During the 1993 NBA finals, Chicago Bulls guard John Paxson hit a three-pointer with 5.3 seconds remaining to give his team a '99-'98 victory and the NBA's first three-peat champions since the Celtics dynasty of the '60's. Paxson, who said he set up at the arc \just in case something happened"" hit the historic ""shot heard around the world"" to stop MVP Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns from forcing a game seven.
Ten years later, Paxson found himself in the right place at the right time once again. He took over as general manager for his former team, replacing Chicago villain and previous GM Jerry Krause, who after the Bull's sixth title in eight years traded Scottie Pippen and refused to re-sign Phil Jackson, prompting Michael Jordan's final game in a Bulls jersey.
Paxson inherited one of the worst possible situations in the NBA. A city that was accustomed to winning and quickly growing sick of losing was also eagerly awaiting the second coming of Jordan in any possible form that brought victories back to Chicago.
Besides dismantling a dynasty, Krause hired Tim Floyd to replace the Zen master Jackson as head coach, and traded away its only consistent player, Elton Brand, in exchange for a pair of high schoolers. Not to mention Jay Williams, the Bulls' second pick in the 2003 draft, got in an accident that nearly resulted in the amputation of his left leg and placed his career in jeopardy.
With that said, Paxson has slowly built a foundation for the Bulls through a series of intelligent managerial decisions. As a result, the hottest ticket in the Eastern Conference is once again in Chicago, where the dubbed ""Baby Bulls"" have caught the attention of NBA fans other than their biggest advocate, Chicago native and Pardon the Interruption co-host Michael Wilbon.
The first order of business for Paxson was hiring Scott Skiles to become the 15th coach in the franchise's history. Known for his gritty play on the court during his 10 seasons in the NBA, Skiles was able to take command of the locker room and garner the respect of his young team.
Paxson's second, and most productive, accomplishment was generating one of the most successful drafts in recent memory. He acquired Connecticut guard Ben Gordon with the third pick in the 2004 NBA draft and later landed Duke stars Loul Deng (No. 7 pick) and Chris Duhon (No. 38) All three have seen significant playing time and have been crucial to the development of this young group of players.
At the all-star break, the Bulls already have won more games this year (26) than they won all of last year (23). Currently, they hold the seventh spot in the playoff picture and are only five games back of Central leader and defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons.
Paxson's most recent accomplishment has been the development of point guard Kirk Heinrich and third year center Eddy Curry. Curry is averaging 15.8 points per game, but his improved production may be a result of his free agent status at the conclusion of this season.
Heinrich, on the other hand, has become one of the more consistent guards in the East, as he leads his team both in scoring (15.9 ppg) and assists (6.9) His poise as a second year player is remarkable to watch and his ability to penetrate and shoot make him a threat anywhere on the court.
It has become apparent that both the city of Chicago and the rest of the NBA will never see the next Michael Jordan, just different versions and replicas that arise each year. However, Paxson has brought winning back to the windy city, and sparked the fans' return to the house that Michael built.
Though Paxson now makes his contributions off the court, his legacy with the Bulls may no longer be with his historic shot in the NBA Finals. Instead it may be in the hearts of the Chicago faithful, bringing their team back into basketball's spotlight from behind the scenes. This current squad is far from an NBA title contender, but a spot in the playoffs this year could speak volumes in the coming years.
Jon is a junior majoring in English and journalism. He can be reached at jrmcnamara@wisc.edu.
