season.
2000–01 Season
Despite the turmoil of the previous season, the Bulls entered the 2000–01 season with optimism. The team had signed free agents Ron Mercer and Brad Miller, and they were expecting big things from second-year player Jamal Crawford. However, the Bulls struggled mightily out of the gate, losing their first six games. They finished the first half of the season with a 5–37 record, and they were well on their way to another lottery season.
But the Bulls made a surprising turnaround in the second half of the season. They went 10–30 in their final 40 games, and they finished the season with a 15–67 record. The Bulls' record was still the worst in the NBA, but it was a significant improvement over their first-half performance. The Bulls' turnaround was led by Crawford, who averaged 17.3 points per game in the second half of the season. Crawford emerged as the Bulls' go-to scorer, and his play gave the team some hope for the future.
The Bulls' 2000–01 season was a disappointing one, but it was also a season of progress. The team showed some signs of improvement in the second half of the season, and they have a young core of players that they can build around. The Bulls are not likely to be a playoff contender in the near future, but they have a bright future ahead of them.
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