The Bulls' drive for five can be halted by injuries

Sporting News, The, Oct 14, 1996 by Shaun Powell

One more year. One more time. One more title? Maybe that's what the Bulls' slogan should be in 1996-97: One at a time.

For contractual reasons, the Bulls are guaranteed to remain intact this season, but not beyond. Might as well make the best of it.

The defending champions return all the important pieces, so that makes them a strong favorite to win their fifth title in seven years, though they are an abnormality in the league. They didn't make a single significant change during the most active offseason ever, and yet they appear as strong as ever.

Coach Phil Jackson opened camp by saying the Bulls are capable of matching last year's result, but he did add an asterisk

"In the regular-season sense, repeating what we did last year is not practical," he says. "Seventy-two wins? ... We know that's a once-in-a-lifetime thing. We won't measure ourselves against that We want to measure ourselves against excellence."

At the same time, Jackson believes the Eastern Conference, now minus Shaquille O'Neal, will be an easier place to play.

"With Shaq not there in Orlando and New York changing a lot of the chemistry, Indiana having changed what helped them get to the (conference) finals, it's going to be a different league," Jackson says. "I think the balance of power shifted over to the West."

The biggest worry the Bulls have now isn't the revamped Knicks or the stubborn Pacers or anyone out West; it's themselves.

They are older, which makes them more vulnerable to perhaps their biggest enemy: injuries. Scottie Pippen, 31, broke down al times late last season from an assortment of muscle and bone ailments before finally undergoing minor ankle surgery in the off season. Dennis Rodman, 35, is a robo-player who has the body of a 25-Year-old because of the hours he puts in the weight room, but his reckless style of play still makes him high risk. Then there's Michael Jordan, 33, who, truth be told, began to deteriorate as the NBA Finals wore on. The other starters, Luc Longley and Ron Harper, also had injuries that required offseason surgery. Reserve Toni Kukoc played in the Olympics and didn't get a chance to fully recover from an ankle injury that bothered trim curing the Finals.

Because the Bulls are heavy with role players, any major injury to their stars will lead to major trouble. "What injuries we do or do not have will be the barometer of our season," Jackson says matter of factly.

Injuries aside, Jackson doesn't have the same worries of other coaches. Motivating the Bulls is a much easier job than, say pumping up the Mavericks. Jordan and Co. are motivated as soon as they see sight of the bale Jackson doesn't expect much, if any, slip-page in the play of Jordan or Pippen, and Rodman wants to go out a winner if this is indeed his final season in the NBA.

Might this be the Bulls' final go-round? With Jackson, Jordan and Rodman working on one-year deals, anything's possible.

"We've all got options," Jordan says. "The team can go one way and I can go another, or Phil can go one place and Scoffie and Dennis another. So we'll see what happens."

Around the league

Dennis Rodman didn't waste any time. He made headlines from the start of camp by knocking the Bulls' treatment of Jackson, who signed for only this season at roughly $2.4 million. "This is getting too difficult for me, the politics of the NBA. I went through this kind of crisis in Detroit with Chuck Daly," Rodman says. After the Pistons won the title in 1989, they lost Rick Mahorn in the expansion draft Two years after their second title, they lost Daly and traded John Salley. Rodman became depressed, and he blames (credits?) those changes with his dramatic transformation.... Shawn Kemp's no-show at the start of camp was no big surprise, given his sudden drop on the payroll list. Still, the SuperSonics are disturbed by such antics and though they're unwilling to trade him check back next summer.... Charles Barkley says he can help the Rockets best by finishing among the league's rebounding leaders. "You keep hearing about Dennis Rodman," Barkley says. "Well, if I could go out and don't have to worry about scoring, I could get 15 a night." Problem is, the Rockets do need his scoring, because they gave up almost one-fourth of their offense to get him.