1993–94 Chicago Bulls season

1993–94 Chicago Bulls season
Michael Jordan retires
Head coach Phil Jackson
Owner(s) Jerry Reinsdorf
Arena Chicago Stadium
Results
Record 55–27 (.671)
Place Division: 2nd (Central)
Conference: 3rd (Eastern)
Playoff finish East Conference Semifinals
(eliminated 3–4)

Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com

Local media
Television SportsChannel Chicago, WGN
Radio WMAQ

The 1993-94 Chicago Bulls managed to finish second overall in the Central Division, and third overall in the Eastern Conference with a 55-27 record despite the retirement of star guard Michael Jordan. The Bulls would not be able to win a fourth consecutive NBA championship. After sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, they would lose in the second round of the 1994 NBA Playoffs to the New York Knicks. This was the Bulls' last season at Chicago Stadium before moving to the United Center.

Offseason

Jordan’s Retirement

On October 6, 1993, Michael Jordan announced his retirement, at age 30, due to citing a loss in his desire to play the game. Jordan later stated that the murder of his father earlier in the year shaped his decision.[1] James R. Jordan, Sr. was murdered on July 23, 1993, at a highway rest area in Lumberton, North Carolina, found in a creek on August 3, murdered by two teenagers, Daniel Green and Larry Martin Demery. The assailants were traced from calls they made on James Jordan's cellular phone,[2] caught, convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Jordan was close to his father; as a child he had imitated his father's proclivity to stick out his tongue while absorbed in work.

Those close to Jordan claimed that he had been considering retirement as early as the summer of 1992, and that the added exhaustion due to the Dream Team run in the 1992 Olympics solidified Jordan's burned-out feelings about the game and his ever-growing celebrity status. Jordan's announcement sent shock waves throughout the NBA and appeared on the front pages of newspapers around the world.[3]

Jordan then further surprised the sports world by signing a minor league baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox. He reported to spring training and was assigned to the team's minor league system on March 31, 1994.[4] Jordan has stated this decision was made to pursue the dream of his late father, who had always envisioned his son as a major league baseball player.[5] The White Sox were another team owned by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who continued to honor Jordan's basketball contract during the years he played baseball.[6] He had an unspectacular professional baseball career for the Birmingham Barons, a Chicago White Sox farm team, batting .202 with 3 HR, 51 RBI, 30 SB, and 11 errors.[7] He also appeared for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 1994 Arizona Fall League.

NBA Draft

Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club Team
1 25 Corie Blount PF  United States Cincinnati
2 41 Anthony Reed F  United States Tulane

Roster

Chicago Bulls roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From
PG 10 United States Armstrong, B.J. 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Iowa
PF 44 United States Blount, Corie 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Cincinnati
C 24 United States Cartwright, Bill 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 245 lb (111 kg) San Francisco
SG 3 United States English, Jo Jo 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) South Carolina
PF 54 United States Grant, Horace 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Clemson
SG 8 United States Johnson, Dave 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Syracuse
PG 25 United States Kerr, Steve 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Arizona
PF 21 United States King, Stacey 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Oklahoma
SF 7 Croatia Kukoc, Toni 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Croatia
C 13 Australia Longley, Luc 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 265 lb (120 kg) New Mexico
SG 20 United States Myers, Pete 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Arkansas-Little Rock
PG 5 United States Paxson, John 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Notre Dame
C 32 United States Perdue, Will 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Vanderbilt
SF 33 United States Pippen, Scottie 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Central Arkansas
C 34 Canada Wennington, Bill 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) St. John's
PF 42 United States Williams, Scott 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) North Carolina
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Regular season

Most experts did not predict the Bulls to even make the playoffs after winning their third straight championship the season before because of Jordan's departure. But the team, led by Scottie Pippen and an increased role from both Horace Grant and B. J. Armstrong were able to lead the Bulls to a 55-win season, only 2 wins less than the 1992-93 team, which had Jordan. The Bulls finished two games behind the Atlanta Hawks in the Central Division and earned the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Pippen and Armstrong were both voted to start in this season's All-Star game, and Grant was also picked as a reserve.

Season standings

Central Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Atlanta Hawks 57 25 .695 – 36–5 21–20 21–7
x-Chicago Bulls 55 27 .671 2 31–10 24–17 21–7
x-Cleveland Cavaliers 47 35 .573 10 31–10 16–25 16–12
x-Indiana Pacers 47 35 .573 10 29–12 18–23 15–13
Charlotte Hornets 41 41 .500 16 28–13 13–28 12–16
Detroit Pistons 20 62 .244 37 10–31 10–31 4–24
Milwaukee Bucks 20 62 .244 37 11–30 9–32 9–19

Player starters and stats

Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average

Player GP REB AST STL BLK PTS AVG
C - Bill Cartwright 42 152 57 8 8 235 5.6
PF - Horace Grant 70 769 236 74 84 1057 15.1
SF - Scottie Pippen 72 629 403 211 58 1587 22.0
SG - Pete Myers 82 181 245 78 20 650 7.9
PG - BJ Armstrong 82 170 323 80 9 1212 14.8

Playoffs

East First Round

(3) Chicago Bulls vs. (6) Cleveland Cavaliers: Bulls win series 3-0

Last Playoff Meeting: 1993 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Chicago won 4-0)

East Conference Semifinals

(2) New York Knicks vs. (3) Chicago Bulls: Knicks win series 4-3

Last Playoff Meeting: 1993 Eastern Conference Finals (Chicago won 4-2)

Awards and records

NBA All-Star Game

References

  1. ↑ Berkow, Ira. "A Humbled Jordan Learns New Truths", The New York Times, April 11, 1994, accessed January 16, 2007.
  2. ↑ Mitchell, Alison. THE NATION; "So Many Criminals Trip Themselves Up", The New York Times, August 22, 1993, accessed March 23, 2008.
  3. ↑ Thompson, Ian and Ted Rodgers. Europe loses a role model; even in countries where basketball is a minor pursuit, Jordan's profile looms large - includes related article on Jordan's stature in Japan, The Sporting News, October 18, 1983, available at findarticles.com, accessed March 7, 2007.
  4. ↑ Michael Jordan Chronology, sportsillustrated.cnn.com, January 12, 1999, accessed March 15, 2007.
  5. ↑ Michael Jordan A Tribute, sportillustrated.cnn.com, accessed March 7, 2007
  6. ↑ Araton, Harvey. BASKETBALL; "Jordan Keeping the Basketball World in Suspense", The New York Times, accessed March 23, 2008
  7. ↑ Michael Jordan: The Stats, infoplease.com, accessed March 15, 2007.
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