Post by C.C. on Sept 9, 2005 17:39:42 GMT -5
Bulls rely on Big Three this season
Two seasons ago, the Chicago Bulls featured a Big Three that included LeBron James, Baron Davis, and Tracy McGrady. After the 2007 season had ended, the Big Three lost one of their best scorers in Tracy McGrady. Last off-season, the Bulls dealt Tracy McGrady to the Denver Nuggets for three young players that included Hakim Warrick, Carlos Delfino, and Chris Wilcox. Now the Bulls no longer had the Big Three that once dominated the league a year ago. Now the Bulls were left with an exciting Duo that featured LeBron James and Baron Davis. The trade with Denver worked out, as it opened up for James and Baron to handle the ball and score more for the team. Everything worked out well, as James became a Top 3 Scorer in the league, averaging around 30 PPG and Baron Davis becoming a Top 3 player in assists. Not only James became a better player without Tracy McGrady, he scored a career high 64 points in a game vs. the San Antonio Spurs, the most by any player on the Bulls Franchise and in the History of the league. But things started to change again, as the Bulls decided to make another move that would send Hakim Warrick and Eddy Curry out of the Windy City and bring in a well-known Franchise Player from up west, Jason Richardson.
Over the last 2-3 years, Jason Richardson played in Dallas, where he became their Franchise Player. He was the number two option on their team, as he averaged around 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in his career with Dallas. But things started to change last season when General Manager Scott Osburn decided to rebuild his team by dealing almost half his team, including Jason Richardson. He realized his team was not going anywhere, as he watched his team in frustration. Despite having the latest dunk champion and one of the best young guards in the league, Jason Richardson was soon to be dealt to Seattle for Allen Leavell, Matt Harpring, Antonio McDyess and 2 draft picks. This really shocked Dallas fans, as they witnessed their team was starting from scratched all over again and losing their Franchise Player. Jrich was no longer known as a franchise player when he joined Seattle. He soon realized he was not going to get the same minutes he had with Dallas, as he sat on the bench to backup Dirk Nowitzki and Allen Iverson. But very soon, JRich received greater news when he was told he was going to be traded to the Chicago Bulls. He knew what the situation was going to be once he’d arrive there. He knew he was going to be an option on the team because the Bulls only had LeBron James and Baron Davis scoring for them. The best thing he knew was that he was going to a great young franchise to join up with LeBron James and Baron Davis, and create a Big Three in Chicago.
Just before the trade deadline last season, General Manager C.C. proposed a trade to the Seattle Supersonics that would land the Bulls Jason Richardson, one of the best young guards in the league. The Supersonics liked the Bulls offer as they received Hakim Warrick and Eddy Curry from the Bulls for Jason Richardson, Jonathan Bender, and Marcus Camby. The deal made sense for Seattle, as the Sonics needed another center for the future and a solid young backup small forward. As for the Bulls, bringing in Jason Richardson made sense for them as well. Everyone knew the Bulls wanted to create a younger Big Three that featured three dynamic guards. Fans were excited about the deal, as Jrich showed flashes of Tracy McGrady from a year ago. The New Big Three, now featuring LeBron James, Baron Davis, and Jason Richardson, became a new beginning for this great young franchise, as fans become more excited and optimistic about the team.
After Jason Richardson finished his season with the Bulls last year, he averaged around 18 PPG and 6 RPG as the second and third option. This season shouldn’t be any different for the Bulls, as they rely on the Big Three to dominate and reach the Post Season. Defensive Player of the Year, Emeka Okafor, and new starting center, Andrew Bynum, will also join up the Big Three in the Playoff run. Could this season feel like the days when Tracy McGrady led the Bulls to a 60 win mark two years ago? Possibly. If so, this year could very well be the start of the Jrich era.
