What Bulls History Says About Splitter's Rebuild

By the Bulls Nightly Desk · Saturday, September 19

The Bulls have built a winner from nothing once before, and they have watched a winner get torn down before, too. Sixty years after the franchise's first tip-off, both of those stories are back on the table under Tiago Splitter.

Bulls Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

An Expansion Team Delivered. Dick Klein got the Bulls their franchise on January 16, 1966, and Johnny Kerr's group went 33-48 and made the playoffs that first season, the only expansion team in league history to pull that off. Splitter's group, averaging 23.9 years old, is starting from a similar blank page.

Detroit Set the Bar. The Pistons knocked Chicago out three straight postseasons, 1988 through 1990, before Phil Jackson replaced Doug Collins in 1989 and the titles followed. The current roster hasn't had a losing playoff series to learn from yet — it hasn't made the playoffs at all in four years.

72-10 Still Stands Apart. The 1995-96 team's 72-10 record held as the league mark for two decades, until Golden State's 73 wins in 2015-16. Last season's Bulls finished 31-51 with a 112.1 offensive rating and 117.4 defensive rating, 23rd in net rating — a franchise a long way from that ceiling.

The Ring Of Honor Grew. The Bulls added six names to their Ring of Honor on September 12, 2025 — Johnny Bach, Bill Cartwright, Neil Funk, Horace Grant, John Paxson and Norm Van Lier — a year and a half after starting the honor with Dick Klein and Tex Winter in January 2024.

Rose And Noah's Window Closed. Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah pushed Chicago past a .732 win rate in 2010-11 and 2011-12 before Rose's ACL tear ended that run. It's the cautionary tale behind today's argument over whether Claxton, Buzelis and Giddey add up to a foundation or just trade chips.

Miami Remains The Measuring Stick. The Heat ended the Bulls' 2011 conference finals run and have bounced Chicago from the play-in three years straight, 2023 through 2025. Under Splitter, the goal isn't a title chase — it's simply getting back to the postseason and ending that streak.

On deck Preseason opens October 7 at home against Phoenix, with games against Memphis, Denver and Milwaukee to follow before the regular-season opener October 21 at Toronto.

Has a Bulls expansion team ever made the playoffs?

Yes. The 1966-67 Bulls went 33-48 in their first season and made the playoffs, still the only NBA expansion team to do that.

Who did the Bulls add to their Ring of Honor most recently?

On September 12, 2025, the Bulls added Johnny Bach, Bill Cartwright, Neil Funk, Horace Grant, John Paxson and Norm Van Lier.