How Elton Brand Influenced the Bulls.
The All-Star Center helped the Bulls through a dismal two-year stretch
Throughout the off-season, the team at Bulls Confidential is going to reveal our picks for the top 25 best players in Chicago Bulls franchise history. We are measuring overall impact on the organization, community, and how they impacted their team. Follow along on Twitter by searching #BC25.
25. Mickey Johnson
24. Guy Rodgers
23. Orlando Woolridge
22. Charles Oakley
21. Taj Gibson
20. Bob Boozer
19. Elton Brand
Although he was only on the roster for his first two seasons, Elton Brand made quite the impact.
Brand was drafted aboard a rapidly sinking ship in June of 1999. The Bulls had just come off one of the worst seasons in franchise history with 13 wins, and Brand was intended to be their life raft in the form of the No. 1 overall pick. He didn’t exactly morph the team into a contender — the team won 17 and 15 games in his two seasons, respectively — but he was a crucial component of a very fluid time in Bulls history.
Brand averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game as a rookie, no easy feat, and he became a Co-Rookie of the Year along with Houston Rockets point guard Steve Francis. He led all rookies in scoring that season. In fact, three Bulls rookies, Brand, Ron Artest and Dedric Willoughby, were among the top 15 rookie scorers in the NBA that year. Even if the offense was dead last and the wins weren’t rolling in, their was reason for hope.
It was difficult to discuss the Bulls in any capacity during the 1999–2000 season without talking about the MJ void, even over a year after his departure. Elton Brand was naturally pulled into that hurricane. Being a marquis pick with star potential on a roster wrecked by Jordan’s exodus, how could he not be? Brand didn’t shy away from the attention however, according to this excerpt from a New York Times article about his selection in the 1999 draft:
‘’It is a super challenge to follow Michael Jordan,’’ said Brand, the college player of the year and unanimous all-American who averaged 17.7 points and 9.8 rebounds for Duke’s national runners-up this past season. ‘’It’s a lot of pressure playing for the Bulls with the heritage and the championships. I’m ready to take that challenge, to go hard and fight and prove all the naysayers wrong. I think I will be remembered as the person who brought the Bulls back.’’
Brand made most of his living in the paint, but that’s not to say he couldn’t beat you from elsewhere. His range stretched all the way out to 18 or 19 feet, commanding the defense’s respect the whole way. Defense wasn’t his calling card, but he was certainly no slouch for a young guy. That Bulls team was actually the 17th best defense in the league, much better than their offense.
He had some seriously impressive games as a Bull, especially his 44-point outing against the Washington Wizards in April of his rookie season. He added on 12 rebounds, and didn’t take a single 3-pointer on his way to 44 points. A symbol of Brand’s two years, he was spectacular, but Chicago lost the game.
Elton Brand’s tenure in Chicago was cut short by a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers. Brian Skinner and the draft rights to Tyson Chandler arrived, and Brand began an All-Star career as a Clipper.
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