NBA News and Notes: After The Last Dance

Now that The Last Dance documentary has concluded after five fantastic Sunday nights, it’s time to take a look at what became of the “rebuilding” Bulls and the stars that were traded/released. To put it lightly: The 1998-99 Bulls team was not a sight to behold.
With new coach Tim Floyd taking the NBA reins for the first time, the team went just 13-37 in the lockout-shortened season. Toni Kukoc thrived in a starting role, averaging 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game. But no other player on the team found much success.
All you need to know about how that team panned out? Brent Barry was their second-leading scorer that year. On the bright side, though, it did set them up to win the next year’s draft lottery and select Elton Brand. He averaged 20 and 10 in each of his first two years. Then, he was traded to the Clippers.
Moving On
As Chicago struggled without many of its key pieces, many of the other players found opportunities to make big dollars for the first time in their careers. Steve Kerr and Scottie Pippen both signed the biggest deals of their careers after being traded.
Pippen would spend the 1998-99 season with the Rockets, who fell a little short of an NBA title. Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon led that talented team, so it was a surprise that the addition of Scottie wasn’t enough to push them over the top for a third title of the decade.
Kerr was dealt to the San Antonio Spurs, where he fit in well with Gregg Popovich’s system. He would be part of two titles there before ultimately retiring from the league. He would start only one game in the final 11 years of his career, showing how effective a bench option he really was.
Scott Burrell didn’t have a big statistical impact on the Bulls’ sixth title team, but he was certainly relevant. He played in 80 games that year and had his moments in the postseason. His career would continue with the New Jersey Nets the following season.
Dennis Rodman would only appear in 35 more games in his NBA career, including 23 with the Lakers the following year. He still managed to dominate on the glass in the games he did play in, posting nearly 12.5 boards per contest in those cities. There may never another like Dennis.
Luc Longley was dealt to Phoenix, where he started games for them for the next two seasons. His playing career ended at age 32 after a brief stint with the Knicks.
Michael’s Move
And last but certainly not least, we have Michael Jordan himself. He retired as planned, which is a place he stayed for three years. Before the 2001-02 season, he announced he would be coming back, playing for the Washington Wizards.
They let him pick his coach, and he chose Doug Collins. They let him play a front-office role, and he took Kwame Brown No. 1.
He would average 20-plus ppg in both years in DC. It was just great to see him play a little more ball.