From GOAT to Giddey: Bulls are cooking, led by Aussie triple-double machine

Something is cooking in Chicago!

Michael Jordan's era is long gone, and ever since, the Illinois franchise has never come close to regaining its old glory. After winning the 1998 NBA title, MJ retired (for the second time), and the Bulls' agony started.

In the following 26 seasons, they only reached Eastern Conference Finals once in the 2010/2011 campaign when the mighty LeBron James' Miami Heat beat them 4-1 in the series. Had it not been for Derick Rose's severe injury, Chicago might have been a title contender. This way, they weren't even close.

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Moreover, the previous decade has probably been the franchise's worst since the end of the 1970s and beginning of the 1980s, as the Bulls clinched the playoffs only twice since 2015.

Nevertheless, something seems to have changed this season - or at least that's what everyone in the largest city in Illinois would want to think. Yes, it's still too early, but it doesn't take much to ignite a fire in Chicago fans' hearts.

The Bulls currently top the Eastern Conference standings with six wins and only one loss, opening the season terrifically, to everyone's shock! Two days ago, they overcame the 24-point deficit and beat Joel Embiid's Philadelphia 76ers 113-111.

The head coach, Billy Donovan, did some great things with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but no one expected the same in Chicago. After all, their roster is far from promising.

The experienced Nikola Vucevic is their only All-Star player (appeared in 2021 and 2022), Coby White struggled to realize his potential despite being the seventh overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft just like Matas Buzelis, who was drafted 11th five years later, while names like Patrick Williams, Isaac Okoro, Kevin Huerter, Ayo Dosunmu, Jevon Carter, Tre Jones, and Zach Collins hardly strike fear in the rivals' bones.

Yet, apart from the fantastic chemistry, one moment might have changed the Bulls' fortunes - Josh Giddey's arrival. Last season, he was still trying to adapt, but a reunion with his old boss, Donovan, made him thrive.

The Australian was drafted as the sixth overall pick by the Thunder in 2021 and joined Chicago in June 2024 in exchange for Alex Caruso. And it seems to have been a win-win situation, as Oklahoma got a key defensive cog in their title-winning machinery, while the Bulls apparently got a triple-double machine.

Namely, with his stellar performances in the previous two games against the New York Knicks (23 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists) and the Philadelphia 76ers (29 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists), the 23-year-old became only the second player with back-to-back triple-doubles in franchise history after the GOAT Michael Jordan himself!

Hence, many things link the current Bulls generation with the glorious ones from the 1990s, even though this one is nowhere near as powerful as the one from 30 years ago was.

Still, if the NBA taught us anything, it's that everything is possible. Who knows, perhaps it's time for the Bulls to make a huge comeback and bring joy to their fans after years of suffering.