Thirty-Three Years Since Jordan Walked Away

Jordan's October exit. Michael Jordan retired on October 6, 1993, after his father's murder. In his absence, Scottie Pippen won the 1994 All-Star MVP. The anniversary falls this week, a reminder the franchise has absorbed abrupt departures at the top before Tiago Splitter's turn running camp this fall.

A 1989 coaching swap. Phil Jackson replaced Doug Collins as head coach in 1989, a swap that preceded two three-peats. Tiago Splitter now runs his first camp after Billy Donovan stepped down in June. The franchise has staked its best eras on new voices before; this one still has to prove itself.

The Pistons precedent. The Detroit Pistons eliminated the Bulls three straight postseasons from 1988 to 1990 before Chicago broke through. Today it's the Miami Heat that has bounced the Bulls from the playoffs or play-in round three years running. Breaking that streak is the clearer measure of progress than any record this fall.

An expansion team's run. The 1966-67 Bulls, coached by Johnny Kerr, finished 33-48 and remain the only expansion team in NBA history to make the playoffs. Chicago has missed the postseason four straight seasons now under a retooled front office. Getting back in, not a repeat of 1967, is the bar Bryson Graham's rebuild has set.

Six more names added. Last September 12, the Bulls added Johnny Bach, Bill Cartwright, Neil Funk, Horace Grant, John Paxson and Norm Van Lier to the Ring of Honor, decades after the titles some of them helped win. Giddey, Claxton, Powell and Hield are the names this front office is betting can eventually earn the same kind of recognition.

Dynasty math still unmatched. The Bulls remain the only franchise to win multiple championships without ever losing a Finals series, six titles across two three-peats. No Bulls team since 1998 has gotten back to that level. This season's group, under a new coach and a new front office, is not chasing a three-peat, just an end to a four-year playoff drought.