Never in a million years did I think I'd be writing this column.
What you are about to hear is coming from someone whose life revolved around the horrible basketball played by her favorite team, the Milwaukee Bucks-a little girl who once cried because she thought they were so bad because she attended the games and whose number one enemy was everyone else's hero-Michael Jordan.
Yes, I was a strange little girl-not because I religiously followed the NBA, but because I refused to jump on the Chicago Bulls bandwagon like all the cool kids with their Bulls Starter jackets (my purple and green Bucks one was way cooler anyway).
Every time the Bulls came to town, it was a sad day for me. There was always a good chance that the Bucks were going to get stomped, Jordan was going to ooh and ahh the crowd while I acted like I was unimpressed.
I hated this team.
Now after years of unhealthy hatred toward \Da Bulls,"" I am doing something I never thought I would do; cheer for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Playoffs.
In case you have not heard, the Bulls actually are in the playoffs for the first time since Jordan's last stand in 1998 and after starting the season 0-9. The reason I want these Baby Bulls to succeed is because this team has suffered through its share of struggles and after that 0-9 start have obviously made it a point to not have another ""rebuilding year.""
Much of the turnaround is because the organization finally realized that depending on high-school talent to lead a team was not a great idea.
From 1999-2004 the Bulls dropped 341 games, not just because they had poor talent but because their leaders were supposed to be high school prodigies Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler and Duke guard Jay Williams.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, these picks did not work out. Chandler and Curry played like they still were in high school during their first two seasons and Williams proved to be an irresponsible acquisition when he suffered a nearly fatal motorcycle accident, forcing the Bulls to buy out his contract.
Compared to these flops, drafting Ben Gordon last summer was the smartest thing this organization has done since choosing ""His Royal Airness"" in 1984. Gordon is definitely not the next MJ, but he is the next special player for the Bulls. In just one season, he has made Curry and Chandler finally play like veterans while transforming this once pathetic team into a playoff contender and there is no question that he is LeBron's successor for Rookie of the Year.
The real test now for Gordon and his team will be the playoffs. They are already one up on the Washington Wizards thanks to Gordon's 30-point performance, but the Bulls' reunion tour in the playoffs will be short lived. They will make it out of the first round yet have to face the post season without double-digit scorers Curry (irregular heart beat) and Luol Deng (wrist injury). Their youth will be no match to veteran playoff teams like Detroit, Miami and Indiana and as much as I'd like to see this team succeed, any chance at another dynasty will have to wait until next season.
Until next season comes along, and the Bulls return to their consistent clobbering of my Bucks, does anyone know where I can find a Bulls Starter jacket? My Bucks one doesn't really fit anymore and the ride on the bandwagon is usually pretty cold.
Betsy can be reached for comment at eagolomski@wisc.edu.
