Chicago Bulls · Franchise era 5 of 7
Rebuilding after the dynasty: the Chicago Bulls story
Franchise era
1998–99—2007–08
Rebuilding after the dynasty
Chicago Bulls
The story in one sentence
The immediate teardown produced years of losses before Hinrich, Gordon and Deng restored playoff basketball and a new defensive edge.
From teardown to the Baby Bulls
Elton Brand, Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Luol Deng gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for the d-rose bulls.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 1998–99
What came before
The triangle offense, Jordan's scoring, Pippen's versatility and two distinct supporting casts produced six titles in eight seasons.
2005
Eastern Conference First Round: Chicago Bulls vs Washington Wizards
2006
Eastern Conference First Round: Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat
2007
Eastern Conference Semifinals: Chicago Bulls vs Detroit Pistons
After 2007–08
What came next
Rose became the youngest MVP, Chicago won 62 games and reached the 2011 conference finals. His ACL injury changed the ceiling, but Noah, Butler and the defense kept the era competitive.
The core